1926 Bentley 3 Litre

Tourer by Vanden Plas
Chassis number: LM1342

W.O. Bentley unveiled the 3 Litre car bearing his name on Stand 126 at the 1919 Olympia Motor Exhibition, only a few weeks after the very first prototype engine was fired up for the first time. Bentley's now famous 4-cylinder engine was fitted in a pressed-steel chassis of 9 feet, 9.5 inches for the Speed Model, which was later enlarged to 10 feet, 10 inches on the Standard Long chassis in 1923.

This 3 Litre Speed Model was assembled in October 1926 toward the end of the 3 Litre production and shortly before the introduction of the new 4.5 Litre model. The body is a standard Vanden Plas four-seater sports tourer with full-length valanced winds, and its low windscreen gives the car a very sporting profile. This Bentley has just been restored in England with all its original numbered parts and its original Vanden Plas body.

Speed Sports Tourer by Vanden Plas

The Bentley of the 1920s was a painstakingly crafted vehicle. On average, Bentley produced 300 cars annually or about 6-7 cars per week. At such a small rate, costs were high and cash flow minimal, thus leading to Bentley's acquisition by Rolls-Royce in 1931.

This is one of 1,700 3-Litre Bentley's produced with power supplied by an 85 horsepower, 2996cc SOHC 4-cylinder engine with four valves per cylinder and dual magnetos. Top speed was advertised at over 90 mph! It was delivered new in November 1926 and most likely fitted with this body in the mid-thirties. Its current caretaker purchased the car in 1993 and has since driven it more than 30,000 miles on vintage tours.

LeMans Tourer by Vanden Plas
Chassis number: PH1461
Engine number: PH1468

The London-based coachbuilder Vanden Plas is synonymous with the lightweight touring bodywork built on many of the Bentleys that raced at LeMans in the late 1920s. This car is one of the 513 Red Label 3 Litre Speed models built at W.O. Bentley's Cricklewood factory between 1923 and 1929. It was scheduled to race at Le Mans in 1926 but at the last minute its owner, 'Bentley Boy' Clive Gallop, entered a shorter-wheelbase Super Sports model, which failed to finish. Having narrowly missed the honor of a Le Mans appearance, this very original 3 Litre went on to do more than 500,000 miles and, although meticulously maintained throughout its life, it has never been cosmetically restored. Its current owner acquired the car in 2000 and has taken it on many tours in recent years.

Bentley began from humble beginnings in a mews garage off Baker Street, London in 1919. It quickly achieved fame for its fast touring cars, well able to compete with the best of American and European sports car during the 1920s. The Bentley cars dominated at LeMans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930 with the help of the legendary drivers of Woolf Barnato, Jack Dunfee, Tim Birkin and Sammy Davis.

At the 1919 Olympia Motor Exhibition, W.O. Bentley unveiled the new 3-litre car bearing his name. The prototype engine had only been fired up for the first time just a few weeks earlier. The four-cylinder 'fixed head' engine had a single overhead camshaft, four-valves per cylinder, a bore of 80mm, and a stroke of 149mm. The ignition was provided by Twin ML magnetos and power was sent via a four-speed gearbox with right-hand change. The engine was mounted in a pressed-steel chassis with a wheelbase of 117.5-inches, then adopted dimensions of 130 inches (Standard Long) in 1923. The shorter frame was then reserved for the TT Replica (Tourist Trophy) and subsequent Speed Model. Prior to 1924, braking was handled by rear wheel brakes. Four-wheel Perrot-type brakes were introduced in 1924.

In 1922, Bentleys finished second, fourth, and fifth in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, earning them the Team Prize. This lead to the TT Replica models on the existing 117.5 inch platform. They were identified with the Red Label on its radiator. The Speed Models were given twin SU 'sloper' carburetors, different camshaft, a higher compression ratio, and the close-ratio A-type gearbox. The A-Type gearbox was standard equipment prior to 1927 when the C-Type box was adopted. Other Speed Model enhancements included a larger 11-gallon fuel tank and often Andre Hartford shock absorbers.

Approximately 1,600 examples of the 3-Litre models were built with the majority being clothed by Vanden Plas with either saloon or open tourer coachwork.

by Dan Vaughan

SS Boattail by Surbico
Chassis number: NR516
Engine number: 1133

W.O. Bentley was often quoted as saying 'Competition is the cheapest way of selling cars,' and to prove it, Bentley Motors built many competition cars for amateur racing drivers throughout the company's history. This unique and sporty 3 Litre is one of just 18 Super Sport models, ten of which are believed to have survived today. The Super Sport was built on a nine-inch-shorter chassis than the standard 3 Litre, and it came with a guarantee that it could achieve at least 100 mph. (The standard 3 Litre was only guaranteed to 90 mph!) This stylish and fast road car was ordered by Henry Leeson, a keen amateur racing driver who owned four Bentleys during his career before he sadly came to grief on the Brooklands banking in 1932. Leeson ordered the Super Sport's unusual boattailed body from the Surbiton Coach and Motor Works (known as Surbico), a small coachbuilder in Surrey, South of London. The car was delivered in March 1926 via the London Bentley dealer Jack Withers.

Speed Weymann Drophead Coupé by Freestone & Webb
Chassis number: TN1568
Engine number: TN1571

This Bentley 3-Litre is one of 15 examples built by Bentley Motors to 'Speed Weymann' specifications, and this is the only example delivered as a Speed Weymann Coupe. The other examples were built as saloons. The elegant coachwork rests on the 3/16'-gauge chassis frame which measures 117.5-inches in length. It was given a double silencer exhaust system and a lower-ratio rear axle. It has lightweight wooden framework which is held in place by steel plates and covered with fabric. This setup is called the Weymann type of body construction and was named from its inventor, Charles Terres Weymann. Weymann licensed production to many independent coachbuilders, as well as produced bodies at its factories in France and (later) England. This example wears Weymann style coachwork by Freestone & Webb.

This car was sold new by the Bentley agent in Birmingham, Garner, and was given registration 'OP 4536.' Its first owner was W. Carr of Myton, Warwick, who retained the car until 1938 when it was offered for sale by Brooklands Motors Ltd. of Bond Street, London. In early December of 1938, it was acquired by Peter Littlewood Hainsworth of Farsley. It was later sold to his father-in-law, William Bateson, who kept it for only a short period. After a succession of owners, the car entered the care of Warren E. Lovesey in 1964, who had it restored and showed it a year later at Blenheim. Little is known about the vehicle from this point in history until 1983, when it was registered by Charles Russett. Mr. Russett soon sold it to Colin Pettitt, manager of the Stratford Motor Museum, who had the Bentley restored by James E Pearce. It was then sold through Stanley Mann to Dr. Peter David Wilson, who owned it from 1989 through 1997. Owen Corrigan owned it briefly before it was purchased by John MacRae at Brooks' Olympia auction in December 1998. Mr. MacRae sold the car to Robert Ian Harley in 2004, who in turn sold it to Andrew Maurice Gibbs in 2005.

by Dan Vaughan

Walter Owen Bentley, commonly known as 'WO', worked as an apprentice at the Great Northern Railway where he designed airplane engines. The first Bentley automobile was created in London just after the end of World War I, and given a three-liter four-cylinder engine that produced 65 horsepower. It was designed by the company's founder, Walter Owen, and benefited from his technical abilities and skill. This car was the first to carry the flying 'B' insignia and the hallmark radiator casing. An example was shown at the 1919 London Motor Show, though it was void of an engine that was not ready in time.

The 3-liter Bentley would remain in production until 1929 with a total of 1622 examples being produced in various configurations. A total of 513 examples of the Speed Model were created during this time. The 3-Litre Bentley was the car that would give the Bentley Company its fame. The car would emerge victorious at the 1924 24 Hours of LeMans race, which is a true testament to the car's abilities, stamina, technology, ingenuity, and speed. The Bentley's would win LeMans again in 1927, 1928, 1929, and 1930. They competed at various other important races, such as the Tourist Trophy and Brookland's Double 12, where the cars proved they were the fastest.

Under the bonnet was the powerplant, which was a technical marvel and advanced for its time, featuring aluminum pistons, twin spark ignition, and an overhead camshaft that operated four-valves per cylinder. The cylinder block and head were cast as a single piece which prevents leakage from the gaskets. The dry-sump lubrication allowed for increased oil capacity, lower center of gravity for the engine, and reduced energy/power loss.

Various coachbuilders were tasked with creating the bodies; Vanden Plas was one of the popular favorites, as was the LeMans type Bodystyle which closely mimicked the body style of the LeMans racer. During that era, the cars that raced at LeMans were often given bodies of road-going Tourers, at the request of the organizers of the event. The Bentley's that raced at LeMans were given lightweight bodies, 25-gallon fuel tanks, and a re-worked suspension that included double hydraulic shock absorbers in the front with improved front axle beams. To help while driving at night, some cars were given a central Marchal headlight.

A six-cylinder engine soon followed, appearing in 1925, and provided additional power to carry the large and elegant coachwork bodies. It displaced nearly 6.6-liters and was given all the technology and mechanical ingenuity of the 3-liter units. In 1928 a high-performance version was introduced, dubbed the 6.5-Liter Speed Model, also known as the Speed Six. In the capable hands of the 'Bentley Boys', the works drivers spearheaded by Woolf Barnato captured many important victories for the company. Their first major success came in 1928 at LeMans where Barnato and Rubin drove a 4.5-Liter Bentley to victory. The Speed Six would dominate LeMans again in 1929 and 1930 with Barnato as their driver. The success of the Speed Six was due to its reliability and 200 horsepower engine.

Bentley was unable to compete in 1931 at LeMans due to financial difficulties. The company would soon be acquired by Rolls Royce which spelled an end for the racing program.

by Dan Vaughan