1939 | Bentley 4 1/2 Litre

We are proud to present a most rare and magnificent Derby Bentley with the ultimate provenance. Ten years on from the Wall Street crash of 1929, Rolls-Royce was the owner of the famous Bentley brand. Bentley had won Le Mans in 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. The Blower Bentley was developed in 1929, and in 1930 Woolf Barnato raced and beat the 'Blue Train' from Cannes to London in his 6.5 litre Bentley Speed Six. The ‘Bentley Boys’ were the stuff of legend, but the Great Depression caused a slump in Bentley sales and the company went into receivership in 1931. Bentley was put up for sale and bought by rivals Rolls-Royce through an anonymous holding company: the ‘British Central Equitable Trust'. Bentley's Cricklewood factory was subsequently closed, and Rolls-Royce moved manufacturing to Derby. Bentley became the sporting marque of Rolls-Royce Motors (1931) Ltd. All subsequent cars used adapted Rolls-Royce chassis and engines. W.O. Bentley himself was originally kept on the board, but he left to join Lagonda in 1935.

Registered just 9 weeks before the start of World War II on June 30th, 1939, this wonderful Bentley found its first private owner after being exhibited at both the Geneva and Belgian salon that year. The 3.5 Litre ‘Derby Bentley' of the mid 1930s had taken Rolls-Royce in a new direction and their ‘silent sports car' was a great success. Essentially, they were based on a lowered version of the Rolls-Royce's 20/25 chassis, but with a higher performance twin-carburettor setup. A 4235cc version of this engine powered the later cars, nominally rated at 29.4HP.




CUK 99, chassis B76MR is one of only two examples built by Vanden Plas to this design on the overdrive chassis. The sister car B42MR had been exhibited at the London Motor Show the previous year. The 4th gear overdrive allowed higher speed cruising at lower RPM. The outbreak of hostilities in September 1939 brought production of these coveted motor cars to an end. Popular though it became, Bentley's MKVI of April 1946 with its ‘Standard Steel' body has never achieved the level of desirability these late 1930s cars attained. Described as a ‘Two door, four light cabriolet' this example is a joy to drive with the best servo assisted brakes we have ever encountered on a pre-war car. Restoration was carried out between 1995 and 2002 and the work featured the best names in the Bentley world. £85,000 was expended during this period, including an engine and gearbox overhaul, chassis, ash-frame, and body restoration. There is a large history file with photographs showing a the bare-metal shell after undergoing body and wood frame restoration.




The first owner of the car kept the car from 1939 until his death in 1960. Subsequent owners are documented During the last ownership from 2005, the car made a memorable trip to Yorkshire to drive legendary cricket umpire Dickie Bird to a village fete where he was guest of honour. Having been laid up for some years, the Bentley was meticulously recommissioned in 2022 and was subsequently invited to the 'Cartier Style et Luxe Lawn' at the Goodwood Festival fof Speed, arguably the the finest concours d'elegance in the world. Only the most beautiful and exceptional cars receive this sort of invitation. Over this period, we have almost £54,000 of further invoices to date for marque specialist maintenance and improvement work. The correspondence, maintenance and history documented is exemplary. It includes a well-preserved buff logbook detailing the owners since 1960. A copy of the original chassis record describes the car as ‘Continental Shows Car, Brussels, Geneva.' There is a record of shipping to Belgium on January 4th, 1939, on The Scottish-built Steamship ‘City of Brussels', the return shipping costing Twenty-nine pounds eighteen shillings and ninepence! Sadly, just a year later the ship was seized at Brussels and requisitioned for the German Kriegsmarine.




The late MR series Derby Bentleys with their higher power, improved steering, and overdrive fourth gear are the ultimate pre-war touring car. CUK 99 must surely be the ultimate and its pedigree and provenance are second to none. An ultra-rare example which would suit the most discerning collector.