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Image Left 1926 6.5 Litre
 

1927 Bentley Speed Six Markham news, pictures, and information

Roadster
Coachwork: Markham
Chassis Num: DH2206
Engine Num: NH2732
 
Sold for $335,000 at 2005 Bonhams.
Sold for $568,000 at 2008 Bonhams.
Sold for $568,000 at 2008 Bonhams.
This beautiful example was created in 1936 by combining the chassis of a 1927 standard wheelbase Weymann fabric saloon by Gurney Nutting, shortened wheelbase, wîth the engine from a 1930 Speed Six saloon. Apart from the shortened wheelbase and Speed six engine, the changes to the Bentley included lowering the radiator and bonnet, 18-inch front wheels and a 3:1 final drive ratio. The car has proved to be perfectly stable at over 100mph and the burst to 120-plus leaves a good deal of pedal to the imagination. Markham of Reading, England built the light sporty two-seater body.

This car was offered for sale at the 2007 Blackhawk Collection Exhibit held in Pebble Beach where it carried a price tag of $1,100,000.

In 2008, it was offered for sale at the 'Quail Lodge, A Sale of Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia' presented by Bonhams Auction where it was sold for $568,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.

Source - Blackhawk Collection
The Bentley 6.5 Litre was a continuation of the Litre series Walter Owen Bentley had created. The four-cylinder 4.5-liter unit used in the 4½ Litre was used for the 6½ Litre Bentley but the 6½ Litre Bentley had two extra cylinders. The Bentley stright-6 had a cast-iron block and head with an overhead camshaft having four-valves per cylinder. There were two spark-plugs per cylinder. The 100 mm bore and 140 mm stroke resulted in a displacement size of 6597. Horsepower was in the neighborhood of 180 - 200.

The design was based on the Bentley 3Litre but inspired by the Rolls-Royce Phantom I. There were a variety of chassis sizes available that ranged from 132 inches to 152.5 inches.

In 1928 Bentley introduced the Speed Six which would, in time, become the most successful Bentley racer. Woolf Barnato, Tim Birkin, and Glen Kidston drove the Speed Six to victories at the 1929 and 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In total there were 363 examples of the Bentley 6½ L and 182 examples of the Speed Six.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2006
The Bentley Company was created by Walter Owen and Henry Bentley in 1919. Within a few years they had their first 24 Hours of LeMans victory. The company prospered for a number of years before going into receivership in 1931. The company had created a total of 3033 cars and had won victories at LeMans five times.

The litre series engines began in 1919 with the four-cylinder 3-litre unit. For its day, it was very technically advanced, thanks, in part, to the technical abilities of WO Bentley. The engine had dry sump lubrication and an overhead camshaft which operated four valves per cylinder. The use of aluminum pistons was also ahead of its time. In an effort to reduce gasket leaks the entire cylinder block was cast as one piece. The displacement size was increased during the early 1920s culminating to the 6-litre Bentleys. This new model, announced in 1925, had a displacement size of nearly 6.6 liters from the new six-cylinder engine. It drew inspiration from the 3-litre units that had brought many victories to the company. During 1925 and 1926 the Six-Litre Bentley's had mild success on the racing circuit as these seasons were plagued with bad luck for Bentley. In response, Bentley began work on a performance version.

The new special model was ready by 1928 and dubbed the Bentley 6 1/2 Litre Speed Model, also known as the Speed Six. The true potential of the Speed Six was experienced during the 1929 and 1930 LeMans race where the Bentley Speed Six models dominated the race. The drivers and co-drivers who piloted the machines to victory were Woolf Barnato, Tim Birkin, and Glen Kidston.

Success at LeMans was due to many factors including expericne, knowledge, and a durable 200 horsepower engine. The company looked poised to be a strong competitor at LeMans in 1931 but financial difficulties kept them from competition.

The Bentley Company was later bought by Rolls Royce and the proud and historic racing program was discarded.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2006
Four more legends join Gooding & Company's 2012 Pebble Beach Auctions, its greatest collection of automobiles ever assembled
Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance acclaimed for selling the world's most significant and valuable collector cars, is thrilled to present four automotive icons at its Pebble Beach Auctions on August 18 & 19: the Clark Gable 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe; the 'Green Hornet,' a 1931 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre SC 'Blower' Sports 2/3 Seater Boattail; the 1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Prototype and a 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Cabriolet. ...[Read more...]
Coys Legende et Passion Auction
The catalogue for Coy's international auction, Legende et Passion, held in Monaco on Saturday 12th May 2012, is now available online to Club members at www.coys.co.uk. This is a very significant European headline auction, held against the backdrop of the Historic Grand Prix de Monaco, and is one of the most important European sales to be held this year. Viewing is on: Thursday 10th May from 12 noon to 6:00pm Friday 11th May from 11.00am - 7:00 pm Saturday 12th May from ...[Read more...]
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Image Left 1926 6.5 Litre
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