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1929 Bentley 6½-Liter

The Bentley 6½-Litre was conceived as a touring car capable of competing with Rolls-Royce's New Phantom. In Speed Six guise, it proved admirably suited for competition, proven in 1929 when Woolf Barnato and 'Tim' Birkin's Speed Six won the Le Mans 24 Hour Race ahead of a trio of 4½-Litre Bentleys, and Barnato and Glen Kidston repeated the feat in the following year's Grand Prix d'Endurance at the Sarthe circuit ahead of similarly-mounted Clement/Watney.

Bentley Motors was established by Walter Owen Bentley in 1919 in the North London suburb of Cricklewood, though deliveries did not begin until 1921. The first model was a 3-liter car powered by a four-cylinder, single overhead camshaft engine with four valves per cylinder. Customer requests for larger bodies prompted the need for a larger car, partially addressed in 1923 with the introduction of the Long Standard chassis. The refined six-cylinder 6½-Litre model was introduced in 1926 and remained in production for four years, during which time 544 chassis were completed, 182 of them to Speed Six specification.

The six-cylinder engine had a 100-millimeter bore, a stroke of 140 mm, and a single-piece engine block and cylinder head cast in iron. With a single Smiths 5-jet carburetor, twin ignition magnetos, and a compression ratio of 4.4:1, the engine produced 147 horsepower at 3,400 RPM. While the 3 Liter had used a cone-type clutch, the 6½-Litre was equipped with a dry-plate design that incorporated a clutch brake allowing for faster gear changes. Stopping power was by power-assisted four-wheel finned drums with the front using four leading shoes per drum. Wheelbase sizes ranged from 132 to 152.5-inches with the most popular platform measuring 150 inches.

The Speed Six was equipped with a tuned version of the 6½ Litre with a high-performance camshaft, a compression ratio of 5.3:1, two SU carburetors, and a single-port block. It developed 180 horsepower at 3,500 RPM and wheelbase sizes included a short 138-inch platform which was the most popular, a 140.5-inch, and a long 152.5-inch size. The racing versions rested on a 132-inch wheelbase and their engines had a 6.1:1 compression ratio and delivered 200 horsepower.

The most popular Speed Six was the one driven by Barnato with H. J. Mulliner's saloon coachwork in a race against the Blue Train. Barnato reached his club in London before the train was due at the station at Calais. It was long thought that the car was a Gurney Nutting Sportsman Coupe, however, the coupe was delivered to Barnato in May 1930, over a month after the race took place.

by Dan Vaughan

Tourer by Vanden Plas
Chassis number: FR2641
Engine number: FR2644

Bentley Motors was established in 1919 in the North London suburb of Cricklewood by Walter Owen Bentley. Deliveries did not begin until 1921. The first Bentley model was a 3-liter car powered by a four-cylinder, single overhead camshaft engine with four valves per cylinder. A larger-engined version arrived in 1926, known as the six-cylinder 6½-Litre model. It was offered with a 'Standard' chassis and a 'Speed' model. The Speed Six debuted in September 1928 and was credited with being the car that most worried its rival, Rolls-Royce, because of the Bentley's power and performance and its refined ride and handling.

Production of the 6½-Litre model lasted for four years, during which time 544 chassis were completed, 182 of these to Speed Six specification. By the late 1990s, only 185 of all types could be accounted for.

UV 871

This car was originally delivered in July 1929 to Mr. C.F. Tonge in London. It was built new as a Speex Six, on the mid-length 11-foot, 6-inch platform, of which 118 examples of the full run of 540 plus 'Sixes' were delivered. Equipped with the same engine residing in its bay today, FR 2644 was sent to Park Ward to be equipped with Saloon coachwork. It wore a black exterior, red wheels, Pyrene twin bar bumpers, Grebel spotlight, and red leather interior.

It was sold to F. V. Scrutton in 1931, Dr. Rossdale in 1932, and C.P. Smith in 1936. A.J. Cumming purchased it in 1952, and W.J. Bullied in 1967.

It lost its coachwork sometime after the war and for some years wore another Park Ward two-seater body which had been originally fitted to FR 2637. Wearing the Park Ward body, FR 2641 migrated to North America into the ownership of a quartet of Canadians. D. M. Nathan, JC & JR Turner, and A. H. W. Lardner in 1963.

The 2-seater was repatriated where it was given a comprehensive restoration to its original guise. During this time, the Bentley was given the Le Mans Sports Touring coachwork.

George Holman purchased the Speed Six in 1998. Its American owner has traveled more than 40,000 miles and has also raced the car in a number of vintage racing events at Lime Rock, CT, and Monterey, CA.

Sedanca Coupe by Motor Bodies Ltd
Chassis number: WT2271
Engine number: SB2762

The Bentley 6.5-liter was one of the world's finest and most respected automobile of the 1920s, which many consider to be the original sports car. It was first offered to the public in 1921, and it quickly earned the company a reputation for outstanding quality, elegance, rapid acceleration and speed. It was such a dominant force on the racetrack that other auto manufacturers were hesitant to compete against it. During the first eight runnings of the famed le Mans 24-Hour race, Bentleys had won five times, four of which were consecutive - a record that stood until the 1960s. During the 1929 Le Mans race, Bentley Speed Sixes crossed the finish line in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place. In 1931, Rolls-Royce Ltd. became the owner of Bentley Motors, after the company declared bankruptcy.

This Bentley was originally a standard 6½-liter that was later returned to Bentley Motors soon after it was purchased, and upgraded to Speed Six specifications. It is now fitted with the more powerful Speed Six engine and correct C-Type gearbox.

In 1965, Reg Parker discovered this car just a short distance away from his home. Parker had many significant cars in his London-based collection, including Rolls-Royces, Alfa Romeos, Aston Martins, and Bentleys. He had assembled one of the most complete collection of Bentley cars ever assembled.

While in the care of Mr. Parker, this car was treated to a complete restoration. Since then, the car has won several significant class awards at concours events, and been featured in several books and publications.

In 1983, the present owner purchased this car from Parker. Since then it has been fastidiously maintained and used sparingly. The car still retains its original Sedanca Coupe body by Motor Bodies of Newcastle. This car is just one of only 13 6.5-Litres still wearing their original bodywork and the sole example to feature Motor Bodies craftsmanship.

The car has twin side-mount spares, a unique folding roof, and is finished in a black-and-green paint scheme.

In 2008, this Bugatti 6.5-Liter Sedanca Coupe was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, CA. The car was estimated to sell for $700,000 - $950,000 and offered without reserve. As the gavel fell for the third and final time, the car had been sold for $561,000, including buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Grafton Coupe by Freestone & Webb
Chassis number: FR2630
Engine number: FR2633

The Bentley Speed Six was confidently extolled by the factory as the 'World's Greatest Sporting Car,' which was engraved on a silver plaque affixed to the front cover of the sales brochure. The Speed Six brought W.O. Bentley his most significant victories and won the company many hard-fought fights. It was a quality product that delivered great performance without sacrificing comfort. It remained impressively fast and agile even with the most luxurious of coachwork. The Speed Six was both a popular motorcar and an exclusive purchase; they were a statement of taste and stature.

In total, just 182 examples were built, with the number of unique bodies nearly identical. Some examples were given sporting open coachwork, while others received formal closed saloon bodies. One of the most popular body style on the Speed Six was the coupe. It offered comfort for the driver and passengers while allowing coachbuilders to implement weight-saving techniques. Woolf Barnato and Glen Kidston, both were Le Mans winners and integral Bentley Boys, had Speed Six Coupes specially ordered as their personal cars.

Chassis number FR2630

This coupe is known as the Grafton Coupe built by Freestone & Webb of London. They were one of London's finest coachbuilders and clothed nearly 20 examples of the Speed Six. Just two of these chassis were given the Grafton Coupe. Another Grafton Coupe was built on a Blower chassis, which was displayed at the Olympia Motor Show.

The sister car to this example is BA2591. The body was rexine fabric over an ash frame, which saved weight. The body sat low and covered the chassis rails. In the front and rear were helmeted fenders with a trunk and a rear spare fitted in the back. There is a small rear-quarter window, accentuated by faux landau irons.

Inside was quartered veneering on the dash and door panels. The Grafton Coupe includes a fold-down ashtray for the rear right-hand seat. When folded up has a metal liner and chute allowing for ash to drop out by the back wheel.

Invoiced to Anglo-Scottish Textiles Ltd., the car was intended for the firm's director, Henry C. Turner. Part of the purchase included a trade-in of a Victor Broom-bodied 4.5 Litre. This was the second of two Grafton Coupes bought in mid-1929 by Turner, the first of which, chassis BA2591, no longer exists.

Mr. Turner kept the car for only a short time before selling it to Dr. Joseph Le Fleming Burrow in September of 1930. At the time, the car had just under 12,000 miles. Service records indicate the replacement of the cylinder block in December of 1930 and minimal repair after a minor accident in June of 1932. In October of 1934, the Grafton Coupe was fitted with Lucas P100 headlamps, which are still with the car in modern times. The car was also fitted with a reconditioned front axle bed, which also remains on the car.

Dr. Le Fleming Burrow retained the car until 1949 if not longer. By 1974 the Speed Six was in the ownership of Sir Jack Stewart Clark. In 1984, the Grafton Coupe passed to Mervyn Frankel. The car changed hands more recently, coming into the care of its current caretaker.

This Speed Six is the only Grafton coupe extant, and one of just five original-bodied, matching-numbers Speed Six Coupes. It is one of approximately 25 cars that make that claim.

by Dan Vaughan

Tourer by Vanden Plas
Chassis number: LB2342
Engine number: LB2344

Until 1926 Bentley made 4 cylinder cars primarily as sports cars and for racing. While successful in racing, they were not powerful enough and too small for large, luxurious, closed bodies. To meet the demand for a chassis larger than his established three-liter to carry closed luxury coachwork, W.O. Bentley introduced a new 6.5-liter, six-cylinder model in 1926. Its engine was mounted on rubber pads to limit vibration, and three wheelbases were offered, enabling customers to fit 'anything from a two-seater to a hearse body.' The engine had an overhead cam with 4 valves per cylinder, twin ignition, both magneto and coil and produced 147 horsepower. The 6-1/2 was successful and models were built with both light touring bodies and closed large coachwork. Since Bentley built only the chassis all bodies were built by custom coachbuilders.

But Bentley's sporting heritage would not be denied, and soon there was a sports derivative of the new car on the market. Known as the Speed Six, it had a higher compression ratio than the Standard Six, and two SU carburetors instead of the single Smith carburetor of the less powerful car. Out of the 544 6.5-liter Bentley's built, 171 were Speed Sixes. In 1929, Speed Sixes crossed the finish line in spectacular fashion at the 24 Hours of LeMans, scoring a 1-2-3-4 clean sweep.

This Speed Six has a Vanden Plas type sports tourer body, the most popular body for the Bentley racers. This example was originally owned by the Duke of Kent, and was thought to have vanished just before WWII. It was later found to have been raced extensively at historic events with a different body style. Considerable research was performed by the previous owner, Dick Gold. The current owners acquired the car in 1995.

Tourer by Vanden Plas

This speed Six Bentley was originally delivered to Bertie Kensington-Moir with the standard long-distance body built by Vanden Plas. It has the spare wheel partially recessed into the tail in a similar fashion to the bobbed tail design first seen on the LeMans 4.5 Liter Bentley in 1928. The standard Bentley 6.5-Litre and the high-performance Bentley Speed Six were in production from 1926 to 1930. They were designed by W.O Bentley to offer more power. This was accomplished by adding two cylinders to the engine used in the 4.5-Liter car. The Speed Six, introduced in 1928, was the most successful racing Bentley at LeMans and at other sports car races.

Sedanca deVille by Mulliner

This Vintage Bentley is not only original, it is also the only surviving Sedanca saloon. This long chassis 6.5 Litre Bentley is the very car that was shown at the Olympia Motor Show in 1929, and it still exhibits its original color scheme. Built by H.JJ. Mulliner, the body is typical of the style of the luxurious coachwork that was often seen on 'Big' Bentleys in the period but is now very hard to find. It has spent many years in Australia, and its owner has driven the car on many European and Australian tours.

Open Two Seater Boattail by Park Ward & Co.

This is one of only eleven open Bentley Speed Sixes with its original body - a Park Ward boattail speedster with pontoon fenders. Park Ward of London started by producing bodies for the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost and was a major supplier to Rolls-Royce and Bentley owners throughout the 1920s. Originally delivered to a Mr. Donald Hurt in 1929, this car is one of 182 Bentley Speed Sixes built between 1926 and 1930. During its 80-year life the car had one other body - a sporty two-seat design built by Abbots of Surrey, England, and fitted to it just after the war. The original body, seen here, was fitted on another 6-liter Bentley of the same period, but it has now been reunited with its original chassis. It was given a restoration, which was completed in the late 2000s.

Fixed Head Coupe by Gurney Nutting

Developing 180 horsepower and 100 mph, the Speed 6 was a sportier version of the 6.5-liter, with an inline 6.597-liter single piece steel engine block and head. Favored by British royalty, this model was Bentley's most successful racer, winning Le Mans in 1929 and 1930. This fixed head coupe, on a custom chassis by Gurney Nutting, has a Weymann-style fabric covered body over a steel and wood frame.

Drophead Coupe by Saoutchik

Following the 1926 6.5-Liter, W.O. Bentley added a more powerful engine for his Speed Six, which became his favorite model. All Speed Sixes have a parallel-sided radiator and a green enameled badge. Most Speed Sixes were bodied by British coachbuilders, but a few had more flamboyant bodies by European coachbuilders.

Dr. William Leib from Hillsborough, California, ordered this short chassis Speed Six with a unique three-position drophead coupe body to be finished by Jacques Saoutchik in Paris. The coachwork blends traditional British styling elements such as the radiator and bonnet with typically French accents. This body is one of the earliest on a vintage Bentley to include an integral boot as part of the coachwork and it still retains a complete set of luggage. It has just been restored by Bentley specialists in the United Kingdom to its original blue color scheme with brightwork plated in German Silver as specified in 1929.

Speed 6 Saloon by Mulliner
Chassis number: BA2592
Engine number: BA2594

This car was delivered new to Bentley Motors Chairman Woolf Barnato in June of 1929. This H. J. Mulliner bodied Speed Six saloon was a favorite of Barnato's and is intimately connected to the famous Blue Train story.

In March 1930, Barnato bet he could beat the Blue Train from Cannes to Calais. He was victorious and gained much acclaim for navigating this demanding route so quickly. Being a spontaneous event there was no press coverage, thus leaving the exact Speed Six Barnato drove unknown until April 1967 when an article crowned a Gurney Nutting Speed Six, chassis HM2855 as the car used. By 1980 HM2855 had become known as the 'Blue Train Bentley'. This was accepted as fact until 1999 when noted expert Clare Hay discovered that HM2855 had not been completed by the time of the race. Later evidence led experts to conclude that BA2592 was in fact the real 'Blue Train Bentley'. Barnato sold BA 2592 in May of 1930. Eventually the saloon body was replaced with a Le Mans touring body The current owner acquired the car in 1999 and found the original body on a different 6.5 liter chassis. It was acquired and the original Mulliner body was reunited with the proper chassis.

Old Number One by Gurney Nutting
Chassis number: LB2332
Engine number: LB2336

This famous Speed Six, known as 'Old Number 1,' was the second Speed Six to be completed. Built specifically as a racecar, it is a two-time Le Mans winner driven by Woolf Barnato and Tim Birkin in 1929 and by Birkin and Glen Kidston in 1930. Throughout its career, the car was continually modified to keep it as competitive as possible. Originally fitted with a 4-seat sports body by Vanden Plas for the 1929 Le Mans race, a different body was built for Brooklands racing, and these were changed around as needed.

During the 1929 season, 'Old Number One' took first place at Le Mans, a first place finish at the Brooklands Six Hour, second at the Irish GP, and second at the Brooklands 500 Mile. For the 1930 season, 'Old Number One' was rebuilt to meet new requirements and would go on to repeat as the winner of Le Mans, this time being driven by Barnato and Glen Kidston. After this race the car had its touring body installed and it became the personal property of Barnato and was used for his routine transportation.

In 1931, Barnato put the track body back on the car, as well as a new streamlined tail by Gurney Nutting, and took second place at the 1931 Brooklands 500 Mile and third place at the 1932 Brooklands Empire Trophy. Then, for the 1932 Brooklands 500 Mile race a new 8-liter engine was installed. It was driven by Clive Dunfee, who tragically crashed over the banking at 127 mph and died.

Woolf Barnato eventually had the car rebuilt as a road-going coupe and drove it approximately 10,000 miles during his honeymoon tour of the United States.

In 2001, Old Number 1 was restored to its appearance prior to its final race at Brooklands.

Race Highlights

1929 24 Hours of Le Mans - Overall winner

1930 24 Hours of Le Mans - Overall Winner

Drivers

Woolf Barnato (the Chairman and majority shareholder of Bentley from 1926-1931)

Tim Birklin

Grafton Coupe by Freestone & Webb
Chassis number: FR2630
Engine number: FR2633

This Bentley Speed Six is believed to be one of just five Speed Sixes with original coachwork - and the only Grafton Coupe left in the world. It was actually the second Grafton Coupe bought by textile manufacturer Henry Turner, who was one of W.O.'s best customers, ordering seven Bentleys between 1928 and 1930. The fashionable Freestone & Webb coachwork is strikingly handsome with its close-coupled body and helmeted fenders accentuating the car's sporting style. ('Close-coupled' means the footwells in the rear extend under the front seats.) It was restored in England a few years ago and prepared for use as a long-distance touring car. The interior was carefully preserved, proudly displaying the marvelous patina acquired from over 90 years of driving. Its current owner bought the car in 2013 and drove it on the Bentley tour of California in 2018.

Speed 6 Open Two Seater Sports by Mulliner
Chassis number: KF2387
Engine number: KF2392

Bentley Motors chairman and 'Bentley Boy' team driver Woolf Barnato was the instigator behind the sportier 6.5 Litre Speed Six model, which was a development of the already potent Standard 6.5 Litre. The new model boasted a host of upgrades, and its performance was above and beyond its sibling by quite some margin. This 2-seater Speed Six is one of just 12 open Speed Sixes left in the world with its original coachwork still intact. It has recently been carefully restored with new Rexine covering its body, and its original interior has been preserved. It was acquired by its current owner in 2018, and 2019 was its first visit to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Weymann Coupe by Gurney Nutting
Chassis number: FR2640
Engine number: FR2645

A total of 182 Speed Sixes were created by W.O. Bentley, but this is one of only four Speed Six Gurney Nutting Weymann Coupes ever built. The Speed Six was introduced at the Olympia Motor Show in October 1928 as a more sporting version of the Standard 6.5 Litre. The Speed Six had an uprated engine with twin SU carburetors that increased power from 147 to 160 bhp. A new parallel-sided radiator and bulkhead was fitted instead of the tapered radiator on the Standard Six. After the Speed Sixes' many racing successes, W.O. declared that it was his favorite car.

This example was dispatched from the Cricklewood factory to Gurney Nutting in July 1929. Gurney Nutting was responsible for a quarter of all the Speed Sixes built, but this car is one of just four bodied with this stylish 2-door coachwork on the 11-foot, six-inch chassis frame. This Speed Six was delivered in 1930 to its first owner, who lived in Australia. There it remained until 1972 when it returned to England. it was bought by an Argentinian collector in 2009 and was restored in 2010. Its current owner acquired the Speed Six in 2018.

Tourer
Chassis number: BA2580
Engine number: BA2584

This 1929 Bentley 6½-Litre Speed Six began life wearing Saloon coachwork by Gurney Nutting. Its original owner was C. Bruce Gardner of Burton House, Stafford, was supplied by Jack Barclay, and originally registered as 'UU 6922.' It was damaged during the war and, around 1971, received a new Vanden Plas-style tourer body.

Near the close of the 1990s, the Speed Six was acquired by German collector Helmut Karbe, who had it prepared for the 'Around the World' rally. Contested between May 1st and July 18th of 2000, it was an 80-day marathon run that tested both driver and machine. Modifications to the Bentley included twin fuel tanks of 150 liters each, safety belts, special seats, an altered exhaust system so it could safely ford rivers, an under-tray, and a roll bar.

In 2013, the car was sold at Bonhams auction.

by Dan Vaughan

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 staright-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 Dan Vaughan

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 in 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 experience, 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 Dan Vaughan