Bentley Motors lost its independence in 1931 when it was acquired by Rolls-Royce. The first of what would become known as the 'Derby Bentleys' was launched in 1933. It continued the sporting characteristics that had made the Bentley marque famous while incorporating the refinement of the Rolls-Royce.
Drophead Derby
Chassis #: B-66-DG
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Auction entries : 1Rolls-Royce developed an experimental vehicle codenamed Peregrine that was powered by a supercharged 2.75-liter engine. The still-born chassis would eventually provide the basis for the 3.5-liter Bentley. Based on the contemporary Rolls-Royce 20/20hp, the 3.5-liter Bentley rested on slightly shorter wheels and fitted with a tuned twin-SU-carburetor version of the former's overhead-valve six. It was given an all-synchromesh four-speed gearbox and servo-assisted brakes which offered the driver silent and effortless sports car performance. It quickly earned the nickname, 'The Silent Sports Car.'The Bentley 3.5-Liter was introduced to the public in August of 1933 and each example was built as a running chassis and shipped to the coachbuilder of the buyer's choice to receive its coachwork. These exclusive automobiles received nearly half of the coachwork by Park Ward in a limited number of styles. Other builders included Barker, Hooper, James Young, Arthur Mulliner, Thrupp & Maberly, Vanden Plas, Gurney Nutting, and H.J. Mulliner. During its production lifespan which continued until 1937, a total of 1,191 examples were built. The final year's allocation was produced alongside the new 4.25-liter version that would later supersede the 3.5-liter.
Drophead Derby
View info and historyBentley Motors may have lost its independence, but Rolls-Royce's acquisition of the company ensured the survival of the Bentley name. The Bentley's gained a higher level of refinement and even W.O. Bentley acknowledged that the 3.5-Liter model was the finest ever to wear his name.
by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2019
Drophead Derby
Chassis #: B-66-DG
View info and history
Auction entries : 1
Drophead Derby
View info and history
by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2019
Related Reading : Bentley 3½ Litre History
In 1931 Bentley Motor was purchased by Rolls-Royce. As a result the Bentley factory was moved to Derby. Many of the future designs of the Bentleys utilized the Rolls-Royce creations and borrowed many of their mechanical components. The first example of this was in 1933 with the introduced of the Bentley 3 12 Liter which was very similar to the newly introduced Rolls Royce 2025. To continue Bentleys....
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