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).
'Correspondence' page from The Autocar magazine featuring reader letters on various motoring subjects.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 160\5\ scan0300 | |
| Date | 14th March 1941 | |
| March 14th, 1941 The Autocar 1378 239 Correspondence to use the greatest possible care in these times on my daily journey to avoid accidents; and personally, from what I have seen, I should say there is a great deal to be desired in the training of the average Army driver. A.{Mr Adams} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} MORGAN. Southsea. "EVERYMAN" CAR IN EXISTENCE? Motoring Conditions After the War May Have Many Differences [50024.]—This subject seems still to attract attention, but I think that some of your recent correspondents who have suggested that one or other of the popular cars already in existence represents the ideal "Everyman's car" have missed certain important points in the discussion. The first is that car design is not static. However good these cars may be, and certainly they are very good of their kind, finality has not been reached, and it would be absurd to suppose that no further improvement is possible. The Everyman's car of 1910 to 1926 was undoubtedly the Model T Ford, but few would regard it so to-day. The second point, and perhaps a more important one, is that the excellence of the car must be assessed according to the conditions under which it is to be used. The present ones were intended for pre-war conditions, for which their popularity shows them to have been very suitable. But we are looking to the future. Motoring after the war will almost certainly be very different in many ways from what it was before, and cars will have to be designed accordingly. As examples, economy is likely to be a bigger factor than ever, for owners will have less money and petrol will be more expensive. Roads, after years of war, will be worse, and better springing and steering may be called for. It may be, and I sincerely hope will be, that wartime driving, particularly in the dark, will have demonstrated the very great advantage of a good driving view, in which most of our present cars are lamentably deficient. These are a few points, and one could think of many more, but they may serve to show that the popular low-priced car of 1939 will not necessarily be the Everyman car of 194-? A.{Mr Adams} F.{Mr Friese} SCROGGS, Wing Commander. R.A.F. SPECIAL BODIES FOR HOLLYWOOD Examples of British Design and Construction That Created Considerable Interest [50025.]—With reference to your article "The Hollywood Influence," in your last issue, I think it may be of interest to your readers to know that the open tourer illustrated on page 208 is actually a Ford V8 30 h.p. chassis with chassis modifications and body designed and built by Jensen Motors, Ltd. In fact, four of the cars were built to the order of Mr. Percy T. Morgan, Jnr.{Charles L. Jenner}, of Los Angeles. The chassis in each case was shipped from the States to our works, and they were re-exported to Los Angeles complete with the bodies. Assuming that the article is intended to portray ultra-modern design, I think it is worth noting that the four British bodies to which I refer were designed, built and delivered approximately five years ago. These cars created considerable interest in the United States and were instrumental in securing for us several orders for Jensen 3½- and 4¼-litre cars. One of the latter was illustrated and briefly described in The Autocar of December 30th. R.{Sir Henry Royce} A.{Mr Adams} JENSEN, Jensen Motors, Ltd. West Bromwich. "ENGINES THAT ARE DIFFERENT" The Two-stroke Seen as the Power Unit of the Future [50026.]—The very interesting articles in The Autocar on "engines that are different" recall some other designs of much interest. The Dunelt and Wardill supercharged two-strokes, for instance, both employed pump-type boosters, the Dunelt utilising the lower part of the truncated piston, whilst the Wardill had its booster piston surrounding the working cylinder and actuated by eccentrics on the crankshaft. The Dunelt was produced in large numbers from about 1927 to 1932, in the form of a 250 c.c. motor cycle. I rode one of them for a long period, and the power unit gave a quite remarkable performance, although, in theory at least, it suffered from the comparatively heavy piston having two diameters and unusual length. I had no experience of the Wardill, although I believe a few examples were produced in 1927. Another design of more than passing interest was the Law opposed-piston two-stroke with a crankshaft at either end of the elongated cylinder. This engine was designed in 1927 and J.A.P.s made up an experimental engine, but I do not think it ever went into production. Also, at about the same time Dr. A.{Mr Adams} M.{Mr Moon / Mr Moore} Low designed a two-stroke on quite revolutionary lines, which was supercharged and dispensed with crankcase compression. Engine revolutions in the region of 10,000 per minute were mentioned. It seems to me that unless some unforeseen development in valve systems is evolved the two-stroke engine will at last come into its own. The limiting factor in engine performance seems to be no longer pistons and bearings, but the staying power of the valves, particularly the exhaust valve. It would seem that, with poppet valves at any rate, we are about at the "ceiling" of four-stroke performance as far as ordinary road-going engines are concerned. G.{Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} BAGGULEY. Derby. "MOTORING TO THE MOON" A Criticism [50027.]—You do not often get adverse criticism of your excellent journal. There is little cause. But I do wish to protest against the use of very valuable space for such an article as "Motoring to the Moon" (February 28th issue). This is only a personal opinion, of course. But do let us have more of "Everyman's Car," "Talking of Sports Cars," hints on the use of good economy measures, and the like. Leave the remote possibility of seeing the moon at close quarters to the learned folk whose world it is! How many regular readers enjoyed the article? I read it, because I always read the whole from cover to cover. REALIST. Downham Market, Norfolk. "THESE CARS MADE HISTORY" More Memories of the Model T Ford [50028.]—What memories your recent article on the Ford Model T awakened! It not only "made history," but it made real motorists of many thousands of us. Is it generally known that Ford's (U.S.A.) turned out 75,000 in the year 1911, which was the type illustrated? I took delivery of one thirty years ago, and shall never forget my misgivings when it arrived in a small packing case— it seemed impossible that a five-seater could be inside it; but it was—a marvel of space saving; even the springs being pulled down to the axles to save an inch or two. That car was laughed at and jeered at for its spidery appearance, but the way it climbed hills commanded respect. It had lots of "teething troubles," but no "expensive noises," during the whole eight years I owned it, and it was running well and quietly when I sold it to a garage for hire work in 1919. Engineers shook their heads and said the back axle looked weak, and that the detachable head, transverse springs, Schrader valves, etc., would never stand up to their work— but they did! Ignition trouble was the most persistent, plugs oiling up, coil trembler blades sticking, and the commutator (in a bad position) getting very dirty. I cured the plug trouble by skimming a bit of metal off the pistons below the bottom ring and drilling holes right through (quite a brain wave in those days). Though I dreaded the possibility of seized pistons in consequence, it never happened. Trembler coil trouble was over- A 1911 Model T Ford, referred to in letter [50028]. It was still running well when sold in 1919. | ||