Rolls-Royce Owners Write

Sir,

I have followed the correspondence re Rolls-Royce/Bentley v. The Rest for sometime. You have often caused my blood pressure to rise through your pro-German waffle. Each time I have said I would join the argument, and now your side-stepping of the very kind offer of Mr. R. T. F. (Liverpool) in the February issue has prodded me to do so.

To use your own phrase, the reason for waiting for better weather should be obvious. I refer to the frequency that poor weather precluded any acceleration times. Personally, I think Mr. R. T. F. is a very brave man if he allows you to drive it, judging by some road-test reports I have read in your magazine.

This brings me to a point which has annoyed me ever since I read the Assistant Editor’s report on his trip as a passenger in the new Mercedes, October 1963(?).

He said that it was not surprising that journalists were not allowed to drive it considering the cost. Need I say more?

May I say that I agreed with your editorial comments last month about visiting the factory at Crewe.

I still enjoy reading the rest of your magazine after allowing your childish and sulky anti-Rolls-Royce comments to be forgotten.

In conclusion, it you publish this letter you are a better man than the impression created by the aforementioned comments gives.

DAVID C. BULLOCK

Daventry.

Sir,

In reply to our friend “R.T.F.” of Liverpool and his type of car being the only one to “stand the stick”

Has he not heard of VW ?

ROGER N. RUDD.

Stamford.

Sir,

Weil, I have just received the January issue of Boddy’s Rag (which I get only for the classified section, incidentally) and as a long-time owner and driver of the “Best Car in the World ” (100,000 Rolls-Royce miles) I feel the urge to voice my opinion. This opinion is that the reason why R.-R. Ltd. won’t let Boddy test one of its products is that he lacks the prime requisite of a road-tester – an unbiased mind. Like a little kid, if you don’t let him play, he will pick up his marbles and go home and throw rocks at you from over the fence. I would like to stress the statement in Matters Of Moment that the Editor can claim no practical knowledge of recent R.-R. cars, so that now the Mercedes is only the best car in the Boddy world, which is probably a rather small one. If you don’t know it, don’t knock it. bub.

My stable contains a 1925 33/180 Mercedes with less than 10,000 miles on the clock, along with five Silver Ghosts. One can go point-for-point down the list and only in flat-out speed is the Mercedes superior, and not by too much at that. It was true in 1925 as it is today. I have it on pretty good authority that the reason the Yellow Cab Co. in Los Angeles is buying no more Mercedes is that every 10,000 miles the clutch goes out. You can almost set your watch by it. I know of one 14-year-old Mk.VI Bentley which has never even had its clutch adjusted, so that now the Mercedes becomes only the best car in the world outside of its clutch. One might go on and on and find there are really two sides to the coin after all.

As the Editor said when his Decauville broke down, Royce was inspired to produce the Best Car in the World and how very well he succeeded.

Oh, come on now Billy Boy, don’t sit there and gnash your teeth, just print this letter.

FRED W. BUESS.

Glendale. California.

(It is curious that Mr. Buess goes out of his way to say that he reads only the small advertisements yet should get so excited about an editorial! And if this is how Rolls-Royce owners respond to comment I am not sure that I want to be one of them. – ED.