Lot Ended
Description
1938 Bentley 4 1/4 Sports Saloon
Lovely
pillarless Mulliner Sports Saloon coachwork; a very original example which has
seen extensive sympathetic renovation; driven to the sale; on offer from a
deceased estate
The 2,422
Bentleys produced between 1933 and 1939 are known as the 'Derby Bentleys' after
the Rolls-Royce factory in which they were built.
Rolls-Royce
had secretly acquired Bentley Motors from the receiver in 1931 and was
determined to honour the magnificent sporting heritage that came with this
illustrious brand. Although the cars were based on the existing Rolls-Royce
20/25 and 25/30 models, they were much more than a badge-engineering exercise
with considerably more powerful engines and a more sporting chassis which had
been developed for the still-born Supercharged Peregrine
project.
Universally referred to
as 'The Silent Sportscar', the first Derby Bentley had a 3.5-litre six-cylinder
engine with a new cross-flow cylinder head, twin SU carbs and twin fuel pumps.
Feeding its 105bhp through a four-speed synchromesh gearbox, the car was good
for a genuine 90mph and was widely praised for its combination of speed,
refinement and handling prowess. Even WO Bentley himself was reported as saying:
"Taking all things into consideration, I would rather own this Bentley than any
other car produced under that name."
Faced with
increasing competition from the likes of Alvis and Lagonda, in 1936 Bentley
enlarged the capacity of the engine to 4.25-litres which boosted the power to
126bhp, allowed a top speed of virtually 100mph and notably improved
acceleration. As before, completed chassis were supplied to the leading
coachbuilders of the time and a variety of stunning looking cars resulted,
marking what was perhaps the peak period of the British coachbuilders’ art. Just
1,234 4.25-litre Bentleys were made before war put an end to production in
1939.
Chassis
B-5-LE dates from 1938 and has a charming history, its current long-term owner
having owned the car for two periods of its life – 1959 to 1980 - 21 years and
1999 until the present day, a further 23 years.
It
carries its original H J Mulliner pillarless coachwork, a refined
owner-driver sporting saloon which has had plenty of work over the years.
It retains a pleasing patina without being too tired and still sports the
original red leather interior which remains in perfectly usable condition – and
is rather lovely too.
Back in
1959, our vendor bought the car in good order and used it for high days and
holidays – mainly to and from his local Church on Sundays. There is little
history from this period, suffice to say that after he sold in 1980,
it passed through several hands, the car turning up at Runnymede Motor Company
in 1999, by then looking a bit sorry for itself. The vendor had always regretted selling
it and simply couldn’t resist having it back in the family.
It was
delivered shortly after to Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialist Alan Dyson of
Wallingford, Oxon, for remedial work. It was to remain in his workshop for an
astonishing 16 years, with work taking place on a peacemeal basis as funds and
other projects allowed. The aim
was to ‘get the Bentley back on the road in good order, but in a way that
reflects its original condition’. This was
finally achieved, some (but we suspect not all) of the invoices showing that
Dyson had attended to a multitude of jobs, including:
Removing
the interior and petrol tank and repairing the rear body frame
Reconditioning
the petrol tank
Removing
front and rear axles and fully overhauling, including new brakes and
pipes
Dismantling
and sorting out the springs, including bindings, shackles and
pins
Reconditioned
dampers
A rewire –
the wiring having been in a dangerous condition and a refurb of the dashboard
and ancilliaries
Fitting a
new exhaust
We are not
sure what, if anything was done to the engine, but it has clearly had work done
and not only starts instantly but has been running like a Swiss Watch since
arrival onsite. The engine compartment is particularly clean and well presented
and it looks to us like the radiator has been reconditioned. The car was
driven some 30 miles to us for the sale. Modern indicators have been fitted for
safety, although the original signals still function as
well.
It was
last MOTd as recently as 2016 which showed no advisories (and involved four
brand new tyres) and has been used by the vendor’s family for local jaunts –
performing faultlessly. The file includes a service manual, several old MOTs,a
memory stick with a few images of the car while at Alan Dyson Restoration,
associated invoices and an old-style V5 and current V5C. It has been fitted
with wheel discs for most of its life, the set of four having been removed and
are included in the boot. It also carries a comprehensive tool kit as
photographed and the dashboard switchbox has only recently been refitted
after specialist refurbishment.
Sadly,
the owner of this lovely old Bentley has very recent passed away hence
the reason for sale. It has been sympathetically restored and is ready for
immediate use.
For more information - contact [email protected]