1927 Bentley 3-Litre

Tourer
Chassis number: BL 1603
Engine number: BL 1606

The iconic 'first' Bentley was built in a workshop near Baker Street, London, in 1920 and was powered by a 65 horsepower four-cylinder 16-valve engine. The car is the first to carry Bentley's hallmark radiator casing and flying 'B' insignia. The car was designed by the company founder Walter Owen Bentley, otherwise known as 'WO'.

YE 8647

This classic Bentley convertible, fitted with a Harrington body was delivered to Mr. C.C. Brill in March 1927 and is thought to be the only surviving Harrington-bodied Bentley 3-liter in existence today. The car was acquired by its current owners, Dennis and Ann-Marie Nash, in 1997, and they have since driven more than 12,000 miles in Europe and the U.S.A. It is thought to have been driven more than 155,000 miles.

Of the five Harrington-bodied Bentleys, this is the only one known to survive. It is a matching numbers example in restored condition and has been the recipient of numerous national club and concours awards.

There are a number of period upgrades on this car, including a vacuum servo unit installed in 1932 followed by the addition of Lucas P100 headlamps and twin SU 'sloper' carburetors in 1934. In 1988, it was given a professional body-off restoration and had a complete engine, clutch and brake rebuild in 2000.

The engine is a 3-liter single overhead cam 4-cylinder unit with four valves per cylinder. There is 80 horsepower available, a four-speed gearbox, and four-wheel mechanical brakes with servo assist.

In 2009, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held at Pebble Beach, CA. It was expected to sell for $250,000 - $275,000 and offered without reserve. The lot was sold for the sum of $308,000, inclusive of buyer's premium.

Tourer by Vanden Plas
Chassis number: BL1620

The 3-Litre remained in production through 1929, with a total of 1,622 examples built. The 'standard model' was built on either short or long chassis and used a blue background and came to be called 'Blue Label.' There were extra-short wheelbase sizes built from 1924-1926 and given a higher compression engine - these were called 'Green Label.' There was also a high compression, short (117.5-inch) wheelbase produced from 1924-29 and were called 'Red Label.'

This vehicle, chassis number BL1620, is a Red Label car that was registered in march 30th of 1927 to Mr. William Arnold of Manchester, England and assigned number TD9501. It was delivered with a four-seat, fabric-covered open tourer body by Vanden Plas of London.

In the 1940s, the car was in Ireland, where it is believed to have been in the care of Lord Gort's son. In 1949, it passed through Gainsborough Pictures, Ltd. while it appeared in the film A Boy, a Girl and a Bike.

For many years, it was owned by George W. Bennet of Greenlaw, Berwickshire in southeast Scotland. Bennet purchased the car from Basil Mountfort, of Bentley specialists Hofmann and Mountfort, in 1950. He kept the car until the mid-1980s, when it was sold to Peter William Butler of Warwick. Butler retained the car through 1991, selling to Barry William Banham of Little Hadham, Ware, Hertfordshire. In March of 1993, it was purchased by Terry Holden of West Horseley, Surrey. It was sold to Peter Tidd of Chelsham, Surrey in 1996. The current owner purchased the car in England in 2001 and imported it to the United States.

The car has never fully been restored at any one time. The 2996cc single-overhead cam four-cylinder engine is capable of producing nearly 90 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel mechanical brakes.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at RM Auction's Arizona sale where it was estimated to sell for $350,000 - $450,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $346,500, inclusive of buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Tourer by Vanden Plas

This 3 Litre Bentley has had several owners throughout its life, and the first was Roland Hornby, son of the inventor of Meccano and Hornby Model Trains. Prior to inheriting the family business, he used the car regularly, participating in several Hill Climbs and Rallies in period. Subsequent owners did the same. When acquired by the present owner, it was sent to be completely restored by Bentley specialist R.C. Moss Ltd in England. As part of the restoration, the body was re-trimmed with the correct Rexine fabric. This process was made possible after the restoration of the original Rexine coating machine, along with the remanufacture of the original canvas and the reengineering of the Rexine coating process itself. This is one of the first cars with a new Rexine body to be shown in public since the mid-1930s and the culmination of eight years of research.

Bentley Motors Limited was established in a garage off Baker Street, London in 1919. Their skill and engineering prowess helped them dominate at LeMans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930, with the Herculean efforts of drivers Woolf Barnato, Jack Dunfee, Tim Birkin and Sammy Davis.

The 3-Litre Bentley was introduced on Stand 126 at the 1919 Olympia Motor Exhibition, its engine having only been fired-up for the first time just a few weeks earlier. The W.O. Bentley designed powerplant was a four-cylinder 'fixed head' engine with a single overhead camshaft, four-valves per cylinder and a bore/stroke of 80x149mm. Ignition was provided by twin ML magnetos. There was a four-speed gearbox, a pressed-steel chassis, and a wheelbase that measured 117.5-inches in 'short standard' configuration. In 1923, the 'standard long' dimensions of 130-inchs was adopted, and the shorter frame was reserved for the TT Replica and later Speed Models. Braking was by the rear wheels until 1924, when four-wheel Perrot-type brakes were introduced.

The TT Replica models, later known as the Speed Model, were in celebration of Bentley's success in the 1922 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, when they finished second, fourth, and fifth to take the Team Prize. These Speed Models, identified by the Red Label on its radiator, had twin SU 'sloper' carburetors, different camshaft, a higher compression ratio, and the close-ratio A-type gearbox. In 1927, the C-Type box became standard. The 3-Litre model produced 70 horsepower but in Speed Model guise it offered 80 horsepower. Other differences between the two included a larger 11-gallon fuel tank and Andre Hartford shock absorbers installed on the Speed Models.

During the 3-Litre model production lifespan, Bentley produced 1,613 examples with most being bodied by Vanden Plas in either saloon or open tourer coachwork. 513 of these were to Speed Model configuration.

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