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 discussing the issue of excessive headlamp and wing movement on certain car models and potential causes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 27a\1\ Scan132 | |
| Date | 9th August 1934 | |
| 46013 To: "Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}" DERBY. PARIS Sr23/Dn.9.8.34 Dear "Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}", I have received your Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}2/MJ.7.8.34, and wish to tender you my best thanks for your congratulations re my appointment as Manager for the French Company. With regard to the headlamp and wing movement, I quite appreciate the difficulties you are up against, but what I do not understand, and what I endeavoured to explain to "Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}", when he was over here, is why there should be this excessive lamp and wing movement on B-130-AH, which he noticed, whilst the Open Touring model B-5-AE, and B-179-AE (François Edmond Blanc) are absolutely free from this trouble, at all speeds, with 95 lbs in the front shock absorbers. The B-15-AE, which I had for many months over here, and which did very excellent work for me, had very little, if any wing and lamp movement, but since cars started coming over with the latest type wing, I and everybody else have noticed a tremendous wing and lamp movement. Of course, this may be the result of some alterations to the chassis, of which I am at present unaware, but as I pointed out to "Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}", it would be very interesting to take the wings off a Bentley Open Tourer, and put them on a Saloon, in place of the present wings, and see what happens. I am inclined to think that the wing movement would not be half as great. You will probably say that the wing has nothing to do with the actual movement emanating from the side members. To this I would retort that the wings of the Open Tourer are not attached, or fixed so far forward to the front of the side members, whereas the present day "Panhard" type wing is fixed as far forward as possible to the chassis frame, close to the cross member. Surely, if there is any torsion, or otherwise of this chassis member, the mere fact of the wing being fixed farther forward, would bring about a greater movement of the wing than if it were fixed farther back. I do not know if I have made myself clear, but I feel certain there is something in this. In any case, I feel that we in France, must be prepared to receive serious complaints and criticisms from our customers respecting the wing and lamp movement, which to | ||