1927 Bentley 6 ½-Litre Sport Coupe

The three liter Bentley's were renowned for their excellent power-to-weight ratio. Sales were stimulated by impressive victories of these champion cars but adorned with luxury and class, a task that custom coachbuilder's were more than happy to undertake. The coach bodies were often heavy and robbed the vehicles of their performance. The short chassis were also a problem as they were not very accommodating to coachwork, so the chassis were extended which deprived the vehicle further of performance. What was needed was more power.

Bentley began development on a new engine that could continue their reputation for excellent power-to-weight. The three-liter four-cylinder was modified with the addition of two extra cylinders. The bore was enlarged and the end result was the 4 1/2 liter Bentleys. The 8-main bearing, six-cylinder engine proved to be what was needed to compete in the luxury car segment. They were quiet, smooth, and more refined. The increase in horsepower gracefully carried the large and luxurious vehicles in an elegant and refined manner.

The larger engine and larger chassis meant the rest of the vehicle's mechanical components required updating. The brakes were enlarged and used finned drums for better cooling.

A rolling chassis was shown at the 1925 Olympic Show and a completed version was ready by March of 1926.

To retain the reputation for being England's sporty marque, more development and refinement was required. By boring the cylinders to 100 mm and keeping the stroke unchanged, the vehicle displaced 6597cc, resulting in the 6 1/2 Liter Bentley's.

At the 1926 Olympia Show Bentley proudly displayed their latest 6 1/2 Liter creations.

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Mr. S.E. Parks of the United Kingdom received delivery of the vehicle in April of 1927. The sporty coachwork was created by The Surbiton Coach and Motor Works, known as Surbico. It was built to 6.5 Liter specifications but later updated to Speed Six configuration.

The vehicle was housed for many years in the Manx Motor Museum on the Isle of Man. During the early 1980's it was exported to the United States where the new owner used it in various driving events. It was later acquired in the early 1990's by an Australian collector who commissioned a full mechanical and chassis restoration. A cosmetic restoration was undertaken which carefully recovered and restored the car to its original condition.

This one-off design was auctioned at the 2006 RM Auction in Monterey, CA where it was expected to fetch between $900,000-$1,000,000. There was no reserve on the vehicle which suited the buyer rather well, who purchased the car with a winning bid of $781,000.

In 2010, this Bentley was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company Auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona. As bidding came to a close, the lot had been sold for the sum of $726,000, inclusive of buyer's reserve.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2010