1935 Bentley 3.5 Liter Sportsman Coupe

Bentley Motors lost its independence in 1931 following its acquisition by Rolls-Royce, but in return, its survival was guaranteed. The first of what would become known as the 'Derby Bentleys' arrived in 1933 and continued the company's tradition of sporting vehicles endowed with a high degree of refinement. They were based on the contemporary Rolls-Royce 20/25hp with a slightly shorter wheelbase, servo-assisted brakes, and powered by a tuned, 3.5-liter overhead valve six-cylinder engine with twin SU carburetors and paired with an all-synchromesh four-speed gearbox.

Including the subsequent 4.25 Lite model, a total of 2,442 examples were built with nearly half receiving coachwork by Park Ward in a limited number of styles. Numerous coachbuilders created coachwork for the 3.5-liter Bentley, with many designs coming from the era's greatest British coachbuilding firms, many of which were unique to the Derby Bentley chassis.

This Bentley 3.5-Liter Sportsman four-seater, close-coupled two-door coupe was ordered by W. Headlam, Esq. on the last day of 1934. It was ordered with many special order requests including a high-performance engine. Notations were made for the fitting of an additional spark coil, quick ratio steering and hard suspension setting. E. Bertelli Ltd. received the car on February 13th of 1935.

It is the sole Bertelli-bodied Bentley and a wonderful example of the 1930s streamlined design.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the car was in the ownership of Keith Wright of Yorkshire. Its history from that point is unclear. In 1984, it was in a photograph for the Rolls-Royce enthusiast's newsletter, crediting Rex Sevier as the owner.

The car was purchased by the current owner in 2005 and a frame-off nut-and-bolt restoration soon followed.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2011