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).
'boom' or vibration issue in 12-cylinder cars at high speeds, comparing performance unfavourably with competitor Bentley models.
Identifier | ExFiles\Box 137\4\ scan0244 | |
Date | 7th March 1931 guessed | |
To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}12/EG.K.31 - X - We are recently faced with another owner who has turned his car back on us because of a boom on the front seats between 53 and 60, there being no boom in the back seats. The whole question appears to teem with difficulties, and in consideration of 12 cylinders I have before me Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}'s memo. to you of the 4th wherein he points out that all the 12 cylinder cars we have tried have been bad for booms and fuss at high speeds, so that we shall have to be very careful, before we make such an important change, that we are really going to derive sufficient benefit to warrant such a change. I hate to refer again to our competitors, Messrs. Bentley, because I feel that to do so must be rather irritating to you - nevertheless I would remind you that with their 6 cylinder car, both the 6 1/2 litre and the 8 litre, they seem to have been particularly successful in the elimination of the roar, noise, fuss and boom at the higher speeds. You will remember this was drawn attention to when we tried one of the 6 1/2 litre cars some year or so ago when I suggested buying one, and the recent report of our technical people's trial will still be fresh in your mind. The most important thing seems to be, as mentioned in the last two lines of Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}'s memo. referred to, i.e. to push on with schemes to overcome the faults of the present car, to which we are at any rate committed for some time to come. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} | ||