1931 Bentley 4½ Liter Supercharged Boattail

It never won a major race and proved almost sale-proof, but the macho Blower Bentley is Britain’s ultimate vintage sports car

by Simon Kidston

Though only 50 production Blower Bentleys were built, experts estimate that 43 still exist. Of that number, few if any are as untouched as this car. Indeed, no less a vintage Bentley authority than Clare Hay has written about SM3916: “[It is] in such original order that the felt damping pad to prevent vibration between the supercharger and the aluminum cowling is still in place.”

Its first owner was S.B. Peck, who took delivery on December 31, 1931, from the Jack Barclay showrooms in London. It was fitted with an extremely sporting Gurney Nutting 2/3 passenger boattail body, one of two or possibly three executed in this style. In any case, this is the sole remaining example and most closely resembles the Gurney Nutting boattail built for Bentley chairman and successful Bentley Boy racing driver Woolf Barnato.

This car was one of the earlier Bentley acquisitions from the U.K. by Bill and Ann Klein and remained a cherished favorite through the...