From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
The status of bodywork programmes for the Bentley Corniche, Silver Dawn, and Silver Ripple models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 161a\3\ scan0195 | |
| Date | 3rd June 1939 | |
| - 8 - BY.1/G.3.6.39. BODYWORK. BENTLEY 'CORNICHE'. The body will be available for inspection on Monday or Tuesday, (June 5th and 6th.) With regard to Exhibitions, all that has been positively instructed at the moment, is, one Bentley 'Corniche' each of French and English type bodies; in addition, a framed up body to act as a jig or sample of what is required in the event of our requiring an English coachbuilder to produce it. I am strongly of the opinion, however, that we cannot hope to obtain bodies for the Show made in this country. I therefore would revert to the original proposal of one off each again as exact replicas of the two produced as duplicates for each of the types at the English and French Shows. PROGRAMME. All bodies for Bentley V.{VIENNA} programme have been delivered, and are available at Derby, with the exception of the Coupe, which we are doing work upon at Park Ward & Co. as referred to above. 'SILVER DAWN' (BENTLEY 50). It is fairly certain that this proposal will not be produced as a Bentley model. C. and Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} tried the car, and Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} wrote a memo in regard to same. His views were that the car was not standard, and no useful purpose was served in trying the car. The point that one thought would have been useful was the riding quality. Nothing is outstanding in regard to bodies of this type at the moment. The mock-up of the prototype body has been approved, and it has been agreed to scrap the first body produced under Finney's regime as it proved to be quite useless for test purposes. PREPARE PROGRAMME "SILVER RIPPLE". We expect to have completed a full French run on this car before the Motor Show in October. | ||