Sold for $2,750,000 at 2013 Gooding and Company - The Amelia Island Auction.
In just seven years, Bentley achieved five outright victories at the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Gerald Bevan and his son Anthony were part of the English motorsports scene, early collectors of motorcars, and friends with Sir Henry 'Tim' Birkin. Antony drove a number of Bentleys, including Birkin's own works 4.5 Litre as his entry to the 1931 24 Hours of Le Mans.

During the years surrounding Bentley Motors' sale to Rolls-Royce, Birkin and Mike Couper began a service center at Birkin's racing workshop. During this period, Birkin sold his Number 3 Blower (YU3250) and his Works 4.5 Litre (YV7263) to the Bevans. The cars would remain with the Bevans for a number of years. Along with the two factory team cars, the Beavans also purchased a production 4 1/2 Litre (chassis MF3153). The car was originally intended for export to Jose Shepherd & Bell of Argentina. It was given a Vanden Plas Sports Four-Seater (body number 1457). The body was given a windscreen featuring extended irons, which swept forward along the metal-paneled scuttle. This feature was known to have been performed on a number of 3 Litres and 4 1/2 Litres destined for Argentina. The remainder of the body was finished with Weymann fabric.

Chassis MF3153 was next purchased by Gerald Bevan and, by association, his son Anthony Bevan. Upon receiving the car, it was significantly upgraded. With the help of the factory, and Tim Birkin, and the Birkin and Couper racing and service workshop, the 4 1/2 Litre was fitted with numerous Le Mans-specifications features. It was given a stone guard affixed to the radiator and a quick-release radiator cap, as was standard for team cars. A large-diameter rev counter was fitted to the dash. It was also given a Le Mans-type petrol tank with quick-release cap. The Le Mans tank required the relocation of the rear-mounted spare wheel to the side of the car. It is also believed that the fenders were changed to the cycle type now seen on the car. One other significant upgrade was the magnesium, or Elektron, blower crankcase, SM3905. Furthermore, the 4 1/2 Litre was fitted with a magneto turret out of Bernard Rubin's own 4 1/2 Litre (HM3187), which was rebuilt as the first 'Blower' Bentley. Having originally been equipped with 'Sloper' SU Carburetors and other late-production components, including the aluminum sump, MF3153 became the ultimate specification 4 /2 Litre (un-supercharged).

After the upgrades were completed, the Bevan's new tourer had every bit of the look and feel of a proper LeMans team car. It is believed that Bevan went on to race the car at Brooklands in 1931 in the Warwick Junior Long Handicap and the Second Easter Mountain Speed Handicap.

In September of 193, the 4 1/2 Litre joined a fleet of two other Vintage Bentleys purchased by Sir Guy Domville Baronet, a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and a renowned bridge player.

In 1932, the Bentley found a new owner in Mr. L. Edwards. During Mr. Edwards's ownership, work was undertaken by McKenzie Motors, including the replacement of the gearbox. Mr. Edwards retained the car until William Francis Forbes-Sempill purchased the 4 1/2 Litre later that same year.

After the War, the Bentley passed to Terry Breen in 1946. Mr. Breen and his yard in North London became legendary among Bentley enthusiasts who were looking to acquire spares of complete automobiles. Mr. Breen recognized the special nature of MF3153 and kept it as his own. In Mr. Breen's care, the car saw frequent sporting use, including participation in the 1954 and 1957 Anglo-American Rally. During this time, Mr. Breen had the gearbox replaced with a proper D-Type unit.

After nearly two decades of ownership, Mr. Breen parted with MF3153, and he listed the 4 1/2 Litre for sale in the April 1965 issue of Motorsport. It was later purchased by Mr. J. Elvins, marking the start of a 15-year stewardship. The Bentley subsequently passed to Mr. G.R. Crosthwaite for a number of years before Roland Jones purchased the car. Shortly thereafter, it was sold to Mr. M. Leake, who eventually sold it to Richard Saunders, the former president of the Bentley Drivers Club and owner of several significant vintage Bentleys. Mr. Jones had felt he made a mistake in selling the car, he later pursued the car and bought it back in 2002. His intent was to have the car restored to a level worthy of the car's quality. Richard Cresswell at VBE Engineering undertook the mechanical restoration, while the coachwork and finish was handled by Graham Moss. Tim Houlding was retained for his expert advice on the project. In 2005, the work was completed and it handily won Best of Show at the annual Bentley Driver's Club Concours. A short time after this showing, the Semi-Le Mans Bentley found a place in a private German collection where it was stabled with some of the greatest purebred pre-war sports cars.

The 4398cc single overhead cam four-cylinder engine has twin SU 'Sloper' carburetors and produces an estimated 130 horsepower. There is a four-speed non-synchromesh D-Type gearbox and four-wheel mechanical drum brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2013

Sold for $2,750,000 at 2013 Gooding and Company - The Amelia Island Auction.
This 4.5 Litre Bentley was one of three cars sent to the Bentley agent in Buenos Aires that never actually sold. After returning to Britain a year later, it was eventually sold to Gerald Bevan, a close friend of two-time Le Mans winner Sir Henry 'Tim' Birkin. After Birkin upgraded the car to full Le Mans specification (it was the only Bentley 4.5 to be converted in the Birkin workshop), Bevan raced it twice at Brooklands in 1931, fitted with the specially prepared engine it still retains today. It sports a large racing tachometer, special twin 'sloper' racing SU carburetors, Bentley's racing type D gear box, and 17-inch Whitworth wire wheels. The body was changed to cycle fenders, and a 25-gallon racing fuel tank was added, requiring the spare wheel to be mounted on the side. Later, Bevan sold the car to Lord Sempill in 1939, before the Bentley enthusiast Terry Breen bought the car in 1946 and drove it for nearly 20 years. It then passed through four further owners before it was restored in 2002 and won the President's Award at the 2005 Bentley Drivers Club Concours.