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).
Difficulties in perfecting coachwork, contrasting the artistic nature of bodywork with the mechanical nature of chassis construction.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 74\1\ scan0027 | |
| Date | 14th July 1910 | |
| R.R. 348c (50 H) (F 901. 10.6.10.) E.P. 6883 DEPARTMENTAL MEMO. HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}2/B14710 Issued July 14th, 10. This column is for Name of Person addressed. DATE. Mr. Johnson: 14.7.10. File J X393 With reference to Mr. Rolls's memo to you dated July 7th. re our coachwork, there is no doubt that our bodywork does not reach the same level of perfection which our chassis has done but it must be clearly borne in mind that chassis construction is of a very different nature to coachwork and the latter is like furniture - more an artistic trade than of mechanical construction. Again there is a certain amount of flexibility in a chassis owing to the nature of its construction - I refer to the materials used - whereas any such quality in coachwork would prove absolutely fatal. The framework of a body being wood must be solid or non-flexible whereas a steel chassis if it had not a certain amount of flexibility about it, would break. This solid or non-flexible body weighing nearly 10 cwt. is placed upon a flexible chassis. This is the first difficulty a coachbuilder has to contend with and however well constructed the body may be, the give and take of the chassis which supports it, is certain to cause that body to eventually rattle. Unless steel framework or something of that nature can be devised for the construction of bodywork, I do not see how this first difficulty can be overcome. The next point is general design. I have gained sufficient experience in coach-work to realise that even the genius of Mr. Royce and his able assistants, unless they could devote nearly the whole of their time to it (which God forbid) would not be able to advance the general design and construction of coachwork sufficiently to repay them for their time and trouble. This sheet must be filed with the correspondence to which it refers. | ||