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).
Letter to Hudson Motor Car Co. inquiring about the clutch design and reliability of their Terraplane model.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 21\6\ Scan174 | |
| Date | 6th June 1934 | |
| x4217 Exptl. Dept. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}5/KW. 6th June, 1934. S.G. Bates, Esq., Chief Engineer, The Hudson Motor Car Co., Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. Dear Mr. Bates, We have now had our Terraplane for about two months and are all greatly impressed by its silence and smoothness. One of the features we like most is the clutch. This appears to us to be remarkably smooth and free from shudders of any sort. We should very much like to hear your opinion as to whether this clutch is as reliable as the single plate dry clutch generally in use in America. We should imagine it is far more easy to burn out the cork clutch by abuse than the single plate clutch. We should also very much like to know whether you manufacture this clutch yourself, or if not who produces it for you. Do any other American manufacturers use this clutch ? We notice that you have a somewhat elaborate arrangement for transmitting the pedal pressure to the clutch mechanism. Could you tell us whether this was found necessary to prevent the engine movement causing clutch jaggers, or whether it is merely done to prevent the pedals being moved by the engine. Yours sincerely, FOR ROLLS-ROYCE LIMITED. | ||