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Description

Three-door Tourer body.

Converted between 1968 and 1971 from the Saloon body and fully restored at McKenzie Dorset with James E. Pearce, Coachbuilder Sussex, in the Van den Plas Open Tourer Le Mans style. This vehicle is a Bentley 4.5 Litre Open Tourer converted from a Saloon Car, first registered in 1928, with vehicle identification no. PM3265.

6-cylinder 4 1/2-litre in-line engine, R-type Bentley

As part of the restoration carried out in 2014/2015/2016 at LMB Racing in Wommelgem, Belgium, the engine, camshaft, pistons, oil filter and water pump were renewed. The engine was bored and honed, and the crankshaft was overhauled. The condition of the engine can be rated “2+”.

Gearbox no.: D-type Gear Box Y102

4-speed MK 6 – Bentley gearbox with Laycock/Petersen, “P”-type overdrive.

Painted 19“ – 70-spoke wire wheels.

Vehicle identification no. PM3265

Make Bentley Type 4.5 Litre Open Tourer

Engine type 4-cylinder petrol engine

Engine no. B 253 M

Displacement 4 398 cm³

Power output 110 KW

Tyres 5.25/6.00 x 21 H Blockley 6 Ply Special

Date of first registration 01.07.1928

Odometer reading 11000 mls

Colour dark green

History: The marque founded by W. O. Bentley after the First World War became a synonym for heavy, powerful touring and racing cars within just a few years. Several Le Mans victories reinforced the marque’s reputation. The Bentleys were as capable as they were high-quality. The latter attribute may have been one of the reasons why Bentley Motors Ltd. went bankrupt in 1931, but also why Rolls-Royce took over the company. W. O. Bentley subsequently worked for Lagonda; he died in 1971 at the age of 83. His name holds a permanent place in automotive history.

The history of the Bentley marque – by Claus Goldberg: Mentioning the initials “W. O.” is generally enough to bring an expectant sparkle to enthusiasts’ eyes, for they belong to a man who is still as well known today as he was in his time as a brilliant and exceptional automotive pioneer. His name is inseparably associated with high-quality, thoroughbred racing and sports cars, and in conversation the word Le Mans naturally appears very soon, where the Bentley Boys engaged in thrilling duels in many 24-hour races, among others with the drivers of Mercedes-Benz, and were able to take the winner’s trophy back to the island at least five times. W.O. was born in London in 1888, the youngest of 9 children. The late-Victorian family was affluent, and the young W.O. therefore enjoyed a happy childhood in which he was free to develop. As a technically interested and capable young man, he entered into an apprenticeship at the age of 16 at the Doncaster locomotive works, which belonged to the Great Northern Railway group. During the following 3 ½ years, he gradually discovered his abilities as an engineer there. He fulfilled his childhood dream in 1909 when, for a limited period, he worked as a stoker on an express train locomotive. At the age of 18, the young W. O. discovered his passion for motorcycles and acquired various makes over time. It is reported that he even won the gold medal in his first participation in the reliability trial of the Motor Cycling Club, which ran from London to Edinburgh, despite numerous breakdowns. These modest early successes established W.O.’s lifelong enthusiasm for motorsport. Similar to the story of Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce, who initially also imported French automobiles in order to improve them from the ground up and make them more reliable, the Bentley brothers founded an agency for French D.F.P. cars in 1912 and named the company Bentley & Bentley. Their aim was to make the D.F.P. cars suitable for racing, among other purposes, through modification and increased performance, and they gave the first model the type designation 12/15. A successor soon appeared, the 12/40 Speed, with which good results were achieved on the Isle of Man and at the Brooklands circuit. The secret of its success was that the engines were fitted with a world first conceived by W.O., namely aluminium pistons. These cars brought the Bentley brothers both commercial and sporting success until the outbreak of the First World War, which brought their business to an abrupt but temporary halt. W.O. completed his military service as a pilot in the RAF. No wonder, as he had previously designed aircraft radial engines that were among the best of their time. In 1919, work began through teamwork on the first thoroughbred W.O. sports car, with a 3-litre four-cylinder engine, light-alloy pistons, overhead camshaft, twin ignition and 4 valves per cylinder – revolutionary technology for the time. Teamwork in the sense that W.O. had secured the assistance of Frank Burgess for his chassis, who had previously worked in design for Humber. At the beginning of 1920, the first test runs could be undertaken with this vehicle, which was designated EXP 1. In the following years, further engine variants with 6-cylinder power units and varying chassis lengths were created to meet the demand for greater performance and better handling. This earned W.O. the humorous international compliment of building the fastest trucks in the world.

The Bentley models conceived and built by W.O. were, in chronological order:

Type Production period

Bentley 3 Litre 1919-1929

Bentley 6 ½ Litre 1926-1930

Bentley 4 ½ Litre 1929-1931

Bentley 4 ½ Litre with supercharger 1929-1931

Bentley 8 Litre 1930-1931

Bentley 4 Litre 1931

Racing driver Tim Birkin’s proposal to W.O. to equip the Bentley 4 ½ Litre, built between 1929 and 1931, with a supercharger led to a break with W.O., as he saw this as a perversion of his engine concept. Birkin had made the proposal after recognising that arch-rival Mercedes-Benz was also competing in Le Mans races with supercharged models that threatened to surpass W.O.’s naturally aspirated cars in acceleration and top speed. Following W.O.’s rejection, Tim Birkin set to work himself with his own resources and fitted the 4 ½ Litre with a supercharger. It failed in its first race at Le Mans due to the supercharger’s lack of durability, but the following year it had already triumphed over the Mercedes-Benz competition. Since Birkin had invested all his money, as well as that of his father, who ran a textile lace factory, and that of a generous friend in the development, everyone was ultimately left penniless, and Birkin took up work as a racing driver for Alfa Romeo.

Things did not go any better for W.O. in the fateful year of 1931, as all the money had been consumed by the development of new concepts, including a previously rejected supercharged model based on the 4 ½ Litre, and not least by his passion for racing, which cost more money than could be generated through sales.

This description has been automatically translated. Original language: German.

Condition & Registration

Condition category: Restored
Historical license plate
Registered

Ready to drive
FIVA
FIA

Self assessments

Engine (Seller assessment)

★★★★★

Paintwork (Seller assessment)

★★★★★

Interior (Seller assessment)

★★★★☆

Technique (Seller assessment)

★★★★★

Inspection Report

Grade 2.25

Report available
Condition grade: 2.25
Report provider: Kukuk / Schwadorf BVSK

Condition grade2.25

Documents & Invoices (1)

Technical Details

Vehicle data

Make: Bentley
Model series: 4 1/2 Litre
Model name: 4 1/2 Litre Special
First registration date: 07/1928
Year of manufacture: 1928
Mileage (read): 11,000 mi
Chassis number: PM3265
Engine number: B253M
Gearbox number: Not provided
Number of owners: Not provided

Technical details

Body style: Convertible (Roadster)
Power (kW/hp): 110/150
Cubic capacity (cm³): 4398
Cylinders: 4
Doors: Not provided
Steering: Right (RHD)
Gearbox: Manual
Gears: 4
Transmission: Rear
Front brakes: Drum
Rear brakes: Drum
Fuel type: Petrol

1928 | Bentley 4 1/2 Litre Special

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Description

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Documents & Invoices (1)

Technical Details

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