1930 Bentley Speed Six Sportsmans Saloon

This Speed Six was the weapon of choice for Woolf Barnato, Chairman of Bentley and the most famous and well-credentialed of the infamous Bentley Boys. Barnato was the leading proponent of the 6 ½ liter straight-six Bentley that was capable of seemingly effortless 'ton-up' (over 100 mph) travel. Their record at Le Mans and the Brooklands proved it. The colorful and wealthy 'Bentley Boys' ran the table at Le Mans four straight years from 1927 through 1930. The final two years the laurels and champagne went to the mighty Speed Six with Barnato winning three Le Mans in three attempts, a record still unequaled.

In the New World, its Canadian owner once drove it from Montreal to Winnipeg! In that spirit, its first American owner was known to commute from his home in Oregon to Monterey with this 6 ½ where it was displayed fresh from the journey. The rakish dark maroon coupe still conveys the emotional impact and the sort of performance that has earned it a reputation as a 'Supercar for the ages'.

The Speed Six was the racing derivative of the massive and potent 6½-Litre. In regards to its mechanical specifications, the Speed Six was very similar to and derivative of the 6½-Litre. Performance features included twin SU carburetors on a new square-section intake manifold, and in racing trim, was capable of producing 200 horsepower. They dominated at the 1929 Le Mans, where at one point they were so far ahead of the field that they were instructed to reduce to touring speed for the last few hours (and won anyway). They returned to LeMans a year later, securing a fourth consecutive victory and repeating the same 'slow finish' feat.

The Speed Six was not used strictly for racing; examples configured in similar fashion to the LeMans cars were released to private owners and fitted with custom coachwork.

This particular example was delivered to original owner J.W. Bealey of Little Minthurst Farm, Charlwood, Sussex, in September 1930, via Jack Barclay of London. It is a late Speed Six that was given all of the Le Mans-bred updates, including a stronger camshaft, 25-quart oil sump, and 'C' type gearbox. The body for the 152-inch chassis was the creation of Corsica Coachworks of London. It has a long hood that extends nearly half the length of the automobile, ending at a five-passenger Sportsman's Saloon body with a low roofline, split windscreen, and truncated tail.
In 1958, Hugh Young acquired the machine in Wool, Dorset, by which time it had gained its current engine, LR2782, from another Speed Six. Mr. Young had it shipped across the Atlantic and drove the car from Montreal to Winnipeg via the United States. It returned to England and in 1976, it was sold to Barry Cooney who had the car taken to a Bentley specialist for a full mechanical service before the car was shipped to the United States from Canada. Once it arrived in the U.S., the new owner used the Bentley exhaustively, including driving it twice from Portland to the Pebble Beach Concours, where it was displayed in 1981 and 1982.

The car was sold to Gordon Apker in 1982, with whom it remained for the next two decades. It returned to Pebble Beach in 1985. It was then acquired by the current owner, in which it has been maintained since. Further restoration work was performed in the late 1990s, in which the car was refinished in its current livery, inside and out, and fitted with disc-style wheel covers.

In 2019 it returned to the Pebble Beach Concours for its fourth apperance.

By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2019