A short history of the Vintage Bentley.

1919-1931

Walter Owen Bentley created a series of motor cars in the 1929's that have stood the test of time in both mechanical reliability and in attracting an enthusiastic and reverential following. The many people who today own and drive these cars are themselves a part of the history of the motor car.

Since I am by no means an acknowledged expert on the history of W.O.Bentleys and bearing in mind there are some very good books on the subject, this is a brief document covering a few well known facts and stories. For those of you who want to know more about the man himself, or an in depth look at the history of the company and technical specifications of these legendary cars, the "Recommended reading" section is the place for you (in particular; Bentley - The Vintage Years by Michael Hay). Some of the publications are out of print and will be hard to find, but worth the effort.

In September 1919, the first Bentley engine (a three litre) roared into life. Nine months of joint effort by W.O.Bentley, Frederick Burgess and Harry Varley culminated in a complaint that the noise was disturbing a dying man nearby. Someone later remarked "A happy sound to die to - the exhaust roar of the first 3 litre Bentley engine"!

Originally formed as Bentley Motors Ltd, of Cricklewood, London, by W.O.Bentley in 1920 and taken over by Rolls Royce Ltd in 1931, who moved the factory to Derby. They still produce the Bentley car of today, but at Crewe since 1946.

The first model was the 3 litre. With 2996cc, 4 cylinders, 5 bearing crank, cast iron one piece cylinder block and light alloy crank case. Other features were, 4 valves per cylinder, overhead cam, twin carburettors and dual ignition. Bhp in the early days was a respectable 70.

The vintage Bentley is to the Englishman the epitome of "what vintage cars are all about". Just as a Frenchman would admire a Bugatti or an Italian enthuse over an Alfa Romeo.

Sporting success came early, with a second place in the 1922 TT, a first at Le Mans in 1924 and another in 1927 (Dr Benjafield and Sammy Davis in the badly damaged 'Old number one' at 61.35 mph. The 3 litre, and perhaps more so the 4½ litre which succeeded it in 1927, can be summed up quite nicely in the reply supposed to have been given to an enquirer by Ettore Bugatti when Bentleys were sweeping the board at Le Mans "My friend Mr Bentley builds the fastest lorries of anyone I know". The comment shows the differing approaches certain manufacturers took when designing cars. It can justifiably be said that the Bentleys were built to last!

Just over 1600 3 litre cars were built, and in their various forms are often described by the colour of their radiator badges. Thus the Red label had the short chassis, the Green label was a special short chassis version with 100 mph available, and the Blue label was the long chassis on which saloon coachwork was also available. Coachwork was done by a variety of specialists as was the custom of the time, but certainly the Vanden Plas speed model, 4 seater stands out in popularity.

Over lapping the demise of the 3 litre and the success of the 4½ litre cars were the 6½ litre cars (including, in later years the Speed Six). This was an attempt by the company to get into the luxury as well as the sporting market. The coachwork came in both open and closed form, again by most of the leading coachwork companies. Engines were 6597 cc, and developed 180 bhp at 3500 rpm. These were the cars that scored a one, two and three victory for the marque at La Mans in 1929. The leading car being driven by Woolf Barnato (by then the chairman of the company) and Sir Henry Birkin at an average speed of 73.6 mph. This was followed by a one, two victory in 1930, Barnato being partnered by Glen Kidston at 75.9 mph.

One of the better known and oft told stories of the period is the race between a Bentley and a train from Paris to Nice, the Bentley won of coarse. That car is still about today and is known as "The blue train Bentley". Although the car is now painted the colour blue, it was actually the train that was blue at the time.

Because of the heavy duty build of these cars, the road versions top speed was only 92 mph. Cost of chassis before the bill from the coach builder, was an expensive one thousand, four hundred and fifty pounds, so it is perhaps not surprising the saloons made little impact on the luxury market, and the company has always been better known for its sporting successes. In fact, Bentleys of all sizes were so successful in sports car racing and other events, that entries from other manufacturers showed a sharp decline whenever it was known they were entered.

The 4½ litre cars were manufactured between 1927 and 1931, Barnato and Ruben using one to win yet another victory at Le Mans in 1928. There was even a team of super charged cars built under the auspices of Sir Henry Birkin and sponsored by Dorithy Paget, but W.O himself apparently never liked the idea. Although the "Blowers" are today one of the most desirable and collectable of all vintage cars, they were the only model never to win a race, and arguably the only ones to suffer from reliability problems.

The final Bentley masterpiece was of coarse the magnificent 8 litre, which had an impressive 220 bhp on tap. Only 100 of these cars were built before financial disaster, which had dogged the company from its early years, struck. Woolf Barnato had for three to four years been pouring money into the company from his personal fortune, but the slump of the thirties along with an over ambitious warranty (a full 5 years warranty!) made the business unsustainable.

It is a fitting to note that for many years, Vintage Bentleys carried on a successful competition campaign in the hands of various privateers, even breaking records such as the flying mile at 132mph some 30 years after being built!