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).
Outlining the Phantom III experimental programme, focusing on cost reduction and reviewing the status of various tests and chassis.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 91\1\ scan0527 | |
| Date | 9th November 1937 | |
| Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} c. Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. EPS. c. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Swdl.{Len H. Swindell} 300 also 1260 Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}6/R.9.11.37. P.III PROGRAMME. In view of the decision to cut down P.III development work to the minimum in the immediate future, it is necessary to review the present situation in the Exp. Dept. to ensure that, where possible, advantage is taken of money already spent on tests. Experiments in hand can be divided into two main classes:- (1) Those which are intended to improve the reliability of the car and the successful results of which must be incorporated in the chassis as soon as possible if heavy free of charge expenditure is to be avoided. (2) Those to reduce the cost of manufacturing the chassis. There are also one or two minor experiments to improve the desirability of the product. The attached list gives various items tabulated under their respective headings. At the moment the Continental chassis, 39-EX, the completion of which has been postponed until next Spring, is expected to have most of the items fitted to it. The cost of completing this car is, relatively speaking, such a small fraction of the sum already expended, that we consider it would be false economy to stop it at the present juncture. To get the full value out of the test we believe that the car should certainly run 15,000 miles on the Continent. The suggestion that some of this mileage might be combined with demonstration seems to be worth pursuing. 32-EX is being re-built with up-to-date parts, after the strip examination at the conclusion of the last French test, and we recommend that this should become the Exp. P.III car. | ||