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).
Testing a steering alteration for the Phantom model to address customer complaints while considering costs.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 67\4\ scan0063 | |
| Date | 30th April 1926 | |
| 48430 Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} To PN.{Mr Northey} from BJ. Copy to CWB. Copy to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Phantom Steering. BJ2/E30/4/26 With reference to Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}4/LG27/4/26, will you kindly arrange with Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} to test this alteration in steering as soon as possible and inform me whether you consider it sufficiently overcomes the complaint to justify our fitting it to cars when customers complain. We of course want to avoid incurring more expense than is absolutely necessary. Whereas this alteration may cost a few shillings, the other alteration may cost from £20 to £30 on every car. Perhaps if we make the alteration, it will satisfy the majority of customers and for those few, who still complain, we may have to alter the complete steering. I presume you will arrange first to try a car with the steering of which we now complain and then try the same car as soon as possible afterwards over the same route with the alteration as suggested by Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} It will be noticed [handwritten correction over 'mentioned'] that Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} mentions that this modification makes the steering less perfect in other respects but, as most things are a compromise, the alteration will make a very definite improvement. By making the test yourselves you will be able to judge exactly how far the improvement carries us and how far the steering is less perfect in other respects. BJ | ||