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).
Critique of development timelines and methods, advocating for a more structured and realistic approach to new car features.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\5\ scan0122 | |
| Date | 4th September 1936 | |
| -2- Our method has been to have one chassis running about for a short time with an independent suspension which is perfectly hopeless, and then proceed to draw one into a chassis which is coupled with a 12-cylinder engine, separate gearbox, and numerous other items. The result is that even before it gets to the customer we can see how to make all the parts very much cheaper and lighter, and this has been done on the Wraith. This was the gist of Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}16/KW.22.2.35, and still is our opinion to-day. That is why we want to tackle independent suspension on the Bentley with the minimum of other modifications to the car. That is why we still reiterate that to get a completely new Ph.III car from the first experimental chassis to the customer in two years is exceedingly short notice, far too short to get an economical product. Actually in Conference optimistic dates fly about in the most remarkable fashion. If everybody who talked about these dates put them on paper and put their signature to them, there would be less optimism. We do believe that the Exptl. Dept. have had so much experience on these development jobs that they can give a reasonable date for development completion, once they have had a chassis on the road with the designed features, and we say that this has been proved by the Ph.III predictions. If cost is going to be cut down on the job, then a great deal of it has got to be done in the development, because we do not know what can be left off until tests have been made, and the job as a whole takes longer. If at Conferences in the future we can avoid the excessive optimism which so often prevails, and accept that any one new major feature on a car is going to take at least 18 months from the time the first part is made to the time it gets to the customer if an economical and satisfactory job is ultimately to be achieved, then we think much heartburning would be avoided. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||