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 S. Smith & Sons expressing disappointment about the choice of hydraulic jacking system for the Phantom III chassis.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 139\1\ scan0175 | |
| Date | 19th June 1936 | |
| 105 E Please note + return X1166 CONTRACTORS TO ADMIRALTY, WAR OFFICE & AIR MINISTRY [LOGO: ENGINEERING AND ALLIED EMPLOYERS' NATIONAL FEDERATION 1928] TELEPHONE: GLADSTONE 3333 (20 LINES) TELEGRAMS: SPEEDOFAC, PHONE, LONDON. [LOGO: S.Smith & Sons (Motor Accessories) Ltd] CABLES: SPEEDOFAC, LONDON. CODES: MARCONI, COMMERCIAL, BENTLEY'S. [STAMP: TECHNICAL] [LOGO: BY APPOINTMENT TO HIS MAJESTY THE KING] BRANCHES AT PARIS MILAN SYDNEY WELLINGTON AGENCIES AND SERVICE STATIONS THROUGHOUT THE BRITISH EMPIRE AND IN ALL THE PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES SHOWROOMS & DEPOTS 179-185, GT. PORTLAND ST LONDON, W.1. 26-33, COX ST.{Capt. P. R. Strong} LIVERY ST BIRMINGHAM 14A, JACKSONS ROW DEANSGATE MANCHESTER 21, DRURY STREET GLASGOW DUBLIN & BELFAST CRICKLEWOOD WORKS LONDON, N.W.2 Please quote our reference: S.1. SALES DIRECTOR'S OFFICE. 19th June, 1936. W.A.Rowbotham, Esq., Messrs.Rolls-Royce, Limited, DERBY. Dear Mr.Rowbotham, JACKALL. I am terribly disappointed to learn that Phantom 111 Chassis are being delivered to Coachbuilders with another make of hydraulic jacking system. [Handwritten note: this is natural] I am afraid that your good folk do not fully appreciate all the pitfalls attaching to this form of jacking system or they would not have committed themselves to an unknown design. Please forgive this frank expression of opinion, but knowing the many difficulties we have had to overcome during our long experience of JACKALL I, unhesitatingly, claim that it is impossible to tackle a proposition of this nature successfully in the short period our competitors have been interested. [Handwritten note: Jackall design changes rapidly over short periods.] It is obvious after an inspection of a Chassis that certain of our features in the sample set, especially brackets, have been copied. [Handwritten note: I don't agree. Bracket can be very much alike without being copied.] Whereas it took 145 strokes to operate the Jackall on the Phantom 111, it takes 280 to raise our competitor's system. [Handwritten note with arrow pointing to paragraph: But there are offsetting disadvantages such as Jacks rattling about on sprung linkages.] | ||