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).
Road-holding and steering difficulties with a Trials Landaulette and another car, questioning the fitment of shock absorbers.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 20\2\ Scan047 | |
| Date | 22th January 1920 | |
| R H 235 a (100 T) (S.F 846 6-8-19) G.{Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} 2460 COPY. From CJ. to FN. X.3922. Trials Car. After Christmas time I reported to you that Crawford has remarked that the Trials Landaulette was extremely difficult to keep on the road. You appeared to be ignorant of his feeling in this matter. I therefore asked you to enquire into it. I should be glad to have a report. Please state whether the Trials Landaulette is fitted with shock absorbers on the back wheels. If not, undoubtedly it should so be fitted, and note should be taken as to whether when shock absorbers have been fitted Crawford's opinion is altered or not. X.3910 Mr. Salamanca says that he is frightened to drive his car at more than 60 miles an hour even on very good roads in France because of the difficulty of keeping it on the road. His partner, Mr. Roca, found the same difficulty and complained of it. Presumably Mr. Salamanca's' car is fitted with shock absorbers on the back wheels. When you have amplified this information, will you kindly send it on to Mr. Royce and to Rn{Mr Robinson}, Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} and EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} I asked Maddocks what he thought of the steering and he said he found it extremely difficult to keep on the road if the road was at all rough. X.3482 He put this down to something to do with the alteration in steering which had been necessitated by the use of disc wheels My feeling on a rough road, at not more than 35 miles an hour, was that there was so little control over the car that it might be jerked suddenly into a passing vehicle unless the driver were very alert and quick. CJ. | ||