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).
Impact of spare wheel placement on vehicle streamlining, performance, and future design policy.
Identifier | ExFiles\Box 19\1\ Scan112 | |
Date | 9th June 1931 guessed | |
-2- The question arises as to what extent this last point in respect of streamline would be affected by having the two spares at the side of the bonnet, there being merely a provision for luggage at the back, which would be capable of reasonable streamline covering, more easily than in the case [strikethrough]six[/strikethrough] of wheels. A short time back we were asked to accept the view that with the weight of two spare wheels at the rear, many important road-holding conditions were improved, chiefly affecting the springing, steering and pitching. Now this view appears to be changed, or considerably modified, and it would be useful to have from your Department a statement as to what differences to the control of the car on a slippery road, when decellerating, can be detected when the spare wheels are removed from the rear of the car, to the sides of the bonnet. At the next Motor Shows in Paris and at Olympia we shall be exhibiting, inter-alia, cars of the Continental type. Your carefully considered reply to this memo is desired to help us in the consideration of the right lines to adopt, and our future policy, in connection with these cars. It is quite obvious that we cannot avail ourselves of efficient streamlining at the rear of our cars to assist extreme speeds, chiefly on the score of conventional appearance, and I fear that any considerable improvement in this direction will be obtained only after we are able to increase materially our engine power. PN.{Mr Northey} | ||