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).
Increasing weight and structural faults of the standardised Park Ward Saloon body.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 84\1\ scan0330 | |
| Date | 6th November 1934 | |
| Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} -2- C1/06.11.34 I am not so certain that now the standardised Park Ward R-R Saloon is the ideal body, inasmuch as when it was first issued it weighed 8 1/2 cwt, and now weighs 11 cwt. I have asked you separately to investigate the reason for this. The body as at present is seriously affecting the performance of the chassis. I would remind you that the Park Ward Saloon body was a satisfactory body before you had anything technically to do with it. It has now risen in weight under your technical supervision by 2 1/2 cwt. and you are saying that this is the ideal body which Barkers must have a shell of in order to enable them to turn out a satisfactory body. Our maximum approved weight for a Saloon body is about 9 - 9 1/2 cwt. Our impressions of the technical supervision are that the results are not altogether satisfactory, but we hope for something better in the future. Furthermore, in spite of the concentrated technical help you have given them, the first batch of Park Ward Bentley bodies was most unsuccessful and resulted in many complaints. The majority of the early complaints were due to weakness structurally in the front part of the body and lack of attention to detail. The trouble with the front end of the body, I think it is agreed, was to a very great extent due to the fact that the Coachbuilders were not allowed to fit a front body bracket, you having explained to Mr. Ward in this office the technical reasons against this bracket. It was, however, found that all the experimental bodies at Derby were fitted with the front bracket, and we have now standardised it, and a large number of the complaints have been eliminated. Apparently the splitting of the head and pillars has now been overcome by quirking, as adopted by other Coachbuilders, but which Park Ward endeavoured to avoid because of their dislike of its appearance. Even now this body is not out of trouble, and only recently I was seriously perturbed to learn that front wings are splitting, and the reason given for this is that they are attached by bolts to the running board, the theory now being that having stiffened up the front of the body, the vibration from the chassis is concentrated upon the front wings. | ||