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).
Brief resume of impressions from a visit to Rovers regarding coachwork.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 127\3\ scan0193 | |
| Date | 1st October 1937 | |
| By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} 1091 also 1021 Rml/R.1.10.37. VISIT TO ROVERS RE COACHWORK. The following is a brief resume of my impressions during our visit to Rovers. (1) To start up body production at the rate of 25 per week will require a great deal of space. As a rough estimate, Rovers have at least four times the floor space devoted to body space as they have devoted to chassis erection. Probably with the Trimming Section included, the space is nearer six times. We do not see why our ratio should be any different. This means a shop bigger than the 190. (2) The personal element plays a far larger part in body production than in chassis building. You cannot make a success of coachwork by just installing the best equipment. In particular, trimming is a craft. Therefore, one must expect to take some little time to gather together the necessary personnel, and a much longer time to produce an entirely satisfactory body. (3) We do not see how we can do appreciably better than Rovers do on general finish, interior trimming, moulding, etc. if we are to produce a car to provide economical transportation. We do not consider that we should get value for money by going to extremes in quality of leather, head cloth etc. We think Sales should be asked to accept the Rover as a model of what we intend to go for to start with. (4) Wilks recommends the All Steel body with one piece side construction as being the best structure. To go for this before we know anything about metal bodies seems to us to be asking for expensive mistakes. Having had two Rover cars lately, I feel that their present construction is well ahead of the best Park Wards can do, and, therefore, we need not be ashamed to start on these lines, which will give us more latitude for providing for varying body dimensions. They will also permit of a less "American" looking body. | ||