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1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter Pourtout Coupe

FAMOUS BENTLEY 4¼-LITRE ‘EMBIRICOS' SPECIAL MAKES STAR APPEARANCE AT CREWE FACTORY

One of the rarest and most valuable Bentleys in the world, the 4¼-Litre 'Embiricos' special, is making an historic appearance at the marque's home in Crewe. Fresh from taking part in the Louis Vuitton 'Serenissima Run' in Venice and featuring at the Le Mans Classic as part of the Bentley lineup, this magnificent car takes pride of place in the Lineage Showroom at the firm's Pyms Lane factory until September.

Throughout the 1930s Bentley Motors, then owned by Rolls-Royce, was producing fast, refined and well-built Grand Tourers from its Derby factory. While many customers sent their chassis to traditional coachbuilders such as Vanden Plas, H.J. Mulliner or Park Ward for elegant bodywork, enthusiasts from across the Channel, where the roads were longer and faster, were eager to explore the new world of aerodynamics. With the support of the factory, one such owner decided to investigate the possibility of a streamlined high-performance Bentley. The result was the most famous Bentley of the Derby era.

André Embiricos was a wealthy Greek racing driver living in Paris. Walter Sleator, the company's Paris agent, put him in touch with Georges Paulin, a designer working for coachbuilders Pourtout Carrossier. Under Paulin's guidance Pourtout produced a strikingly sleek, aerodynamic body for a 4¼-Litre Derby Bentley that would be suitable for fast touring and track records alike. To keep weight down the fastback body with split rear window was crafted in Duralumin, an age-hardenable aluminium alloy.

The 'Embiricos' Bentley fulfilled all the criteria for a Bentley high performance grand tourer, achieving a timed 114.64 mph (184.5 km/h) over an hour at Brooklands, yet being civilised enough for Embiricos to use as a road car. Embiricos sold his unique Bentley late in 1939 to H.S.F. Hay who raced it in three post-war Le Mans 24-hour races, achieving a commendable 6th place in 1949.

Although a one-off, reaction to the Embiricos Bentley encouraged the company to explore more streamlined styles for future production models. In 1939 Bentley designer Ivan Evernden worked with Paulin on a sleek Mark V prototype called Corniche. Unfortunately it was in France when WWII broke out and destroyed during a bombing raid on Dieppe while awaiting shipment to Britain. Post-war, many of the lessons of the Embiricos Bentley reached fruition in the glorious lines of the 1952 R Type Continental, and as such continue to be reflected in the iconic shape of today's Continental GT coupe.

Richard Charlesworth, Director of Royal and VIP Relations and Head of the Bentley Heritage Collection, commented:

'It is an honour for Bentley to exhibit this unique Bentley for the first time, thanks to the generosity of its esteemed owner. Its sleek form was extremely advanced for the time, and its DNA can still be seen in modern Bentley coupes today. We are looking forward to showing the Embiricos to our factory visitors, and to the public at the upcoming Windsor Castle Concours of Elegance.'

Source - Bentley
The most famous of all Derby Bentleys, this experimental, one-off automobile is nicknamed for the man who funded its creation in the mid-1930s: Andre Embiricos, a Greek shipping magnate and race driver living in Paris. It seems Mr. Embiricos was a Bentley admirer who wanted even higher performance and more modern beauty for his new Grand Tourer Bentley.

The trend of streamlined aerodynamic coachwork was especially strong in France, with noted designer George Paulin and coachbuilder Pourtout Carrossier of Duralumin at the forefront. It was their collaboration with Embiricos which culminated with this sleek, lightweight aluminum alloy fast-back coachwork fitted to a 4.25-Litre Derby Bentley. Finished in 1938, it was everything the financier had asked for: state-of-the-art, beautiful, light and fast.

At the time, Paulin was one of France's leading aerodynamic designers; he was very conscious of the wind-cheating efficiencies that could be created through form, and often comfort was sacrificed to obtain a body shape as near as possible to the aerodynamic ideal.

The coachwork, designed by Georges Paulin, was built by Marcel Pourtout. Comfort was sacrificed in order to obtain a shape as near as possible to the aerodynamic ideal. This 4.25 Litre Bentley was fitted with a high ratio back axle and a four-speed gearbox with overdrive, which suited Europe's increasingly fast road network.

Embiricos lent the car to Walter Sleator of Franco-Britannic Automobiles, the Rolls-Royce and Bentley agent in France, for testing on the new German Autobahn network, and the car set records for speed and road-holding there that no Bentley road car had previously come close to achieving.

It was clocked at 114.64 mph (184.5 km/h) for over an hour at Brooklands before World War II prevented further racing. After having driven 100,000 miles, this car then competed in the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1949, 1950 and 1951. Its best result at LeMans was a sixth place finish in 1949 when driven by Soltan Hay and Tommy Wisdom.

More recently, the car has appeared and received awards in numerous concours', including Pebble Beach and Meadowbrook. The Kellers drove it in the 1994 Monte Carlo Rally des Voitures Anciennes; in 2012 it ran the Louis Vuitton Classic Serenissima Run in Venice; and was featured in the Le Mans Classic and displayed in the Bentley Pyms Lane Factory 'Lineage Showroom.'

No auction information available for this vehicle at this time.

1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter Auction Sales

Recent Sales of the Bentley 4.25-Liter

(Data based on Model Year 1938 sales)
1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre Two-Seater Sports by Abbey
Chassis#: B180LS
Sold for USD$82,500
  2024 RM Sothebys : Hershey
 
1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre Coupé by de Villars
Chassis#: B1LE
Sold for USD$74,902
  2024 RM Sothebys : Paris
1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter image  1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter image  
1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre Sedanca Coupé by Gurney Nutting
Chassis#: B187LE
Sold for USD$323,766
  2020 RM Sothebys : London Online
 
1938 Bentley 4 ¼-litre
Chassis#: B66LS
Sold for USD$70,049
  2020 Bonhams July Motoring Auction
 
1938 Bentley 4¼ Litre Open Tourer
Sold for USD$78,547
  2019 Shannons - Sydney Autumn Classic
 
1938 Bentley 4 1/4 L Coupé Vanvooren
Chassis#: B-132-LS
Sold for USD$341,040
  2018 Artcurial : Retromobile
1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter image  1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter image  
1938 Bentley 4 1/4 Sportsman's Coupe by De Villars
Chassis#: B8MR
Sold for USD$181,176
  2017 Coys : Thoroughbred & Vintage at Fontwell House
 
1938 BENTLEY 4¼ LITRE MR OVERDRIVE
Chassis#: B28MR
Sold for USD$112,990
  2017 Coys Blenheim Palace
 
1938 BENTLEY 4¼-LITRE 'HIGH VISION' COUPÉ
Chassis#: B83LE
Sold for USD$146,259
  2015 Bonhams : The December Sale
 
1938 Bentley 4.25 Litre Sports Saloon
Chassis#: B145KU
Sold for USD$58,626
  2013 H & H Auctions - Chateau Impney
 
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre Concealed Head Coupe by H.J. Mulliner
Chassis#: B92LS
Sold for USD$341,000
  2013 RM Auctions - Monterey
1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter image  1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter image  
1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre 'High Vision' Sports Saloon
Chassis#: B28MR
Sold for USD$104,716
  2013 Bonhams - The Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale
 
1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre All-Weather Tourer by Thrupp & Maberly
Chassis#: B137LE
Sold for USD$225,500
  2013 RM Auctions - Amelia Island
1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter image  1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter image  
1938 Bentley 4 ¼ litre
Chassis#: B125LE
Sold for USD$213,136
  2012 Bonhams - Collectors' Motor cars and Automobilia at Goodwood
 
1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre Drophead Coupé
Chassis#: B199LE
Sold for USD$145,066
  2012 Bonhams - Paris, La Halle Freyssinet Motocars
 
1938 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Cabriolet
Chassis#: B125LE
Sold for USD$234,888
  2010 RM Auctions - Automobiles of London
 
1938 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre All-Weather Cabriolet
Chassis#: B190LS
Sold for USD$137,500
  2010 Gooding and Company - Pebble Beach Auctions
1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter image  
1938 Bentley 4¼ litre MX Vanden Plus Open Tourer
Chassis#: B117MX
Sold for USD$235,842
  2008 Coys Auction -Brands Hatch
 
1938 Bentley 4 ¼ Brougham Semi Razor Edge Saloon
Chassis#: B162 KT
Sold for USD$86,278
  2006 Coys Auction - True Greats
 

Bentley 4.25-Liters That Failed To Sell At Auction

1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
VehicleChassisEventHigh BidEst. LowEst. High
1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre Sports Saloon by Park WardB133LE2024 RM Sothebys : London $50,000$80,000
1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre CoupéB8MR2020 Bonhams : Goodwood Speedweek $140,000$160,000
1938 BENTLEY 4¼-LITRE CABRIOLETB154LS2020 Bonhams : The Bonmont Sale $300,000$500,000
1938 BENTLEY 4¼-LITRE FOUR-DOOR CABRIOLETB125LE2020 Bonhams : The Bonmont Sale $240,000$300,000
1938 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Boattail SpeedsterB161LE2019 Worldwide Auctioneers : Riyadh Auction   
1938 Bentley 4.25 Litre James Young Sedanca CoupeB72MR2017 H & H Auctions Imperial War MuseumDuxford $180,000$220,000
1938 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Coupe by De VillarsLotB-8-MR2015 Silverstone Auction Classic Sale $115,000$135,000
1938 Bentley 4.25 Litre Sports SaloonB145KU2014 H & H Auctions Chateau Impney   
1938 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Drop Head CoupeB153LE2012 Gooding and Company Pebble Beach Auction $150,000$250,000
1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre CoupeB8MR2011 Bonhams The December Sale $80,000$100,000
1938 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Fixed Head Coupe 2010 Gooding and Company Pebble Beach Auctions $250,000$325,000
1938 Bentley 4 ¼-Liter Derby SpecialB183KU2005 Bonhams RollsRoyce, Bentley Motor Cars and Related Automobilia $40,000$50,000
1938 Bentley 4 ¼-Liter Derby SpecialB183KU2005 Bonhams Collectors' Motor Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia $40,000$50,000
1938 BENTLEY 4 1/4 LITER CABRIOLET 2003 Bonhams MOTOR CARS $140,000$170,000

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1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter vehicle thumbnail image  1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter vehicle thumbnail image  
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1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter vehicle thumbnail image  1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter vehicle thumbnail image  

1938 Bentley 4.25-Liter

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