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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 Ernst Schneider discussing developments in gearbox and transmission technology, including Maybach and semi-automatic types.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 136\4\  scan0055
Date  19th May 1933
  
COPY OF LETTER FROM ERNST SCHNEIDER,

Lincoln House.
18 Victoria Street,
London. S.W.1.

Your Ref: F23/JL18533.
Our Ref. ES/RP

Confidential.

19th May, 1933.

Lt. Col. L.F.R. Fell, D.S.O., O.B.E., M.I.M.E.
c/o Messrs. Rolls Royce Ltd.,
14, Conduit Street, W.1.

Dear Colonel,

Many thanks for your letter of the 18th instant.

According to information received from Friedrichshafen, no reports regarding the latest Maybach transmission have yet been issued as this gearbox will not only be used in private cars, lorries and buses but also in Diesel railcars and my principals were anxious not to offer the box for any type of vehicle until tests in the various cars had reached the final stage. As we can obtain eight progressive speeds with no more gear wheels than in an ordinary four-speed box, we shall offer the transmission for commercial vehicles with an over-all gear range of about 1 : 10, giving a very low bottom gear and, at the same time, a high over-speed, and even in private cars we shall have not less than five speeds, probably more, but this question we leave for makers to decide. I am more than ever of the opinion that a transmission, whether of the semi-automatic or fully automatic type, is only of really great value if, with simple means, a wider range of speeds is available by which greater efficiency and better economy are ensured. With our latest transmission, all gears will be preselected by one small lever on the steering column and the change will take place instantaneously after deceleration; when changing down, the engine will be speeded up automatically to the mathematically correct revolutions and, except for the different engine speed, there will be no indication when a change has been effected. Driving in traffic will be as simple as with a fluid-flywheel but without its disadvantages.

With the methods employed today, the costs of cutting and grinding the gears, which used to make our type of box rather expensive, have been considerably reduced and, if made in sufficient quantities, the box can be produced at a price which is hardly higher than that of a good class four-speed box.
  
  


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