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1933 Bentley 3.5-Liter

Bentley Motors Limited was founded in January 1919 by W.O. (Walter Owen) Bentley in Cricklewood, North London. In October of that year, the company displayed a chassis, sans engine (a dummy engine was installed), at the London Motor Show. An engine for the chassis was designed by ex-Royal Flying Corps officer Clive Gallop and by December it was in operation. Delivery of the first Bentleys did not commence until September 2021 due to development delays. A Bentley automobile competed at the 1922 Indianapolis 500 where it placed 13th overall. Bentleys would claim overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930.

Bentley automobiles built at Cricklewood include the 3-liter (1921-1929), the 4½-litre & 'Blower Bentley' (1926-1930), 6½-litre (1926-1930), 6½-litre Speed Six (1928-1930), 8-Litre (1930-1931), and the 4-Litre (1931). Much of the company's racing success was achieved with the 4½- and 6½-litre Bentley. 720 examples of the 4½ Litre cars were built with one winning at Le Mans in 1928. The 6½ Litre Bentley, in Speed Six configuration, won the 1929 and 1930 LeMans races. 362 examples of the 6½ Litre were built and 182 of the Speed Six. The 8 Litre Bentley was announced in September of 1930 and it was designed to carry the large and luxurious coachwork requested by Bentley's clientele. It succeeded at this task, but it had been introduced a year into the Great Depression, and like many other automakers, Bentley Motors soon entered receivership. Just 100 examples of the 8-Liter were built and fifty of the smaller 4-Litre. While the 8-Litre was exclusive, Bentley hoped to attract a wider audience of buyers with the less expensive (by two-thirds) 4-Litre model, powered by a modified four-liter Ricardo IOE engine.

After Bentley entered receivership, it was purchased by Rolls-Royce Limited (well, actually by British Central Equitable Trust which turned out to be a front for Rolls-Royce Limited). Among Bentley's assets were showrooms in Cork Street, the service station at Kingsbury, and the complex at Cricklewood. Rolls-Royce sold the Cricklewood factory in 1932 and relocated production to the Rolls-Royce works in Derby. W.O. Bentley's services had also been part of the acquisition, and once his contract expired at the end of April 1935, he left to join Lagonda.

There was a two-year gap between the production of the 4-Litre Bentley at Cricklewood and the introduction of the Crew-built 3½ litre Bentley in 1933. Bentleys built during this era are known as Derby Bentleys due to the Rolls-Royce factory location in Derby, England. The Bentleys built before the Rolls-Royce acquisition are known as Cricklewood Bentleys.

The Bentley and Rolls-Royce manager at Derby was E.W. Hives who was tasked with designing the all-new Bentley. Taking into consideration Bentley's legacy forged at the race track, as well as the practical realities of building an economical and useable vehicle, he created a list of requirements that would appeal to many prospective buyers. His personal notes read, '...answer to the moods of the driver...be driven fast with safety or will tour without fuss and noise...maximum speed should not be obtained at the expense of acceleration...controls, steering, and brakes shall be light to operate, and the braking shall be adequate for a fast car...maximum speed of the car on the road should be 90 mph, 75 mph in third gear.'

The Bentley 3½ Litre

The 3½ litre Bentley was introduced to the public in September 1933 and was a sporting variant of the Rolls-Royce 20/25. Rolls-Royce described it as 'the silent sports car,' a slogan that Rolls-Royce would continue to use for Bentley vehicles until the 1950s. Production of the 3½ Liter continued through 1936 with a total of 1,177 examples built.

The 126-inch wheelbase chassis was constructed from nickel steel with a 'double-dropped' layout which allowed vertical space to mount the axles while maintaining a low profile stance. It was lightweight yet rigid and did not require additional diagonal cross-bracing for structural reinforcement. The chassis was suspended by a four-wheel leaf spring suspension with four-wheel servo-assisted mechanical brakes providing the stopping power. The inline-6 cylinder engine was sourced from the 20/25, but with a sportier camshaft profile, two SU carburetors on a crossflow cylinder head, and a higher compression ratio. It had a 3.25-inch bore and a 4.5-inch stroke, which gave it a 3,669cc (3.7-liter) displacement. Output was rated at 110 bhp at 4,500 RPM and depending on the coachwork, had a top speed of 90 mph. The engine was backed by a four-speed manual transmission with synchromesh on 3rd and 4th gear. Approximately half of the 3½ Litres received coachwork by Park Ward. British coachbuilders who provided coachwork for the 3.5-Litre include Mulliner, Mann Egerton, Gurney Nutting, Freestone & Webb, Hooper, Barker, Carlton Vanden Plas, James Young, Windovers, Rippon Bros, and Thrupp & Maberly. Paris coachbuilders included Vanvooren, Saoutchik, Figoni et Falaschi, and Kellner.

The Bentley 4¼ Litre

Heavy coachwork and the desire to maintain the car's sporting image brought about the 4¼ Litre Bentley, introduced in March of 1936. The engine's bore increased to 3.5-inches resulting in a 4,257cc displacement (4.3-liter) size. Most of the bodies were built by Park Ward using steel instead of the previous, more expensive, aluminum atop an ash frame. The 4¼ Litre was replaced in 1939 by the MkV. A total of 1,234 examples of the 4¼ Litre were built.

by Dan Vaughan

Tourer by Vanden Plas
Chassis number: B1AE
Engine number: 2ZBA

This Bentley is very special as it is the first example built in the first production series, AE, and the first of the entirely new Bentley Motors Ltd. This vehicle, along with three other cars, was used predominantly by the company for promotional purposes and was the only one of the three to wear lightweight open touring coachwork to a design created by Vanden Plas.

B1AE was registered by the company with the distinctive license plate 'ALU 321' and wore silver paintwork. It was featured in the company's brochure entitled 'Some Opinions' where it was shown being driven by Woolf Barnato, Earl Howe, Sir Malcolm Campbell and others. Appearing in numerous publications, it was the subject car for Motorsport magazine's 1933 test of the model, where it is pictured over the caption 'A Masterpiece of Sports Car Construction.'

B1AE remained with Bentley Motors for nearly two years before selling it to Gordon Thomas of Taunton and later Wolverhampton. While in his care, the car was repainted in the black that it currently wears. It remained with him for over 17 years before he sold it to Eric Williams.

The next owner of the first 'Rolls-Bentley' was Guy Lawrence of Little Easton Manor in the town of Dunmow, who re-registered the car in that County, Essex, with the license number RB 1933. After approximately 3 years, he elected to sell the car.

In 1962, the car was shown in Charles Follett's Mayfair showroom where it caught the attention of the current owner's grandfather, who purchased the car in September of 1962 and brought it to the United States. The car has remained in the current owner's family for the past sixty years. It was occasionally used for touring or for key events, such as The Derby Bentley Diamond Jubilee in the UK in 1993. A few years after that on the death of his father, the Bentley was put into climate-controlled storage and has seen care rather than use for the ensuing 3 decades.

The car's original upholstery remains in an azure blue scheme. The 3,669cc inline 6-cylinder engine has twin SU carburetors and delivers approximately 115 horsepower at 3,800 RPM. There is a four-speed manual transmission and four-wheel servo-assisted drum brakes.

This Bentley has never been restored.

by Dan Vaughan

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 1/2 Liter which was very similar to the newly introduced Rolls Royce 20/25. To continue Bentley's heritage and racing accomplishments the Bentleys were given a sportier design and a more powerful engine. The Rolls Royce vehicles were outfitted with luxurious amenities and elegant designs.

As was customary at the time, automobile manufacturers supplied various coachbuilders with rolling chassis and left it to the coach builder to design and build the body of the vehicle. This meant that each vehicle could be created to the exact requirements as dictated by the customer. By utilizing a similar chassis, the coachwork for the Bentley's and the Rolls-Royce were streamlined, making it easier on the coachbuilder.

During the production lifespan of the Bentley 3.5 Liter which lasted from 1933 through 1937, around 1177 examples were created in various size, configuration, and coachwork. Power was supplied from a straight-six cylinder engine with overhead valves and two SU carburetors. The 110 horsepower was distributed to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox. Performance was modest with a top speed nearing 100 mph. The performance of the Bentley was further increased with the introduction of the Bentley 4 1/4 Liter which featured a larger engine and a higher compression ratio.

The low production figures of the Bentley 3 1/4 guarantees their exclusivity in modern times and is further amplified by the unique designs created by some of the most famous coachbuilders during that era to include Mulliner, Vandenplas, and others.

Derby Bentley's

The vehicles that were first produced by Bentley under the ownership of Rolls Royce in the factory located in Derby, are commonly referred to as the Bentley Derby's. The union between Rolls Royce and Bentley was a marriage of quality construction, reliability and sporting heritage. The engine and chassis of the Derby Bentley's were constructed by Bentley with the final construction and assembly handled by coachbuilders, selected by the customer and built to their specifications.

The engine sizes ranged throughout the years from a 3.5 liter unit to a 4.25 Liter unit, later fitted with overdrive. There were over 1,100 examples of the 3.5 liter vehicle created in less than three years. Most were bodied by Park Ward and given the standard bodies consisting of wood and aluminum or steel. Other coachbuilders include Rippon, Thrupp & Maberly, Saoutchik and vanvooren, Vanden Plas, James Young, Barker, Freestone & Webb, Gurney Nutting, Hooper, Mann Egerton, Mulliner, Figoni, Kellner, and more.

A total of 2422 examples left the Derby factory. Most were in Saloon configuration. Drophead Coupe configuration was next most popular configuration.

by Dan Vaughan