1926 Bentley 6.5 Litre

LeMans Tourer by Vanden Plas
Chassis number: WK2662
Engine number: FW2616

The Bentley 6 1/2 Litre brought the company back-to-back LeMans victories in Speed Six specification. The Big Six, as the 6 1/2 was referred to in period, was an evolution and development of Bentley's three-liter engine. It was designed to carry heavier and more luxurious bodies that customers demanded. They were first shown at the London Motor Show of 1925 and deliveries to customers began by March of 1926. During its five years of production, a total of 545 examples were built.

This particular example currently wears a replica Le Mans Sports body in the style of Vanden Plas. It built at Bentley's Cricklewood factory in suburban London, and was first registered YR 7463 in London on November 29, 1926. It is an early example and one of the initial 58 examples built. It was given the standard 12/50 axle and clothed in landaulette coachwork by Harrison. Its first owner was John F.C. Inglefield. In March of 1928, it is believed to have been updated to 1928 specifications. It received further work in November of 1929 (at the time having covered 12,242 miles), including decarbonizing the engine, and fitment of a new 'heavy type' front axle.

In 1950, the car was acquired by G.W.S. Clark of England. He would retain the car for over a decade, selling it in 1961 to D.M. Tindall. Around the 1950s, the car was re-bodied with a replica of the Vanden Plas body used for the LeMans Team cars. The work was performed by Elmdown Vintage Automobiles of Hungerford.

The car would pass through several more individuals until it was purchased by Geoffrey A.W. Farrell in 1972. Mr. Farrell would retain the car for many years, selling it in 1997 to Richard Harwood. Mr. Harwood sold it to its current caretaker in 2000.

The current owner commissioned work on the 6 1/2 Litre in preparation for the 2001 Classic Malts Tour of Scotland. Since then, it has been driven on the Bentley Drivers Club West Coast Prewar Tour, the Colorado Grand on two occassions, and the Copperstate 1000.

by Dan Vaughan

Open Two Seater by Mulliner
Chassis number: WB2555
Engine number: WB2555

In order to compete with Rolls-Royce, W.O. Bentley designed a large capacity, 6-cylinder engine for a longer chassis and more luxurious coachwork than his five-year-old 3 Litre cars. But he was short on cash, and it was expensive to produce so, in 1926, W.O. persuaded one of his most loyal customers, gold and diamond mining heir Woolf Barnato, to finance the project. The first 6.5 Litre engine appeared in a bare chassis at London's Olympia Motor Show in 1925, but it would take over a year to launch the finished car. This Standard 'Bix Six' is the fifth built and the earliest surviving 6-cylinder Bentley in the world. A total of 363 Standard 6.5 Litre cars were built on three different chassis lengths for formal coachwork, but this Big Six is one of just a few with sporting coachwork by H.J. Mulliner. In addition to its original body, this car also has its original engine - a rare combination. It appeared in the 1936 Ealing Studios film The House of the Spaniard, shot on location in and around Liverpool. The car eventually found its way to the United States, where it was discovered in 1977 by George Schuetz and was later restored.

Drophead Coupe by Mulliner
Chassis number: TB2542
Engine number: FW2605

This powerful Bentley 6.5 litre was delivered new to Lady Cholomondley in England in 1926 and thence to a succession of owners until it was found abandoned in Rhodesia in 1960. It was restored in 1972 and then had several additional owners until it was obtained by its present owner. A total restoration was undertaken from 2004 until 2006.

This early 6.5-liter 'sport model' Bentley was the factory's choice for their team's racing cars due to its size and weight advantages. It is the last 'sports model' chassis surviving with its original coachwork intact. It has its original engine, and was the 42nd car to be delivered to a retail customer. The car was delivered on September 18, 1926, after H.J. Mulliner completed the one-of-a-kind 'Simplex Coupe' body. The coachwork is a four-window convertible with a rumble seat. The windows lower into the coachwork so as to provide full protection from the elements with the top up. When the top is down, it has the desirable 'fold flat' appearance. The mechanicals are as originally provided by the factory, including the 6.5-liter, six-cylinder, single overhead cam, four-valve, dual-ignition engine. The four-speed transmission is driven through a single-plate clutch. The car was found abandoned on a farm near Rusape, Rhodesia, in 1964, and was completely restored in the UK in 2005-2006.

It is believed that this car is the sole remaining 11-foot 'Big Six' chassis carrying its original coachwork. It also has its original engine, number FW2605. According to records, this is the 42nd 'Big Six' delivered to a retail customer, Mrs. Cholmeley of Lushill, Highworth, Wiltshire, England. Mrs. Cholmeley took possession of the car on September 18th of 1926 from Gaffikin Wilkinson & Co, Ltd. of London after it was given a body by H.J. Mulliner.

The one-off coachwork is known as a 'Simplex Coupe' drophead with dickey seat. Factory records label it as a '3/4 folding head coupe.' The body is aluminum paneling over seasoned ash framing with steel fenders.

The car was driven approximately 80,000 miles by various English owners before it was sold to South Africa in 1937. It passed through several South African owners before coming into the care of DBC member Tony Whale-Smith and Mike Simpkins of Rhodesia. It is believed that while in their care, the car was campaigned in hill climbs and other driving events. It was later abandoned in a farm field near Rusape, Rhodesia.

K. Anthony White of South Africa purchased the car in February of 1964, sight-unseen. By 1976, a full restoration had been completed, brining it back to its former glory. Since that time, the car has accumulated about 5,000 miles.

The engine retains its original and correct Smiths Bentley five-jet carburetor and its 'C' type gearbox. The headlamps are not original, but are period correct Stephen Grebel units with a Grebel spotlight.

This car has won awards at the BDC Concours at Rousham House (UK) and Amelia Island Concours. In 2008, this 6.5-Liter Bentley was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, CA. The car was estimated to sell for $1,200,000 - $1,500,000. As the gavel fell for the third and final time, the car had failed to find a bidder willing to satisfy its reserve. The lot was left unsold.

LeMans Tourer by Vanden Plas

This 3 Litre Bentley is thought to be one of only two unrestored and completely original tourers from the heady days of the W.O. Bentley era. The first owner of this 3 Litre was a young eningeer named Clive Gallop. Gallop is an important figure in Bentley history: in 1919 he designed the camshaft on Bentley's first 3 Litre engine; he was amongst the first to start that new engine in Bentley's Mews garage off Baker Street in London, and he was the first person to drive a Bentley on the road - even before W.O. Bentley himself. In 1926 Gallop drove a similar 3 Litre at LeMans with debonair playboy owner Scrap Thistlethwayte as his co-driver. Unfortunately, the pair retired after 102 laps when a rocker arm failed.

W.O. Bentley's first vehicles were powered by a four-cylinder engine with a four-valve head and a three-liter displacement. They earned Bentley two Le Mans victories and helped establish the reputation of the company. However, to remain competitive and to be able to carry heavy and luxurious coachwork, the size of the engine and number of cylinders needed to increase. To this end, he began creating a six-cylinder version of the existing engine. The resulting six-cylinder engine was basically the existing four-cylinder unit with two additional cylinders and a displacement of 4.5 litres. While road-testing a prototype in France in 1924, W.O. happened upon a Rolls-Royce prototype that was also undergoing tests. A race quickly ensued and when it was over, W.O. Bentley was convinced that his new flagship needed more performance. The result was the 6 1/2 Litre which may have brought about the demise of the company even further, as it was Rolls-Royce that purchased a bankrupt Bentley early in the Depression, for the purpose of removing it as a competitor.

In period, the 6.5 Litre was known as the Big Six. Its engine was a development of Bentley's three-liter powerplant. First shown at the London Motor Show of 1925, these cars were with customers by March 1926. During its production lifespan over a five year period, a total of 545 examples were built. 362 were the 'Standard' 6½ Litre and 182 were Speed Six specification.

The engine in the 6 1/2 Litre had four tulip-shaped valves per cylinder and was fed by a single Smiths updraught carburetor. The overhead camshaft was driven by two small eccentrics coupled to triple connecting rods, the drive for which came from a helical gear at the rear of the crankshaft. The crankshaft was a multi-disc torsional damper, the compression ratio was 4.4:1, and the ignition was by two magnetos (later coil and single magento) which fed a pair of sparking plugs per cylinder. There was a single-plate clutch and a modified gearbox with notably high ratios. The third gear had a ratio of 1.278:1 which was the highest ever used in a standard W.O. Bentley.

The chassis was given one tubular and four pressed-steel cross members for additional rigidity and strength. The suspension was comprised of semi-elliptic leaf springs at all four corners, for which there were three specifications depending on the chosen wheelbase and type of body. There were three different wheelbase sizes making the 6.5 Litre a very versatile vehicle capable to accommodate a wide range of customer requests and needs. Braking was mechanical to all four wheels. The steering was by worm and wheels and the damping was by Bentley and Draper Duplex or Hartford Duplex.

Top speed was achieved at 3,500 rpm and 84 mph. In 1926, the chassis alone cost circa £1,450 to £1,575, while that of a complete car would have been in excess of £2,000.

The 6½ Litre model spawned the Speed Six, which is said to have been W.O.'s favorite among all the illustrious motorcars he created. Introduced in 1928, it would become the most successful racing Bentley. Modifications included a high-performance camshaft, a compression ratio of 5.3:1, a single-port block, and two SU carburetors. The most popular of the three wheelbase sizes was the smaller 138 inch platform. The other sizes included a 140.5- and 152.5-inch size.

Perhaps the most famous of the Speed Six was the Blue Train Bentley which Woolf Barnato raced in March of 1930 against the Blue Train. The vehicle wore H.J. Mulliner saloon coachwork.

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 stright-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 to 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 expericne, 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