Rolls-Royce 15 hp
| Rolls Royce | |
|---|---|
 Rolls-Royce 15 hp tourer (1905)
|
|
| 15 hp | |
| Production period: | 1905 |
| Class : | upper middle class |
| Body versions : | Touring car |
| Engines: |
Otto engine : 3.1 liters (11 kW) |
| Length: | |
| Width: | |
| Height: | |
| Wheelbase : | 2616 mm |
| Empty weight : | approx. 589 kg |
| Previous model | Rolls-Royce 10 hp |
| successor | Rolls-Royce 20 hp |
The Rolls-Royce 15 hp was one of four passenger car models built under the contract between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce of December 23, 1904. The car was called Rolls-Royce , but was manufactured by Henry Royce's company, Royce Ltd. In the district of Trafford Park in Manchester , built and only in the car trade home of Charles Rolls, of CS Rolls & Co. , which costs GBP sold 500th The 15 hp was exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in December 1904 , along with its 10 hp and 20 hp sister models, as well as the 30 hp engine , but because the new three-cylinder engine was not yet ready, the chassis was not complete.
Three-cylinder engines were very popular in the early years of motorization and so one was also part of the aspiring company's program. The design promised a quieter run than the in-line two-cylinder, but was much easier to manufacture than an in-line six-cylinder with its long crankshaft. Royce, however, developed his engine program by starting with the two-cylinder block and combining two of them for a four-cylinder and three of them for a six-cylinder. The three-cylinder did not fit into this series because its cylinders were cast individually. This is probably the reason why only six-cylinder engines later emerged. The three-cylinder engine, whose bore had a diameter of 101.6 mm and whose stroke was 127 mm, had a displacement of 3089 cm³, water cooling and was counter-controlled (intake valves hanging in the head, exhaust valves standing in the side of the cylinder). A high-voltage ignition with pre-charged accumulators, a buzzer and an ignition coil provided the ignition spark. Since the lighting worked with petroleum, there were no other electrical consumers. The engine developed 15 bhp (11 kW) at 1000 min −1 . The engine speed was kept stable by a mechanical speed controller that could be influenced with the accelerator pedal. The car had a three-speed gearbox that was connected to the engine via a short shaft and a leather cone clutch.
The top speed was 63 km / h. The footbrake worked on the gearbox and the handbrake on drum brakes on the rear wheels. The front and rear axles were suspended from longitudinal leaf springs. Some cars also had a transverse leaf spring installed at the rear for support. The wagons were fitted with wooden spoked wheels.
Rolls-Royce only supplied the chassis and drive, but not the superstructure. Customers received the wagons without a body and had to find a wheelwright themselves, and Barker was recommended to them .
Of the only six copies made in 1905, only one with the registration number SD661 has survived to this day.
literature
- David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975. New edition. Veloce Publishing plc., Dorchester 1997, ISBN 1-874105-93-6 .
- Jonathan Woods: Great Marques: Rolls-Royce (1989), Tiger Books International PLC, London; ISBN 1-8704-6198-3 , hardcover (English)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Peter Pugh: The Magic of a Name. The Rolls-Royce Story. The First 40 Years. Icon Books et al., Duxford et al. 2000, ISBN 1-84046-151-9 .
- ↑ The Rolls-Royce company was only founded in 1906.
- ^ A b c Anthony Bird, Ian Hallows, Brendan James: The Rolls-Royce Motor Car and the Bentley since 1931. 6th revised edition. Batsford Books, London 2002, ISBN 0-7134-8749-6 .
- ↑ Price only for the chassis with mechanics.
- ↑ Rolls-Royce website