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).
Letter from Ethyl Export Corporation discussing fuel octane ratings and lead concentrations in Europe.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 27a\1\ Scan314 | |
| Date | 4th September 1935 | |
| COPY Ethyl Export Corporation, Thames House, Millbank, LONDON, S.W.1. 4th September, 1935. W.A. Robotham, Esq., Experimental Dept., Rolls-Royce Ltd., Nightingale Road, DERBY. Your Ref: Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}8/KW. Dear Mr. Robotham, I wish to acknowledge your letter of the 3rd September in Mr. Banks' absence on holiday. I am very interested to hear the results experienced on the continent with a Bentley 7 to 1 compression ratio. With regard to your first question as to when all Esso on the continent will be brought up to 80, I am afraid it is almost outside our province to be able to give a concrete answer. As you know, we insist that all spirits sold, bearing the name Ethyl, should not be less than 76 octane, but we are naturally only too pleased if the oil companies themselves raise this to a higher figure. This step, of course, is purely a domestic matter of each individual company. With regard to France, for your confidential information, the octane number of Esso (which you will have noticed does not bear our trade mark) is in the region of 74, this being due to the fact that up to the present there has been a maximum limit imposed by the French government on the amount of lead permitted to be used. We hope that this will shortly be removed and that our full commercial concentration of lead will be made available, in which case there is little doubt that the octane number of leaded fuels, that is Esso and Pegase, will be considerably increased. With regard to the knock-ratings of the fuels sold in Austria and Hungary, the data we have shows that these are, at the moment, between 76 and 77. I will attempt to get some information giving the latest situation in France and the countries you specifically mention, and let you have this in due course. With kind regards, Yours very truly, (sgd.) H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} Fossett. | ||