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).
Weight reduction strategies for the sports chassis and the continental Bentley to improve performance.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 88\3\ scan0274 | |
| Date | 14th November 1938 | |
| -E- This does not mean that we are content to allow our sports chassis to weigh 24 1/2 cwts, but that it was necessary to save a big percentage on material cost initially to make h.SO a possibility. In the continental Bentley we have an opportunity of reconsidering the chassis without such cost limitations, and expect to lighten it by not less than 1 1/2 cwts. At the same time, with weight saved on the body and accessories, such as lamps, we have every hope that we shall finish up with a car that weighs little more than the original 3 1/2-litre Bentley, i.e., 32 cwts. This should put the performance of the Bentley back where it belongs, but is likely to be a more expensive way of obtaining the results than increasing the engine dimensions. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||