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 a customer detailing a car accident and listing pre-existing mechanical faults.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 89\5\ scan0221 | |
| Date | 11th June 1941 | |
| RM {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} / EAG- 2021 261 WILMOT-BREEDEN LTD EASTERN WORKS BIRMINGHAM 1 TELEPHONE: CENTRAL 8641 (18 LINES) TELEGRAMS: "BUMPERS, BIRMINGHAM." MANAGING DIRECTOR'S OFFICE 11th June 1941. W.A. Robotham Esq. Messrs. Rolls-Royce Ltd. BELPER, DERBY. Dear Robotham, I was sorry to have to tell you this morning of my unfortunate accident with the B.5., but as it happened the appalling carelessness of the driver of a truck of straw was such that my wife and I were very lucky to get away alive. I am getting the car moved over to Belper immediately, and my chauffeur thinks the damage is not as severe as originally appeared. However, I shall be glad if you will do everything possible, and we can have a talk about it on Wednesday the 18th. In the meantime, I feel I ought to enumerate certain faults that have appeared in the car, and they could be attended to at the same time. 1. If one endeavours to pick up on a very low speed on overdrive, there is a noise like the gears of an old mangle, suggesting something radically wrong in the gear box. 2. As your people know, there has been a constant and annoying squeak in the front end suspension, which we have been unable to cure. 3. My chauffeur brought the car over the day before I went away for the weekend, to make quite sure that a noise that appeared on No. 5 cylinder was not incipient big end trouble. Your people said it | ||