Starting a Rolls-Royce

Starting a Rolls-Royce

Sir,

Reading your March issue (page 238), I came across a statement regarding the owner of a 1936 20/25 Rolls-Royce, who was able to start it “on the switch”. [ After it had been idle for a long period.—Ed.

You may be interested to know that I used to demonstrate “Silver Ghosts” by stopping in top gear with the passengers aboard by cutting the ignition on the switch at the top of the steering column, this controlling both magneto and coil fitted to this model.

Without touching any /whits and only using the switch, ignition advance and retard lever, and the governor control, the car was then re-started and would pull away in top gear and accelerate up to normal running speed. Of course the tricky part of this exercise was careful co-ordination of the ignition to initiate the spark as you switched on and then steady speed control through the governor lever to prevent stalling. The governor

control I mention was similar to a throttle hutbut controlled through a governor to the throttle. Rolls-Royce are the only

people that I know who used this type of control.

The exercise was most impressive to the “would-be” customers and more so if a briefing was given first, and I am sure that I was originally shown this exercise by official Rolls-Royce demonstrators.

Further to this, one local chauffeur who was responsible for two Silver Ghosts at that time (open tourer and saloon) would use the starting handle in the morning to give six pull-ups with ignition off and then start on the switch to save battery current because the owner ia bachelor) used the cars very little and even when going to Gleneagles he would put the car on the train and only use it there for outings round Gleneagles. As a side issue, 1 have a Michelin jack supplied as standard equipment by RollsRoyce at that time and I have used it on every car I have owned since 1928, for both wheel changing and all servicing. It is still

in use at present. Is this a record? Blackpool W. EVANS