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).
Test drive report on the 37-EX Phantom III, detailing its performance and handling.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 91\1\ scan0384 | |
| Date | 11th August 1936 | |
| Gry{Shadwell Grylls} X300 E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Hm.{Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs} Hdy.{William Hardy} EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}1/HP.11.8.36. 37-EX. I had 37-EX for this last week-end. I have not previously driven a Phantom III for more than a few yards. Generally the car was delightful to drive. The steadiness at speed was quite remarkable. The control of the car under all circumstances seemed very good. Over any but the smoothest roads, one felt a slight tugging at the steering wheel, but it gave a feeling of the steering being alive, and was preferable to the absolutely dead feeling one gets on some American cars. Two or three times during the runs there was a definite shock, but still a soft one. The steering ratio was very much to be preferred to the ratio such as on the Cadillac or Buick, for instance. The self centring was strong but not terrific, as on some cars. The clutch had a tendency to judder, but not under all circumstances. I got the impression when it did occur that it was my fault. The judder occurs not when first moving off, but after the car is actually in motion. On one or two reverses, the judder was pronounced. But I had a number of perfectly smooth reverses. One feature is that the clutch seems only to take up at the very last part of the movement. It gave one the impression that one had not engaged the gear. The gear change appeared to be easy. Even changing down to 2nd at 40 m.p.h. required very little effort, and there appeared to be very little tendency to crash. The gears were very quiet. A very slight sing was just noticeable on 3rd. The engine was very unobtrusive even at high speeds on 2nd. The foot brake was very effective and smooth, though it seemed quite easy to skid the rear wheels. The hand brake was not very effective in holding the car on moderate gradients that is, it required a strong pull to prevent the car going | ||