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).
Correspondence page from a motoring magazine discussing old racing cars, starting methods for older engines, and the highest road in Britain.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 160\5\ scan0293 | |
| Date | 21th March 1941 | |
| March 21st, 1941 The Autocar 261 Correspondence While this is a praiseworthy object, it seems to contain a larger amount of Socialism than is desirable or practicable. It is to be hoped that its application would not destroy or curtail the home market for such beautiful examples of motor engineering as the Rolls-Royce and Bentley. NORMAN PADDISON. Tonna, Neath, S. Wales. OLD RACING CARS Special Lanchesters Which Ran at Brooklands [50034.]—Capt. J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} Aston [50014] appears to think that there were two of the Brooklands Lanchesters, raced by Parry Thomas and Lionel Rapson, but I believe there was only one, raced by Thomas after Rapson had carried out long-distance tyre experiments with it. It had a virtually standard 40 h.p. engine, and a very imposing single-seater body of square section, and eventually lapped the track at over 110 m.p.h. Then there was the late Tommy Hann's Lanchester “Softly Catch Monkey,” developed from a 1911 25 h.p. Lanchester landaulet, which won a 1924 Gold Plate race at 78 m.p.h. It ran in 1921 as a tandem-seater enclosed job. Incidentally, can any reader say where the former Lanchester is now, also Capt. Miller's Wolseley Viper? I thought I knew the fate of most of the track cars, but I have never traced these as being broken up. W. B. South Farnborough, Hants. MAKING A GOOD CAR BETTER Temperature Control on a Speed Twenty Alvis [50035.]—Two months ago I bought a 1932 Speed Twenty Alvis which, suitably retarded, seems quite good even on Pool, but I think that it is over-cooled. Have any of your readers fixed up any form of by-pass or anything of the kind to give control of engine temperature? If so, I shall be most interested to follow suit. It is a fine, sturdy car and holds the road like glue, and will keep at it continuously without any complaint, but it could do with a clutch stop, especially for getting into gear at the traffic lights. Have any of your readers fixed one up? GREEN INK. London, S.W.1. CAN A “DEAD” ENGINE FIRE? Old-type Cars Which Would Start “On the Switch” Four Times Out of Five [50036.]—Many previous owners of a 40-50 Rolls-Royce will be surprised at the number of letters that have appeared on this subject, since the possibility in question has been a standard method of starting these engines when warm for at least twenty-five years. I owned a London-Edinburgh model in 1913, an Alpine Eagle in 1915 and a Phantom I in 1927, and all these engines would start “on the switch” four times out of five. The Rolls of these types were provided with a lever on top of the steering column which could be used to set the mixture rich just before switching off, and its advance and retard lever had a wide range of movement. I left my car daily in St.{Capt. P. R. Strong} James's Square in the old days at 10.30 a.m. and when I came back at 5.30 p.m. I merely switched on and retarded the ignition lever smartly; the spark fired the gas in the right cylinder (which was over top dead centre), and the engine immediately started. Not only would it start with the car in gear and the clutch in, but I won many bets on its starting up on top gear with the clutch in—it moved off like a steam engine. Many racing drivers will remember the old racing six-cylinder Napier Samson, which frequently stood in the Paddock at Brooklands during the luncheon hour. This car never failed to start on the switch, and the owner used to win his bets nine times out of ten. But once some of us machined a wooden plug which we drove into the enormous exhaust pipe (when he was not looking), and, having done this, we laid bets all round. He switched on, the engine started with a terrific bang and, to our horror, the bung shot out like a shell from a gun, luckily passing between the legs of a large admiring crowd standing around. We never found the bung—it went completely out of sight, but the engine was running all right and we had to pay up! GRANVILLE BRADSHAW. East Horsley, Surrey. THE HIGHEST BRITISH ROAD Is There a Practicable Route That Tops the Loch Builg Road, at 2,391ft.? [50037.]—While recovering from a bout of 'flu recently, I was reading through some old copies of The Autocar, and on page 403 of the issue of September 6th, 1935, I noticed that your contributor, “Vagrant,” raised the question of the highest road in Britain, and asked if the Loch Builg road, in Banffshire, was possible. He also referred to The Autocar of March 25th, 1927, but unfortunately I have not got this and so have not been able to look up what was said there on the subject. [This was a reference, in a list of British single-figure gradients, to the Loch Builg road at 2,391ft., reaching the highest point of any road in the British Isles.—ED.{J. L. Edwards}] I did, however, turn to the map to see where this road was, and I am unable to see any road marked in Banffshire on the Bartholomew half-inch which fits the description. Loch Builg itself is in Banffshire, but perhaps the road referred to is the one leading over from Deeside, the road actually being in Aberdeenshire. It starts at the hamlet of Balmore, and crosses the shoulder of Culardoch and thence runs down to the River Gairn. After crossing this it joins the road up the Gairn, which goes to Loch Builg Lodge. These details are well shown on the Ordnance Survey one-inch map of Cairngorm. At no time, however, does it reach the height of 2,391ft. mentioned by “Vagrant,” for it never crosses the 2,300ft. contour, and about 2,280 would appear to be the maximum. These photographs give an idea of the nature of the Loch Builg road and its surface, referred to in letter [50037] on the subject of the highest British road. I do not recollect that anybody ever answered the question as to whether the Loch Builg road was a motoring road. On the assumption that the road described is the one in question, I went there in October, 1931, with the intention of trying it with a side-valve Aston Martin. The weather, however, was very wet, and I decided it was no use attempting the lower grassy slopes with ordinary tyres. This last summer I was in Braemar, and so went to the old road again and walked up to the highest point. I do not know what the northern side is like, but I would hesitate to describe the part I did go over as a motoring road. How- B 19 | ||