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 to Park Ward & Co. Ltd. instructing them to cease production of instrument boards for Bentley V bodies and switch to a new design.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 117\3\ scan0048 | |
| Date | 17th May 1940 | |
| c. to Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c. to Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/FD.{Frank Dodd - Bodies} Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}1/JH. 17th. May, 1940. SECRET. Messrs. Park Ward & Co.Ltd., 473, High Road, Willesden, LONDON.N.W.10. For the attention of Mr. C.Ward. Dear Sirs, re Instrument Boards. We have been instructed by Mr. Robotham, to ask you to make no more instrument boards for the production Bentley V bodies to our scheme DB.{Donald Bastow - Suspensions}2115. All partly finished boards should be scrapped. The reason for this is the general dislike of the instrument board layout, an example of which we have in B.22.AW. (Lp{Mr Lappin}'s. Car). We wish to use the layout, shown on DB.{Donald Bastow - Suspensions}2369, of which you have already received a copy in connection with 12.B.V. (Square cornered dark Green Saloon) to which the scheme was fitted. The lighting of the board on B.22.AW. is poor due to the angle of the board to the vertical being 35° instead of our normal 10°, as drawn on the Instrument Print DB.{Donald Bastow - Suspensions}2115. To use the new arrangement DB.{Donald Bastow - Suspensions}2369 will call for certain other modifications such as turning the steering wheel on the shaft through 180°. The whole scheme is being reviewed at once, and full detailed instructions will be sent to you by the week end. P.T.O. | ||