Creation
Testing
It pours with rain every day at Goodwood, but for once Britain’s notoriously inclement weather isn’t to blame.
A ‘monsoon’ test is just part of the exhaustive series of rigorous quality checks designed to ensure that every new Rolls-Royce leaving Goodwood is perfect in every respect.
When a car reaches the end of the Rolls-Royce assembly line it’s scrutinised by our exacting quality control team, who conduct a comprehensive regime of tests.
The ‘shake test’ is conducted in a special cell, with the car parked on four steel ‘posts’ that are connected to the sophisticated ‘shaker rig’. Fed with data that can replicate different kinds of road surface conditions, hydraulic rams shake the rig’s posts, which in turn pummel the suspension to test the car’s integrity, and settle the components before the suspension geometry and alignment is precisely set. Our test engineers monitor the body structure for the slightest noise that could manifest itself as a squeak or rattle when the car is driven. If one is detected the car is returned to the assembly line for further investigation.
During the rolling road test, the car is driven up to a maximum speed of 75mph to check that the main systems on the car are working properly. Particular attention is paid to the primary safety systems - the ABS brakes and Dynamic Stability Control system. The ‘monsoon’ test establishes that the passenger, luggage and engine compartments are water-tight, by subjecting the car to a 20-minute soaking from 73 high pressure water jets. Some 5000-litres of water is used in the process, but thanks to the design of the test cell, all the water is captured, filtered and re-used. Extensive diagnostic checks of each car’s complex on-board electronic systems are also conducted.
Once these tests have been passed, and a final underbody check carried out, the car is ready for the road test. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it, as test driver David Terry cheerfully explains.
‘Without doubt I must have the best job in the world, driving Rolls-Royce cars every day! I test each car on local roads, assessing its driving performance and overall acoustic issues, in all weather conditions, which takes a keen ear and attention to detail.’
