1949 | Bentley Speed Six “Blue Train”

Bentley ‘Blue Train’ by Racing Green Engineering, chassis year 1949. Chassis (VIN) number B56FV, engine number B81 – 11363. This gorgeous Bentley is a replica of the legendary ‘one off’ 1930 Bentley Speed Six with two-door coupé bodywork by Gurney Nutting. The original car is depicted in a painting by Terence Cuneo showing the ‘duel’ between the Bentley Speed Six and the ‘Blue Train’ from Nice to Calais which was won by the Bentley*.

his gorgeous Bentley Speed Six ‘Blue Train’ replica was built by Racing Green Engineering (RGE) in Wales, the impressive automobile was completed in 2017. The recreation was based on a 1949 Bentley Mk 6 chassis, and the skilled RGE craftsmen have fabricated the special ‘Gurney Nutting’ two-door coupé bodywork by hand. All the panels were hand crafted, and the coachwork was hand built. Many hours of skilled labour were invested aiming for perfection. The fully overhauled Mk 6 chassis was fitted with a large 6516 cc straight-eight B81 engine mated to a four speed manually operated gearbox. Since completion in 2017, the car has known one oner who has kept the Bentley in his car collection. The Bentley has run only 120 kilometres; the car is in BRAND NEW condition! The car comes complete with its original toolset, historical documentation, and a certificate. This is a rare opportunity to buy a wonderful replica of the legendary ‘one off’ Bentley ‘Blue Train’ in brand new condition!

The unique (‘one-off’) Bentley Speed Six two-door coupe built by Gurney Nutting is also called the Bentley ‘Blue Train’ because it is inextricably linked to a beautiful legend through a painting by Terence Cuneo (see last picture). The painting shows a duel between a Bentley Speed Six two-door coupe and the famous ‘Blue Train’. ‘Le Train Bleu’ or ‘Blue Train’ was the Calais-Mediterranée Express, a French luxury night express train with dark blue sleeping cars which operated from 1886 to 2003. Bentley chairman and ‘Le Mans Bentley Boy’ Woolf Barnato made a bet during a dinner in Cannes that he could drive his Bentley Speed Six from Cannes to Calais faster than the luxury passenger train. The next day he put his money where his mouth was and started this perilous undertaking with golfer Dale Bourne. During the 570 miles of badly paved and unpaved roads the men were marred by rain, fog, and a flat tire. The distance was completed at an average speed of 43.43 mph. Barnato arrived in Calais so much earlier than the train that he decided to continue to London. He crossed the Channel by steamboat and raced on to London. At 3.20pm he parked the Speed Six at his club in St. James’ Street. Then it took four more minutes for the ‘Blue Train’ to arrive at Calais station!