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).
Potential market and technical challenges of supplying left-hand drive chassis to America.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 124\4\ scan0078 | |
| Date | 13th December 1939 guessed | |
| [Handwritten top left]: 1646 To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} from Tr.{Capt. F. W. Turner - Finance} Copy to S. " [Handwritten]: HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} [Handwritten top middle]: Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Please see me [Typed top middle]: Private & Confidential [Handwritten top middle, below 'Private & Confidential']: HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} [Typed top right]: Tr{Capt. F. W. Turner - Finance}14/LM.2.1.. [Typed title]: Left Hand Chassis We have received a cable from J.S.Inskip.Inc to the effect that they have sold another new PhantomCodename for PHANTOM I lll car within a day or two of it landing in America. This makes 10 cars in all which they have sold since the outbreak of war and it is obvious that under the changed conditions there is a good market forour cars and chassis in that country. It seems almost certain that the U.S.A. will benefit progressively as the war proceeds and that when the war is over their financial position should have improved considerably with the result that there should then be a very good market for Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars in America. I have not looked up the records but I believe that when the American Company were making their own left hand chassis they were selling several hundred cars per annum. I am convinced that if we could supply left hand drive chassis after the war to America that our chances of success would be much better than if we could only supply right hand drive. Although it is possible that some Americans prefer right hand drive chassis in order to be 'different', we are probably losing a good many orders because we cannot supply the left hand drive. When, on the introduction of the Phantom lll, I brought up this point it was found that the design of the chassis did not lend itself to the supply of left hand steering without very considerable and fundamental alterations which would have involved a great deal of expenditure in experimental work, which in view of the depressed conditions of the American market at that date was not considered justified. The same situation arose when we manufactured the left hand drive Phantom ll chassis for America, i.e., the cost of experimental work was very considerable. A number of motor car manufacturers seems to be able to supply alternative drive chassis without much difficulty and under the present war conditions, when our designs have not to be rushed through for production primarily for the English | ||