Chassis Number: FB3320
This striking and impressive car is an archetypal example of its genre and makes exactly the statement that one expects when one conjures the idea of a vintage Bentley — a beautiful sports tourer with great physical presence. Thanks to the existence of the Cricklewood factory records and exhaustive work by historians, most notably Dr. Clare Hay, the histories of these iconic automobiles can be accurately researched, and combining all knowledge of the car, we can chart almost all its history. This includes copies of the road registration logbooks for most of the car’s life, listing each and every change of ownership from 1929 through to the 1970s. It was in the 1970s that the car was rebuilt and sports touring bodywork from respected Elmdown Engineering was commissioned. Period photos from this time confirm it to be much in the form it still is today, now fitted with distinctive Zeiss headlamps and sprung steering wheel. When the car emerged from this rebuild, it began an altogether new career. Much in keeping with the Bentley Boys’ actions of the Roaring Twenties, it was actively raced in British Vintage Sports Car Club events, frequently at Silverstone and other meetings. The car left the U.K. in 2012. Ownership in the U.S. has since consisted of a series of luminaries in the pre-war and Bentley world, including noted enthusiasts and dealers the Hageman family. A liaison with Clare Hay in the U.K. resulted in the full report being finished in 2019. During this time, the car has continued to have an active career, being exercised on the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic, covering some 1,500 miles from Seattle to Pebble Beach in 2019 and the same year it completed the Colorado Grand. More recently it has also completed two North American Vintage Bentley meets. Through careful maintenance and use, the condition of the car is very good, given the age of its rebuild. It has certainly worn well, and now has a patina which suits this sort of warhorse! Looking every bit the sports car that you expect from a “W.O.,” the seller reports that it has recently been checked over and was shown to have excellent and consistent compression across all the cylinders, providing a strong and throaty engine tone. With a well-documented and continuous history of ownership, it offers an eminently usable, driver-quality entry for any of the popular Bentley Club tours, or indeed longer-distance 1,000-mile events.
