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<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
In pre-war days if you wanted to go
fast, you bought a car with a large engine, and the
speed you achieved depended largely on how much chassis
space you were prepared to sacrifice to the all-important
motor. Engine power, braking systems and road-holding
have been vastly improved since those far-off days,
but the principle still remains the same, and the Bentley
which forms the subject of this article came as a refreshing
interlude in the stream of small high revving cars which
have become almost universal nowadays. Continued...</s> | 12,459 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
Mr. Hay, the plaintiff's expert, was
only 22 years of age and still a student apprentice
at British Aerospace when he set out to emulate Mr.
Berthon. In 1986 he published his first edition of "Bentley
- The Vintage Years 1919-1931". He devoted a whole chapter
to the 6+ litre production and racing cars. In cross-examination
he was naturally asked why, at page 92, beneath plate
192, he had written:</s> | 12,460 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
This tour is very well organized. We
are followed by a luggage van with a flat bed trailer
which has a "Smart car" on it. If one brakes
down, the day trip can be completed in the Smart car
while the "patient" is transported on the
flat bed. Most every night there is a program, yesterday
BBQ and line dancing, tonight Italian buffet and a film
from the Paris-to-Beijing Rally. The tour book gives
distances in miles and kilometers and things to see
on the way come with pictures! The room accommodations
have been perfect. So far we always have two queen size
beds — well separated — we wonder what we
will get further North.</s> | 12,461 |
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In Alaska, our furthest northern
destination will be Anchorage where we'll enjoy
a tour of the glaciers on Prince William Sound.</s> | 12,462 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
But in this regard I think his recollection
with the passage of time was at fault. I accept Hassan's
evidence that the car had already received the 4/8 litre
chassis and it raced with the 6+ litre engine on the
new chassis, and this must have been at the Empire Trophy
Race 1932. Thus Captain Barnato was mistaken in saying
the chassis and the engine were installed after the
Trophy Race. I find as a fact by the time of the 1932
Empire Trophy Race it had its new chassis but was still
racing with its old 6+ litre engine. That is why, probably,
it was only in third place and explains why Barnato
wanted it "hotted up" with a bigger engine in preparation
for the 500 miles race in October.</s> | 12,463 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
After contacting another very experienced
owner (Geoff Owen) the advice was to check the oil filter
for particles of white metal, tell tale signs of main
bearing collapse. I had a sudden rush of blood and a
dose of whispering "no, no, no, I hope not"
to myself.
Sadly there was enough white metal in the filter to
make a brand new ingot.
It was no, no, no but yes this is my time to rebuild
the engine of our "WO"
The car was delivered to my close friend Graham Gibson's
garage, South Terrace Motors at Darfield.
The fact that the local bakery is near by was a secondary
reason for locating here but I can assure you that the
combination of freshly cooked pies and cream buns together
with the WO oil and Graham's enthusiastic staff was
just the appropriate medication that got me through
the mind numbing issues of a much worn engine.
A cracked crankshaft, scored bore as well as all the
big end and main bearings well past their used by date.
Oil, water, grease, pies and cream buns — I was
like a pig in mud.
After a session on the internet costing out new overseas
parts to rebuild the engine I decided that, as others
have done to rebuild using local talent.
Having gathered the parts and a sad looking car I returned
home to a wife, sons and a mother who all thought the
end is nigh. I must say the thought that the "Bentley
Boys" are watching as to how this bush mechanic
was going to handle a WO rebuild was never far from
my mind and to that effect I made a resolution that
time was not important and the attention to detail would
be the success of the project. All other such interests
would have to take second place.
After seeking further advice from Geoff and Russell
Hayes (Motor Reconditioners) and Allan Wyllie (Auto
Restorations) the crankshaft was cut and a new flange
welded on.
Russell also fitted new sleeves, pistons and rings.
Allan reset the end float of all the main shafts.
Back in the 60's my father had problems with the skew
gears that drive the magnetos and water pump. It was
thought at the time that the loading on these gears
caused them to strip and so they removed and adapted
another water pump driven by the front pulley instead
of the fan. Having no fan over heating on trips into
built up areas and on hill climbs was always an issue.
Upon stripping down the gears it became apparent that
the magneto drive shaft was out of centre thus causing
excessive wear.
This may have been the problem that required the alteration
back in 1960.
After turning upside down the whole farm yard the elusive
water pump and fan were recovered. The dog has a new
kennel and the scrap metal pile under the trees has
a new position — one meter further along from its
last resting place. This episode reminded me of days
gone by and how all these various metallic items played
a significant role in our farming operation.
Having overhauled the water pump and thermostat then
thoroughly cleaning, polishing and painting the engine
it was at last ready to assemble. This is where I probably
have just enough mechanical knowledge to get into deep
trouble.
At this time ex J I Case mechanic and engineer David
Penrose was to sell the farm a new bale feeder of which
he is the manufacturer. Just the man I needed, although
he was probably unaware as to the conditions of sale
but it also included the assembly of one Bentley engine
and after a tipple or two he caught the vintage bug.
His finger tips are probably still sporting a few blisters
of holding in the piston rings as the block was lowered
onto them and then onto the crankcase. Such an operation
requires an 80% mixture of professionalism and guts
then a blend of 10% stable bank managing and 5% lubricant
and the other 5% to the son turning up at the critical
moment. Job done, the engine was ready for ignition
having cleaned and checked the manifolds and overhead
gear.
It has been 12 months since the famous Bentley burble
had aroused ones adrenalin, the large brass starter
button was to be again forced forward to the engaging
noise of starting the WO. All the issues of water leaks,
oil leaks and poor idling plagued us for a few days
then gradually the completed old racer emerged from
the recovery room to the bright sunshine of a spring
morning. Out on highway 73, was one tuned and balanced
WO, burbling to the delight of two mechanical enthusiasts
driving to a vintage car swap meet at McLean's Island.
There in all its glory was the old racer back to its
original mechanical state as it was in 1929 with two
very experienced ears listening to the engine that all
the affection was poured into. Both Geoff Owen and wonderful
friend Pat Keating gave their seal of approval. That
was the catalyst for David and I to open up and exercise
the 4½ litres returning to the shed with the
odd swap meet part in hand to enjoy some of the very
refined products of Scotland adding to what we believe
as a small dot to the history of the fastest trucks
of old England.</s> | 12,464 |
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Next morning Roger and I went to visit
the impressive Caenavon Castle some 30 miles away. Caenavon
castle is the most famous of Wales's castles and also
a World Heritage Site. Construction began in 1283 by
King Edward 1 as the definitive chapter in his conquest
of Wales. It was designed to echo the walls of Constantinople
and was not only a military stronghold but also a seat
of government and royal palace. In 1969 the castle was
the setting of the Investiture of Charles as Prince
of Wales. The castle also houses the Regimental Museum
of the Royal Welch Fusiliers - Wales's oldest regiment.
From there we took the Welsh Highland RR to Bedgellert;
the vintage wagons were pulled by steam engines which
were brought back from South Africa some 15 years ago.
The following day we drove from Wales to Crewe using
the motorway between Liverpool and Manchester. This
is one of the most densely populated areas in Europe
and the only way to make good time was to use the motorway,
something we try to avoid in a vintage open car!. Stopped
for lunch at another BDC members estate. Fortunately
the marquees did not have to be used as the sun was
out and we could relax in the wonderful gardens. We
spent the night at Crewe Hall, where we were treated
like royalty. The stately Jacobean mansion, located
on extensive grounds, dates back to 1615. It has one
of the most beautiful staircases in England, exquisite
marble fireplaces, ornate plaster work and carved wood.
It has its own chapel complete with stained glass windows.
We were served champagne again before dinner, sponsored
by Bentley Motors.
Next day we visited the Bentley factory in Crewe, one
of the highlights of the trip. Dress code was strictly
jacket and tie, so we drove our Bentleys with ties and
goggles! They still utilize the old brick stone factory
buildings from the 1930's, but the insides have been
modernized. They produce some 4000 cars per year here,
producing the flagship Mulsanne and the cheaper Continental
GT, with 4000 employees. Which means a lot of work is
still done by hand and the lines are moving very slowly,
giving the workers time to focus on quality and have
a chat in between. The factory has the capacity to double
and produce up to 10000 cars a year. We saw electronic
specialists, paint experts and cabinet makers, copper
smiths alongside trim specialists. 90 per cent of the
Mulsanne cars are personalized, i.e. you choose your
own colour, trim, wood inlays, family crest etc. Beautiful
cars for some three hundred thousand dollars. We spent
several interesting and happy hours here, fortunately
we were able to resist the temptation of placing a special
order!
We are still trying to keep fit which is getting harder
by the day as the food is generally very good and every
evening meal is started with drinks, then wine and finished
off with an after dinner drink.
After Crew we stayed in Buxton for two nights.
Buxton lies just outside the Peak District National
Park. It was founded by the Romans, who were attracted
to the site by the warm springs (constant temp of 28
degrees Centigrade) which emerge near the River Wye.
In the 18th - 19th centuries the spa attracted royalty
and gentry and over the years many magnificent buildings
were constructed and the town prospered. Limestone quarrying
became a major industry in the immediate area and, with
the advent of the railroad, stone was easily transported
across the country. Quarrying continues to be an important
industry still today. After the First World War the
spa industry went into gradual decline and by 1950 Buxton
was a backwater. Recovery began in 1980's with the reopening
of the Opera House and festivals and relocation of the
university of Derby.</s> | 12,465 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Getting to the start in Canada was
the easy bit, just pack our car in a container in Brisbane
and pick her up in Vancouver, the tour started in a
similar way, nice welcome dinner, Canadian CMP Police,
TV and newspapers, politicians, all wishing us bon-voyage.
A few reasonably easy days of "only 200 plus miles"
during the first week through all the fantastic scenery
that British Columbia has to offer, with overnight stays
at 5 star hotels in Whistler, Salmon Arm, Lake Loise
and Jasper and a rest day Banff, with nice sunny summer
days thrown in, all luring us into a false sense of
complacency... this is easy, no worries, cars all going
well, only 7000 kms to go, no worries!
The Glazier Highway to Jasper and Rogers pass were really
spectacular but the temperature was dropping to just
a few degrees as we headed North, the sun was hiding
and the to-date wonderful roads were deteriorating too.
But no worries!! Jasper brought a very cold start and
the "anti freeze" was definitely needed as
hoses on our car started to weep in sympathy with us.
We headed North into Alberta, through the towns of Grande
Cache and Grande Praire, home to the annual stampede,
a big event in this the largest city in NW Alberta,
with its 47,000 hardy souls. It was also the last major
stop before our arrival in Dawson Creek BC, and the
famous mile "0" of the "Alaska Highway",
our route North and a major 1671 mile wartime achievement,
linking the USA and Canada with the Arctic and creating
a supply route to its Russian Allies in WW2. The construction
of this magnificent road was completed in just 8 months
by approx 400 officers, 11,000 US soldiers and over
7500 US civilians who used 11,000 pieces of machinery
in the appaling winter conditions, through a mainly
unmapped and extremely harsh environment, often in 40deg
below conditions... as the Bentleys burbled North we
had a small taste of minus 2 degrees in the mountains
and our admiration for this amazing engineering feat
was much enhanced by the ice on our car and the start
of frostbite on our fingers!</s> | 12,466 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
A few great cars of the past stand
right out in the thoughts of the enthusiast. One of
these is certainly the 8-litre Bentley, which was built
specifically to give a very high performance, and at
the same time to be quiet and docile. It is of tremendous
interest to anyone so minded to discover the condition
today of such a car, and the opportunity arose through
the Service Department, Bentley Motors (1931). Ltd.,
Kingsbury Works. Kingsbury Road, Hendon, London. N.W.9,
which offers a selection of reconditioned second-hand
Bentley cars for sale, including the old types. Continued...</s> | 12,467 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
On 24th April 1929 the car was registered
bearing the registration number MT 34484. The car that
I saw bears this registration number today.</s> | 12,468 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
In summary, these
representations inaccurately and misleadingly conveyed
the meaning to an informed reader such as Mrs Brewer
that the car retained its original Speed Six engine
and chassis which had been rebuilt but which still
survived as a Speed Six engine with a proved capability
of satisfying all aspects of the Speed Six specification.
These representations were reinforced and confirmed
by the absence of any reference in any of the documents
to the fact that the engine was a Standard 1927
6�-litre engine and that the chassis had been significantly
reconstructed so as to resemble a Speed Six chassis
that satisfied the Speed Six chassis specification.</s> | 12,469 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Mrs Brewer claims
damages arising from the breach of Mr Mann's contractual
warranty from both Mr Mann and from SMRL and, in
the case of SMRL, she also claims in the alternative
damages for breach of the implied term that the
car should conform to its description. Each of these
claims is for the recovery of her lost deposit,
for the instalments already paid and for an indemnity
against any outstanding liability that she might
have to Fortis. These losses are ones that flow
naturally from the breach of both the warranty and
the implied condition and are clearly foreseeable.
They therefore all fall and within the first limb
of the recoverability rules provided for by Hadley
v Baxendale [14]. Mrs Brewer may claim these damages
since they represent her direct loss flowing naturally
from the breach of both the warranty and the implied
condition of her sale contract with SMRL. This loss
is one that arises directly from her having entered
into the hire purchase agreement and the contract
of sale with SMRL since, but for the breach, she
would not have entered into either contract and
would not have expended anything on the car.</s> | 12,470 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
10.30 Departure towards Cradock
over a mountain pass, which was slightly snow covered
(we are in early summer here and this never happened
before).
12.30 Arrival in Cradock after a spectacular
drive through mountain passes and more impressive rock
formations and check in at Die Tuishuise Hotel. Die
Tuishuise is a collection of restored houses in Gradock,
in the Great Karoo. More than two dozen Tuishuise line
Market Street up to the Victoria Manor, a grand old
colonial hotel that welcomes you with hearty country
fare.
13.30 Walked to a local restaurant and had lunch
on the lawn, in t-shirts finally with the sun out. We
enjoyed venison and warthog sausage with a bottle of
white wine.</s> | 12,471 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
The Conspirators</s> | 12,472 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Perhaps the best way of summing up
the performance of the three-litre Bentley is to say
that it gives one the impression of being two cars in
one. Fully to appreciate its capabilities one ought
first to be a passenger in it when being handled by
a stolid, "family" type of driver, and afterwards
by one of those bright-eyed, alert, snatch-change Italians
who normally despise anything but a real racing car…
For the three-litre Bentley is truly a vehicle that
gives one seriously to think. Continued...</s> | 12,473 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
A record-breaking British car from
the 'tween-war years has broken another record at the
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale this Friday
29 June. It is now the most expensive Bentley ever sold
at public auction.
The ex-Sir Henry 'Tim' Birkin
1929 4½-liter supercharged 'Blower' Bentley
single-seater, which when new raised the Brooklands
Outer Circuit record to 137mph, sold for £5,042,000.
The Bentley was sold as part of a collection once owned
by famed watchmaker George Daniels of seven cars, two
motorcycles and assorted automobilia.
Daniels was a huge fan of Birkin, and also on sale at
the Bonhams Goodwood FOS sale was another Birkin car.
The 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 Long Chassis Touring Spider
which formed part of Birkin's 1932 Le Mans 24-Hour Endurance
Race entry with his friend Earl Howe, sold for more
than £2.5 million.
Malcolm Barber, Bonhams chief executive officer and
auctioneer at the Daniels sale, said: "The prices
achieved for George Daniels's cars today are a fitting
tribute to one of the truly great artist engineers of
the 20th Century.
"George was not only a fantastic craftsman who
hand-made some of the world's most desirable watches,
he was also a car connoisseur held in immense respect
throughout the vintage motoring world."
Doug Nye, Bonhams historian, said: "It is wonderful
to see this iconic car's true appraise recognized by
the world market.
"The Birkin single-seater Bentley was, in effect,
the Concorde of its time, the fastest car around the
high Brooklands bankings. It was driven by a great British
hero in Sir Henry Birkin and was the most glamorous
racing car of the era."
The 'Birkin' Bentley represents both an incredible piece
of British racing and engineering heritage, and a remarkable
achievement, both of which came about through the participation
in a racing project of four top British personalities
of the day.
First there was the fearless and charismatic aristocrat
who was behind the wheel for the record lap. Sir Henry
'Tim' Birkin was a Baronet who became one of the most
famed of the legendary 'Bentley Boys' of the 1920s –
30s. For an entire generation of British motor racing
enthusiasts the mustached 'Tiger Tim' in his goggles,
wind cap and polka-dot scarf was the epitome of Imperial
power, speed and daring – a very British kind of
hero. Intensely competitive, he was a born sportsman
who raced for racing's sake and was whole-heartedly
committed to making the most of his natural talent.
The engineering might behind the record effort came
initially from Bentley founder and legend of his time,
W O Bentley. Bentley's cars were designed with the motto:
"To build a good car, a fast car, the best in class",
and indeed they won the Le Mans 24-Hour Endurance Race
on a number of occasions and set many records at the
French track. Although the supercharged 'Blower' version
was developed by Birkin with the backing of his financiers,
it was based on the original 1927 design by W O, albeit
against his wishes.
Despite the input of these two British legends in their
fields, the success of the Birkin Bentley would not
have been possible without the significant financial
input of two of Britain's wealthiest people at the time.
Dorothy Paget, the daughter of Lord Queenborough, was
a British racehorse owner who came from a prominent
family of Thoroughbred racers and breeders. Her horses
won a total of 1,532 races in both flat and hurdling,
including seven Cheltenham Gold Cups and a Grand National
in 1934. Living for the most part in Buckinghamshire
and reportedly as eccentric as she was rich, she is
said to have hated the sight of men – claiming
they made her feel physically sick – and to have
called all her staff by different colors rather than
their names, apart from green, which she also disliked.
British financier and racing driver Joel Woolf 'Babe'
Barnato was, like Birkin, one of the 'Bentley Boys',
and he achieved three consecutive wins out of three
entries at Le Mans. A product of Charterhouse School
and Trinity College Cambridge, Barnato played cricket
for Surrey in the late 1920s and served in the British
Army and RAF during the wars. After inheriting his family's
fortune, made out of diamond and gold mining in South
Africa, he poured cash into the troubled Bentley brand,
pushing through in the meantime the famous 'Blower'
Bentley so disliked by W O.
These four remarkable personalities combined to produce
a monster of a car that proved a real match for the
aging, patched, bumpy and frost-heaved Brooklands circuit,
a circuit Birkin himself described as: "...without
exception the most out-of-date, inadequate and dangerous
track in the world... Brooklands was built for speeds
of no greater than 120mph, and for anyone to go over
130... is to court disaster... The surface is abominable.
There are bumps which jolt the driver up and down in
his seat and make the car leave the road and travel
through the air."
Following its race career, the car was converted into
a two-seater roadster before being acquired by George
Daniels.
Daniels was one of the few modern watchmakers who could
conceive, design and hand-make a complete watch from
blank sheet of paper to finished timepiece. During his
lifetime he created fewer than 100 pocket watches and
wristwatches, each of which would typically involved
2,500 hours of work. Awarded a CBE in 2010, he is the
only watchmaker ever to receive the honor 'Master Watchmaker,
for services to Horology'.</s> | 12,474 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
A 1954 company-owned R-Type Continental
has also made the journey from England to Italy. Widely
regarded as one of the most elegant cars to have sported
Bentley's distinctive 'Winged B' emblem, the R-Type
was also the world's fastest four seat luxury saloon
when it was launched in 1952 (delivering a top speed
of 115mph) and this year marks the car's 60th Anniversary.
The best of Bentley's motoring past will be accompanied
across Italy by two modern Crewe-built cars — the
6.0 litre W12 Continental GT coupe and the recently
launched 4.0 litre V8 GTC convertible - which are playing
a pivotal role in cementing Bentley's position as one
of the world's leading luxury carmakers.
Combining exhilarating levels of performance with all
the advantages of a highly sophisticated all-wheel drive
system as well as luxurious, handcrafted cabins, today's
Bentley Continentals uphold the marque's reputation
for building cars that can cover great distances quickly
and with supreme ease.</s> | 12,475 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
During that time he has maintained
and repaired vintage cars of various leading Bentley
exponents, and he gave names. During the course of such
work he has become familiar with the design work of
Walter Hassan. His experience also extends to having
rebuilt the Pacey Hassan car twice and he has race-prepared
the Barnato Hassan car which is still in existence.
He is thus familiar with Hassan's work and considers
it to have various recognizable characteristics. Hassan's
experience, knowledge and ability coupled with exceptional
connections allowed him to create three outstanding
competition Bentleys during the 30s. The first of these
was the car known as Old Number One, as well as the
Pacey Hassan and the Barnato Hassan.</s> | 12,476 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Once on the Alaska Highway we
will travel via Fort Nelson, Watson Lake, Whitehorse
(Yukon Territory), Dawson City, and then onto
Alaska.</s> | 12,477 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Although they happily sold their standard
cars to wealthy clientele to engage in more sedate motoring,
it was in competition that W.O. Bentley knew his car’s
value would be proven. The second Bentley car ever built
drove to victory in the Whitsun Junior Sprint Handicap
in 1921, and in 1922, the first three cars, now prepared
as a team, took on Britain’s grueling Isle of Man
Tourist Trophy race and finished, a rarity even for
established automakers. Winning a team prize inspired
Bentley to build 71 “TT Replica” models—short
standard wheelbase cars with raised compression and
a Claudel-Hobson carburetor, costing £1,295—in
1922 and 1923.
In an unusual move, W.O. had a special boattail racer
built to run in that year’s Indianapolis 500, although
it finished in 13th place; not letting this seeming
flop dissuade him, he took the special highoutput, 9-foot
‘short’ chassis version of the 3 Litre to
France to run against Bugattis, Mercedes-Benzes and
the like at Le Mans, where his cars won outright in
1924 and 1927, inspiring numerous Le Mans replicas and
the 18 “100 MPH” models, also known as the
“Supersports” green label cars built between
1925 and 1927, the latter being the last year that the
3 Litre was produced.</s> | 12,478 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Dispute �
summary. It follows that the dispute
is, in essence, three-fold:
(1) How did Mr Mann describe the car's engine to
Mrs Brewer, was that description accurate, did it
have contractual effect and did Mrs Brewer rely
on it in a way that induced the three contracts
giving rise to the sale of the car?
(2) Should the car have been described as a "1930
Speed Six Bentley Car"?
(3) What damages can Mrs Brewer recover for any
proved breach of warranty or contract?</s> | 12,479 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
To convey in words the precise charm
of the 4½ litre Bentley without using an unconvincing
wealth of superlatives is a difficult matter; it is
a car which must be driven to be appreciated. The way
in which it endears itself to the driver after a few
hundred miles on the road is due to many remarkable
attributes, such as a rocket-like acceleration, a well-nigh
perfect driving position, excellent brakes, delightful
steering and road-holding extraordinary. Continued...</s> | 12,480 |
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Another great day of motoring and for a change all
in the dry!! We were on the road for 11 hours. Drove
into the historic old town of Telluride with another
Bentley and took some pictures, then proceeded to Ridgeway
for coffee at the True Grit Cafe ...the John Wayne movie
was filmed here. All the towns folk were out and about
and we entertained the people who were admiring the
cars. We then proceeded to Cerro Summit between Montrose
and Gunnison, only to get held up for 30min due to road
construction. The subsequent run to Lake City, in the
heart of the San Juan mountains, was wonderful motoring
along the Gunnison river with the aspen trees starting
to change color a little bit. Lunch in Lake City on
the lawn was great with hundreds of people coming out.
We only left at 3pm and enjoyed an extra coffee, cookie
and cigar. Derek drove back to Gunnison, always followed
by a trooper, but he got very good feedback as he only
touched the yellow line a couple times, not too bad
for guiding a heavy vehicle thru 100 tight bends.
Arrived in Crested Butte around 5pm with the sun behind
us, spectacular scenery. The remaining four Bentleys
are running well, some points needed adjustment and
we have a small oil leak between the engine and the
dynamo which is in the front of the car - this can be
fixed later. Our other mishap was my blown away cap,
the troopers tried to recover it but the Grand Gazette
which we get every morning reported that it looked like
a run over beaver and it was not worth recovering.</s> | 12,481 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
A record-breaking British car from
the 'tween-war years has broken another record at the
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale this Friday
29 June. It is now the most expensive Bentley ever sold
at public auction.
The ex-Sir Henry 'Tim' Birkin
1929 4½-liter supercharged 'Blower' Bentley
single-seater, which when new raised the Brooklands
Outer Circuit record to 137mph, sold for £5,042,000.
The Bentley was sold as part of a collection once owned
by famed watchmaker George Daniels of seven cars, two
motorcycles and assorted automobilia.
Daniels was a huge fan of Birkin, and also on sale at
the Bonhams Goodwood FOS sale was another Birkin car.
The 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 Long Chassis Touring Spider
which formed part of Birkin's 1932 Le Mans 24-Hour Endurance
Race entry with his friend Earl Howe, sold for more
than £2.5 million.
Malcolm Barber, Bonhams chief executive officer and
auctioneer at the Daniels sale, said: "The prices
achieved for George Daniels's cars today are a fitting
tribute to one of the truly great artist engineers of
the 20th Century.
"George was not only a fantastic craftsman who
hand-made some of the world's most desirable watches,
he was also a car connoisseur held in immense respect
throughout the vintage motoring world."
Doug Nye, Bonhams historian, said: "It is wonderful
to see this iconic car's true appraise recognized by
the world market.
"The Birkin single-seater Bentley was, in effect,
the Concorde of its time, the fastest car around the
high Brooklands bankings. It was driven by a great British
hero in Sir Henry Birkin and was the most glamorous
racing car of the era."
The 'Birkin' Bentley represents both an incredible piece
of British racing and engineering heritage, and a remarkable
achievement, both of which came about through the participation
in a racing project of four top British personalities
of the day.
First there was the fearless and charismatic aristocrat
who was behind the wheel for the record lap. Sir Henry
'Tim' Birkin was a Baronet who became one of the most
famed of the legendary 'Bentley Boys' of the 1920s –
30s. For an entire generation of British motor racing
enthusiasts the mustached 'Tiger Tim' in his goggles,
wind cap and polka-dot scarf was the epitome of Imperial
power, speed and daring – a very British kind of
hero. Intensely competitive, he was a born sportsman
who raced for racing's sake and was whole-heartedly
committed to making the most of his natural talent.
The engineering might behind the record effort came
initially from Bentley founder and legend of his time,
W O Bentley. Bentley's cars were designed with the motto:
"To build a good car, a fast car, the best in class",
and indeed they won the Le Mans 24-Hour Endurance Race
on a number of occasions and set many records at the
French track. Although the supercharged 'Blower' version
was developed by Birkin with the backing of his financiers,
it was based on the original 1927 design by W O, albeit
against his wishes.
Despite the input of these two British legends in their
fields, the success of the Birkin Bentley would not
have been possible without the significant financial
input of two of Britain's wealthiest people at the time.
Dorothy Paget, the daughter of Lord Queenborough, was
a British racehorse owner who came from a prominent
family of Thoroughbred racers and breeders. Her horses
won a total of 1,532 races in both flat and hurdling,
including seven Cheltenham Gold Cups and a Grand National
in 1934. Living for the most part in Buckinghamshire
and reportedly as eccentric as she was rich, she is
said to have hated the sight of men – claiming
they made her feel physically sick – and to have
called all her staff by different colors rather than
their names, apart from green, which she also disliked.
British financier and racing driver Joel Woolf 'Babe'
Barnato was, like Birkin, one of the 'Bentley Boys',
and he achieved three consecutive wins out of three
entries at Le Mans. A product of Charterhouse School
and Trinity College Cambridge, Barnato played cricket
for Surrey in the late 1920s and served in the British
Army and RAF during the wars. After inheriting his family's
fortune, made out of diamond and gold mining in South
Africa, he poured cash into the troubled Bentley brand,
pushing through in the meantime the famous 'Blower'
Bentley so disliked by W O.
These four remarkable personalities combined to produce
a monster of a car that proved a real match for the
aging, patched, bumpy and frost-heaved Brooklands circuit,
a circuit Birkin himself described as: "...without
exception the most out-of-date, inadequate and dangerous
track in the world... Brooklands was built for speeds
of no greater than 120mph, and for anyone to go over
130... is to court disaster... The surface is abominable.
There are bumps which jolt the driver up and down in
his seat and make the car leave the road and travel
through the air."
Following its race career, the car was converted into
a two-seater roadster before being acquired by George
Daniels.
Daniels was one of the few modern watchmakers who could
conceive, design and hand-make a complete watch from
blank sheet of paper to finished timepiece. During his
lifetime he created fewer than 100 pocket watches and
wristwatches, each of which would typically involved
2,500 hours of work. Awarded a CBE in 2010, he is the
only watchmaker ever to receive the honor 'Master Watchmaker,
for services to Horology'.</s> | 12,482 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
The much-disputed record for the 24
hours is once again held by a British car. Capt. John
F. Duff, driving his privately owned 15.9 h.p. three-litre
Bentley succeeded in covering no less than 2,280.69
miles in the 24 hours at Montlhery track… Some
idea of his terrific feat may be gathered when it is
recalled that in the course of a day and a night he
has covered a distance almost equivalent to six times
the journey from London to Edinburgh. His average speed
for the entire distance was 95.026 m.p.h., eight miles
an hour faster than the average of Garfield and Plessier,
driving the big six-cylinder 45 h.p. Renault. Continued...</s> | 12,483 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Bill Ruger, Jr. had the vision and passion to purchase
YM5044 at the Christies auction. He became the cars
fourth owner in its then seventy-two year history. YM5044
was subsequently put into a container and transported
to the United States. A comprehensive restoration by
one of the foremost restorers in the USA followed, being
completed in early 2007.
During the restoration, Bill made several changes to
the car. He did, however, leave the triple S. U. Carb
set-up intact as installed by Mr. Roberts.
He added a full-flow oil filter and removed the second
windscreen and cowl. The clumsy looking hood canvas
attachment point was moved from the front of the hood
compartment lid to the rear of the body work. The hood
frame itself was not modified. This is not only a more
practical application but makes for a much more attractive
appearance. More than one observer has noted that the
car actually looks better now with the hood up, rather
than down.
The twin side-mounted spares were removed in favor of
a single rear-mounted unit. This was another esthetic
improvement which filled in the clumsy open space between
the main body tub and the petrol tank. This change now
makes YM5044 appear even longer and more graceful. Wheel
discs to all road wheels were also fitted for a nicely
finished and clean appearance.
Inasmuch as the rear storage area was almost useless
as it was so small. The bodywork was closed up as access
to the storage compartment was now eliminated by the
placement of the new spare mount and tire.
The changes to the body make for a much more harmonious
appearance. A most satisfactory result finished off
in with black paint with light tan hides and canvas.
Following YM5044’s comprehensive restoration, Bill
entered his car in the March 2007 Amelia Island Concours
in Florida. It was awarded the Most Elegant Bentley
trophy. Well deserved recognition for another extremely
handsome and important vintage Bentley.
This is not, however, a “trailer queen” for
showing only. Bill drives it often and was an enthusiastic
participant in the May 2007 North American Vintage Bentley
Meet in New York. There was rain, mud and dirt and Bill
drove is car “con gusto.” It is truly a feast
for both eyes and ears!
What a fitting condition for YM5044
after the travails it has suffered over the years. Another
important car, nearly lost, is now restored to stunningly
beautiful condition.</s> | 12,484 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
The increased engine capacity was achieved
by larger bores with the same piston stroke within the
6� litre block. The inlet and exhaust sides were changed
but I was shown at the view how this was achieved by
simply swinging the 8 litre engine through 180 degrees
before offering it to the chassis frame. Mr. Hassan
also explained how later he was invited by Barnato to
build a Bentley Special using the old 6� litre engine.
This was known as the Barnato Hassan Special and became
famous in its own right. He also created the Pacey Hassan
which, along with the Barnato Hassan, plays no part
in this case.</s> | 12,485 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Before
you say, "Another Bentley racing history?",
note that this one combines the W.O. Bentley racing
era with the Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen built Bentley
race cars and their successes. The Vintage Bentley racing
does overwhelmingly dominate the book and if you wish
to pursue the Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen years, there
are some fine books that cover those subjects more extensively
that this Venebles' book. The strong points of this
book are that it has very good coverage of the events
and details with good photographic coverage. More important
for many Vintage Bentley enthusiasts, especially those
that are new to Vintage Bentleys, this book is relatively
inexpensive compared to making the effort and spending
a vast amount of money collecting all the out-of-print
books covering Vintage Bentley racing.
Bentley Motors published their own publicity
literature immediately after they achieved a racing
success and the English magazines, The Motor,
The AutoCar and Motor Sport were on the
scene capturing the events. Most of those articles are
available in the out-of-print Brooklands Books
of the 1960s and 1970s. The first comprehensive racing
history of Bentley was Bentleys at Le Mans by
Dr. Dudley Benjafield (one of the original "Bentley
Boys") in 1948. That was followed by A Racing
History Of The Bentley by Darell Berthon in 1956.
I am rather partial to this book as I now own his Vintage
Bentley, plus it is a very thorough history loaded with
photographs, thanks to the Bentley Drivers Club archives.
Michael Hay then published two outstanding works, Bentley:
The Vintage Years, 1986 and Bentley Factory Cars
1919 - 1931, 1993. Both are highly researched and
outstanding works that include Vintage Bentley racing
history. Other authors, Ray Roberts for example, have
contributed racing history at club races and other events.
Collecting all of these out-of-print books is a daunting
task left to the most fanatical Vintage Bentley enthusiasts.
David Venables, logically begins his racing history
with W.O. Bentley racing his DEP in 1913, which sets
the stage for W.O.'s racing mindset once he established
Bentley Motors in 1919. Readers to his web site most
assuredly are familiar with racing history through 1931
and the author documents the events with excellent coverage.
More interesting to many of our readers will be the
years of club racing of your cars from that point up
to the present. Combine that with the activities of
Rolls-Royce built Bentley cars like the Embiricos that
raced at Le Mans in 1949. Bentleys return to Le Mans
in 2001 and then placed first and second in 2003 in
Volkswagen built cars giving Bentley a total of six
Le Mans wins that began in 1924.
Adding this latest Bentley racing history to your collection
is well worth while even if you have all the out-of-print
books. At least buy it as a gift for someone with less
knowledgeable so they can appreciate your Vintage Bentley
and aspire to own one themselves.</s> | 12,486 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
A record-breaking British car from
the 'tween-war years has broken another record at the
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale this Friday
29 June. It is now the most expensive Bentley ever sold
at public auction.
The ex-Sir Henry 'Tim' Birkin
1929 4½-liter supercharged 'Blower' Bentley
single-seater, which when new raised the Brooklands
Outer Circuit record to 137mph, sold for £5,042,000.
The Bentley was sold as part of a collection once owned
by famed watchmaker George Daniels of seven cars, two
motorcycles and assorted automobilia.
Daniels was a huge fan of Birkin, and also on sale at
the Bonhams Goodwood FOS sale was another Birkin car.
The 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 Long Chassis Touring Spider
which formed part of Birkin's 1932 Le Mans 24-Hour Endurance
Race entry with his friend Earl Howe, sold for more
than £2.5 million.
Malcolm Barber, Bonhams chief executive officer and
auctioneer at the Daniels sale, said: "The prices
achieved for George Daniels's cars today are a fitting
tribute to one of the truly great artist engineers of
the 20th Century.
"George was not only a fantastic craftsman who
hand-made some of the world's most desirable watches,
he was also a car connoisseur held in immense respect
throughout the vintage motoring world."
Doug Nye, Bonhams historian, said: "It is wonderful
to see this iconic car's true appraise recognized by
the world market.
"The Birkin single-seater Bentley was, in effect,
the Concorde of its time, the fastest car around the
high Brooklands bankings. It was driven by a great British
hero in Sir Henry Birkin and was the most glamorous
racing car of the era."
The 'Birkin' Bentley represents both an incredible piece
of British racing and engineering heritage, and a remarkable
achievement, both of which came about through the participation
in a racing project of four top British personalities
of the day.
First there was the fearless and charismatic aristocrat
who was behind the wheel for the record lap. Sir Henry
'Tim' Birkin was a Baronet who became one of the most
famed of the legendary 'Bentley Boys' of the 1920s –
30s. For an entire generation of British motor racing
enthusiasts the mustached 'Tiger Tim' in his goggles,
wind cap and polka-dot scarf was the epitome of Imperial
power, speed and daring – a very British kind of
hero. Intensely competitive, he was a born sportsman
who raced for racing's sake and was whole-heartedly
committed to making the most of his natural talent.
The engineering might behind the record effort came
initially from Bentley founder and legend of his time,
W O Bentley. Bentley's cars were designed with the motto:
"To build a good car, a fast car, the best in class",
and indeed they won the Le Mans 24-Hour Endurance Race
on a number of occasions and set many records at the
French track. Although the supercharged 'Blower' version
was developed by Birkin with the backing of his financiers,
it was based on the original 1927 design by W O, albeit
against his wishes.
Despite the input of these two British legends in their
fields, the success of the Birkin Bentley would not
have been possible without the significant financial
input of two of Britain's wealthiest people at the time.
Dorothy Paget, the daughter of Lord Queenborough, was
a British racehorse owner who came from a prominent
family of Thoroughbred racers and breeders. Her horses
won a total of 1,532 races in both flat and hurdling,
including seven Cheltenham Gold Cups and a Grand National
in 1934. Living for the most part in Buckinghamshire
and reportedly as eccentric as she was rich, she is
said to have hated the sight of men – claiming
they made her feel physically sick – and to have
called all her staff by different colors rather than
their names, apart from green, which she also disliked.
British financier and racing driver Joel Woolf 'Babe'
Barnato was, like Birkin, one of the 'Bentley Boys',
and he achieved three consecutive wins out of three
entries at Le Mans. A product of Charterhouse School
and Trinity College Cambridge, Barnato played cricket
for Surrey in the late 1920s and served in the British
Army and RAF during the wars. After inheriting his family's
fortune, made out of diamond and gold mining in South
Africa, he poured cash into the troubled Bentley brand,
pushing through in the meantime the famous 'Blower'
Bentley so disliked by W O.
These four remarkable personalities combined to produce
a monster of a car that proved a real match for the
aging, patched, bumpy and frost-heaved Brooklands circuit,
a circuit Birkin himself described as: "...without
exception the most out-of-date, inadequate and dangerous
track in the world... Brooklands was built for speeds
of no greater than 120mph, and for anyone to go over
130... is to court disaster... The surface is abominable.
There are bumps which jolt the driver up and down in
his seat and make the car leave the road and travel
through the air."
Following its race career, the car was converted into
a two-seater roadster before being acquired by George
Daniels.
Daniels was one of the few modern watchmakers who could
conceive, design and hand-make a complete watch from
blank sheet of paper to finished timepiece. During his
lifetime he created fewer than 100 pocket watches and
wristwatches, each of which would typically involved
2,500 hours of work. Awarded a CBE in 2010, he is the
only watchmaker ever to receive the honor 'Master Watchmaker,
for services to Horology'.</s> | 12,487 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
"I first did some kind of inventory
as to what was of any use to the rebuild. What remained
of a body came off the chassis. Basically the only parts
were the left hand front door. The bonnet was complete
and in not bad condition. The body frame timbers between
the fire wall and the steering wheel were kept. The
rest of the body was unusable, resembling a shed. These
were discarded." The entire overhaul was carried
out in-house by Roy Ginn and his father.
As there was no body to speak of, they had to think
where to locate ash boards. Says Roy, "We located
two rather rough ash boards. My father had, in the meantime,
been fashioning ply templates cut to a shape not too
far from that required. Went to timber yard, negotiated
a price to cut and purchase ash. Fun and games now start.
Band saw blades got blunt very quick, change new one,
after a while they finished the job — and said,
"Don't come back again." I think they were
glad to see the back of us. Dad pressed on and he fashioned
the bodywork. He decided to build to connecting bodywork
between the front and rear seating to alleviate any
body movement."
So many long hours were being spent working on the car
that Roy's mother enquired if he would like his bed
moved into the garage!</s> | 12,488 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
John Duff's 3-litre Bentley, driven
by the owner and by F. C. Clement, won the 24 hours
race for the Rudge-Whitworth Cup, at Le Mans, last Sunday
afternoon. Officially covering 1,290 3/4 miles, this
average equalled 53 3/4 miles an hour. In reality, the
British car went at least one hundred miles further,
but, under the complicated rules, which competitors
and officials alike admitted they could not understand,
Duff got no credit for his last 90 minutes' running,
although during this time he was driving hard under
the impression that he was in danger of losing the race. Continued...</s> | 12,489 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
When Bentleys first introduced the
supercharged edition of their famous 4 1/2-litre model,
a number of prospective owners of this type of car held
back from purchase until they had seen how the car performed
in the chief racing events of the season…
Continued...</s> | 12,490 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Legal test
for a contractual warranty. Mr Malek QC
cited two authorities that provide clear guidance
in relation to the question of whether a statement
made in pre-contract negotiations by a seller was
intended to be, and was enforceable as, a contractual
warranty. The first was Dick Bentley Productions
Ltd v Harold Smith (Motors) Ltd [9] where Denning LJ stated:
"� it seems to me that if a representation is made
in the course of dealings for a contract for the
very purpose of inducing the other party to act
upon it, and actually inducing him to act upon it,
by entering into the contract, that is prima facie
ground for inferring that it was intended as a warranty."</s> | 12,491 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE
QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
Royal Courts of Justice, London.
No. 90/MJ/2474 - 27th July 1990</s> | 12,492 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
It is internationally known that I
have a desire to document the history of every Vintage
Bentley ever built, and in 2006 we created an interactive
web site where all Vintage Bentley owners and enthusiasts
could post information and photographs of every W.O
chassis ever built. Now, Clare Hay, the world's foremost
Vintage Bentley historian has compiled all available
information and photographs on Chassis 141 into a magnificent
work. She has done for owner Peter Briggs what every
owner tries to undertake — a complete history of
their car.
"Chassis 141" tells the story of the first
British entry in the famed LeMans 24 Hour Race in 1923.
This is the origin of one of the most legendary teams
in motorsport history — the "Bentley Boys"
— a group of wealthy playboys who drove Bentley
racing cars in major events across Europe.
Australian motoring historian, editor and designer of
the book, Graeme Cocks points out that the book is appealing
as it chronicles the story of the people and the car
back in the 1920s and then traces it right through to
its discovery in a barn in the 1980s, then how the car
was shipped to Australia and totally restored by Peter
Briggs and John Hunting in Perth.
"We wanted this book to appeal to historians and
motoring enthusiasts who would be interested to see
how such a famous car is restored from start to finish
— few books are prepared to show cars covered in
rust — usually they just show the end results which
are always absolutely pristine," Mr. Cocks said.
"As one of the world's most valuable cars, we wanted
to make sure that the book did justice to its historical
significance and the research which went into its restoration."
Anyone who enjoys vintage cars and restoring them, will
find this book an inspiration to get out and turn a
wrench on their car. From rusty parts to a fine sporting
machine, just takes encouragement and this book is a
shot of adrenalin. Recommended to the true enthusiast.
Chassis 141: The Story of the First LeMans Bentley
has been produced in two editions — a deluxe leather
case edition which has been limited to 200 copies and
a hardcover edition. It is available at www.lemansbentley.com.au.</s> | 12,493 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Engine: According to the book "Bentley Specials & Special Bentleys" 1th(?) edition page 80, by Ray Roberts, the engine is KM 3088 and modified again in 1950 by Southgate Motors/Syd Lawrence and additional stamped with 102/50 ML. (Photo)</s> | 12,494 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Captain Woolf Barnato, a millionaire
sportsman, had a number of swashbuckling Bentleys specially
built for him in the 1930s, including a 6 1/2 litre,
3-seater coupe with coachwork by Gurney Nutting. Barnato
once put his Speed Six to test, challenging that his
car would go faster than the Blue Train express. Continued...</s> | 12,495 |
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Having joined Bentley Motors Ltd as
an apprentice in 1928 and stayed on as a salesman until
the Company was bought by Rolls-Royce, I drove all the
models when they were new. Later, in the 1930s, I was
demonstrating and selling all sorts of cars for an agency
in London. I often tested these cars at Brooklands and
many of them were "used" Bentleys sold to
the old Bentley clientele. Since then I have owned and
raced several other Bentleys and driven every model.
So in one way or another I feel that I know the marque,
whether it be from Cricklewood, Derby, or Crewe. Continued</s> | 12,496 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
Before: MR. JUSTICE OTTON</s> | 12,497 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
In immediate succession to last week's
30-98 Vauxhall, I am able to present the promised 3-litre
Bentley — counterpart, contemporary, rival, call
it what you will; These two descriptions have been on
my mind for some time, and next, having been able to
give them their share of attention, I will endeavour
to cater in turn for those whose/idea of a sports car
does not run to machines that have four whopping great
cylinders, and are anything up to seventeen or eighteen
years old into the bargain. Though what a tribute to
their design and construction that latter remark is
— and they're British, too! Continued...</s> | 12,498 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
15.00 Departure to the game
reserve in the Bentley, had to put the top up because
there was an aggressive ostrich sighting, saw some animals,
mainly mountain zebra and perfect scenery and lighting.
17.00 Filled up with petrol, did 150 miles and
needed 75 litres, so we are getting about 3 to 4 km
per liter!
17.15 Returned to our two roomed quarter called
Fig and changed clothes.
18.00 Church event: "God Save Africa"
:: The vicar from the Dutch reformed church plays
the organ.
:: Four black teenage girls dressed is their
green and black uniforms sing for us. Three white people
play the piano and sing for us as well.
:: Four well rounded black ladies with painted
faces and colorful skirts, barefoot, sing and dance
shaking their B & B's, they ended with the national
anthem "God safe Africe" which is sung in
Afrikaans and English.
A wonderful event!</s> | 12,499 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
~~</s> | 12,500 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Today we drove some 330 km from Port
Elizabeth to Knysna, the highlight was a couple of mountain
passes where I tried to outrun a 4.5 litre, but he kept
in tow (he is a seasoned race car driver) and we cornered
with tires squeaking and both got an adrenaline rush,
Roger was good and did not scream. Stopped for Crayfish
on the way (like lobster but without the claws) and
are now settled in bungalows overseeing an outlet from
the Indian Ocean and the weather is perfect.
We are having a good time!</s> | 12,501 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
First is the water pump,
which as you know with the string gland
either leaks or, or worse, loads and wears
the cross shaft. 2 sealed bearing 28mm X
15mm X 7mm + a lip seal 28 X 15 X 8 just
fit in the housing without any mods. My
shaft was a little worn so I fitted a thin
sleeve, which is a simple job even with
the most basic lath. Cost about $30 all
in. Just started to drip last week, so next
time will change at 200K not 205K! Other
good mod was fitting rubber tips to my float
needles on Brass Sloppers. Amy, my 100 mph
car, used to do around 18 mpg (UK gallons)
After the mod I now get 25 mpg.(35% improvement)
I could always smell fuel when traveling
at a bit of a lick, so put it down to vibration
making the needles dance and flood. You
buy a set of modern SU float needles and
jets, thread the needle, drill and tap the
brass one, also drill and tap the float
bowl, and screw in the jet. Of course you
have to reset the needle height, which is
simple.
That’s my two pence worth, and if any
one wants more information they can mail
me direct. If it is of interest, my
background is I trained as a Maintenance
and toolroom fitter, and later ran a World
Class motorcycle race team. I have rebuilt
quite a few Bentley engines for friends
as well as my own.
Good luck and keep up the good work.</s> | 12,502 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Discussion
- general. This meeting gives rise
to two critical issues:
(1) What did Mr Mann state about the engine and,
in particular, did he state that it was "a Speed
Six engine" or, alternatively, that it was prepared
"to Speed Six specification"; and
(2) Was what Mr Mann said about the engine a statement
that amounted to a contractual warranty?</s> | 12,503 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Tony and I carried on, completely separately,
but working together. He started to build complete cars
for clients. They would hand over the chassis, complete
with body, to me and I would finish them completely.
Sometimes the engineering work — such as wings
and things — had already been done on the car,
but the bodies when they came to me needed to be trimmed
and completed. This was quite a comprehensive job and,
with my expertise and knowledge, I was able to give
his customers what they wanted.</s> | 12,504 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Conclusions</s> | 12,505 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Mr Fenn's evidence
was that the relatively insignificant changes to
the chassis had left the chassis in its original
state and as being appropriately described as the
original 1930 Speed Six chassis. He also considered
that the car's current engine clearly satisfied
the 1930 Speed Six specification. I did not accept
these opinions because they were based on his impressions
and not on detailed inspections, measurements or
a full testing of all parts of the engine and chassis
nor on authenticated test results proving that the
performing engine satisfied the 1930 Speed Six specification.</s> | 12,506 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
The fact that twenty-four old-school
Bentleys were present at the recent Bentley Drivers'
Club rally at Cobham would seem to show that these cars
still retain the affection of many enthusiasts...
Continued...</s> | 12,507 |
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It was fitted with a four seater Van
den Plas open body. After the successes at Le Mans of
the 3 litre and 4+ litre cars, much was expected of
it. At Le Mans in 1927 the 3 litre Bentley had won at
a speed of 61.35 miles per hour. In 1928 in a 4+ litre
affectionately known as Old Mother Gun, Captain Barnato
with his co-driver Rubin had won at a speed of 69.11
miles per hour.</s> | 12,508 |
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The car was noteworthy even in pieces.
"I think the most special aspect of Chassis #3,"
Twigg-Smith said, "is its survival in essentially
original condition and its place as the first production
Bentley to have been delivered."
Original condition isn't easy to come by when dealing
in coachbuilt cars: those able to afford an original
car were usually able to afford to have that car rebodied,
and often did.
Paul Hagenan, a Gooding specialist who helped Twigg-Smith
prepare the 3-Litre for auction, said "With high-performance
cars of that era like Bentleys and Bugattis and Alfas,
you often saw body swaps and engine swaps. Especially
after the war, people were ripping bodies off cars –
not a lot of cars from the 20s and 30s survived to see
the postwar period. No one seemed to care for keeping
something original. It wasn't until the last 30 or 40
years that it became especially noteworthy to have an
original body, and not until the last ten years that
it became prized. For this car to have remained in original
condition for 90 years is special."</s> | 12,509 |
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Our base here was the Shangri-la Hotel,
which was all that you would imagine, and also the location
of a gala dinner generously put on by Zubair Corporation,
a prominent local group and the local Bentley agent.
We were also treated to a wonderful lunch at the home
of Sheik Ahmed Al Khalili, a local businessman whose
father was once the patient of one of rally participants.
His family was charming and it is very nice to be able
to put on a sit down lunch for 150 people!
We were then on the home run to our last stop —
Dubai. This was another long day — 470 km, but
with a very slow border crossing back into the United
Emirates. I don’t know that the bureaucracy in
these places is any worse than any airport or other
border crossing — the problem is really just one
of processing 150 passports. One minute each equals
two and a half hours!
It was a warm day and many of the more modern cars had
overheating problems here — though not the WO’s!
The only mechanical problems the WO’s had were
a failed overdrive unit on the last day in Chris Wray’s
4½ (lesson: always take a spare tailshaft if
you have an overdrive — in any case, WO would never
have approved!) and a failed magneto (recently rebuilt)
in Tony John’s 3-litre. We were carrying a spare
and the change-over was made in a couple of hours, thanks
to some excellent work by Tony’s newest best friend,
mechanikermeister Alfred Smidt, who runs Klassikerschmiede,
a vintage workshop near Munich. He really knows his
stuff!
And so on to The Atlantis, the newest, biggest and brashest
resort hotel on The Palm, Dubai. More like Disneyland
in the sand, or more accurately, the middle of the Arabian
Gulf. Quite over the top with a massive indoor aquarium
complete with a whale and several large sharks. You
don’t have to stay here to have a look — $20
or so buys you a day ticket. The critics say that it
represents all the excesses of the property boom in
Dubai. Still, the bus loads of tourists thought it was
worth spending a day there.
All in all, we had a great time on the rally and saw
many very interesting sights that we would not have
otherwise experienced. We also had some great motoring
and enjoyed the company of our fellow travellers. On
top of all that, PP3275 had a faultless run with its
brand new 4½ motor. Many thanks for this to Simon
Elliott, David Hanna and the team at The Derby Works
in Melbourne, and to Peter Cameron and the organizing
committee for the Arabian Gulf Adventure.</s> | 12,510 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
Before discussing the adjustment of
the components of the three-litre Bentley chassis, it
is as well to mention that the manufacturers maintain
an admirably organised service depot to relieve owners
of Bentley cars from the need to effect anything more
than the ordinary small adjustments of every day running.
It may be argued that the owner of a car in, say, the
north of England could not benefit from a depot near
Hendon, N.W., and the answer to this is that the depot
will come to him, as a member of the staff with the
necessary tools and spares is often sent long distances
immediately on receipt of a call for assistance. Continued...</s> | 12,511 |
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The year was
1929. The place, a pub in Cricklewood, England. The
big man took a long drag on his cigarette as he sat
back on the barstool and considered the sketch on the
envelope in front of him. His friend ordered another
round of single malt, and looked at the drawing.
"What's that all about?" he asked.
"My new motorcar...the best bloody lorry on the
road!" he grinned.
The big man was Capt. Woolf 'Babe' Barnato, then-chairman
of Bentley Motors Ltd. and son of the wealthy diamond
merchant, Barney Barnato. Just three years earlier,
'Babe' had invested quite a sum of capital into the
company to keep it afloat, being one of its most noteworthy
patrons.
Bentleys had been a dominating force in racing, particularly
endurance events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Barnato
himself was victorious in the 1928 event, co-driving
a 4½-litre-model, and again in 1929, co-driving
the new Speed Six (he went on to win a third time in
'30).
The 'Bentley boys', as the team drivers were known,
were a boisterous, high-spirited bunch, and 'Babe' was
known as somewhat of a playboy as well.
Very enthusiastic about the 6½-litre Speed Six,
he wanted a closed version for his own personal transportation.
Hence the doodle on the back of the envelope. The statement
"the best bloody lorry" was a reference to
racing competitor Ettore Bugatti's comment that the
Bentleys, with their imposing, lofty architecture -
as compared with his own relatively diminutive racing
Bugattis - are "the world's fastest lorries (trucks)."
Taking the scotch-stained envelope to coachbuilder Gurney-Nutting
of Chelsea, Barnato informed them that he would promptly
deliver a new Speed Six chassis (in that era, cars of
this stature were delivered 'naked', to be bodied by
the coachbuilder of the owner's choice), and instructed
them to build him a body based upon his sketch.
Most noteworthy of the design was a rakishly swept roofline
and very shallow window areas. The body was to be in
the Weymann style, with padded fabric covering. The
coachbuilders told Barnato that his sloping roof would
prevent the accommodation of rear seat passengers, unless
they were headless! A compromise was found, and a unique
single sideways seat was fitted behind the front seats
allowing a third person to join in whatever adventures
the Captain might dream up. In this way, the inspired
roofline would not be compromised. The oddly-shaped
space aft provided some extra cargo area, and on either
side were cocktail cabinets for roadside entertaining.
A removable panel in the rear allowed access to the
small boot.
The design included separate fenders with a quick upsweep
at each end, a motif repeated subtly in the door handles.
Sidemounted spare wheels relieved the rear of the car
from the prodigious overhang common to dual rear-mounted
spares. The massive chassis (11 feet, 8½ inches)
was to be covered by a body that was functional but
elegant, in a brutish sort of way. Much like Barnato
himself. Even back then, people knew "your are
what you drive." Built for Barnato's own personal
grand touring needs, this might indeed have been the
very first GT car!
Completed in early 1930, it was resplendent in black
with polished aluminum and chrome. The interior was
trimmed in tan hides with the typical polished walnut
dashboard and window trim.
Barnato took delivery of his stunning new car and decided
a shakedown run to the South of France would be ideal.
While there, he again found himself in a pub, having
lunch with his golfing friend Dale Bourne, discussing
his new motorcar, only now a reality in gleaming metal,
not a two-dimensional scribble on a piece of paper.
As the story goes, he boasted that, in his Speed Six,
he could beat Le Train Bleu (the Blue Train)
- the then-fastest form of overland transport in the
world - across France, take the ferry across the Channel,
and arrive in London long before the train's passengers.
A wager of unknown amount was made (reputed as £100),
and at 6 PM on March 13, 1930, Barnato and Bourne left
Cannes, shortly after the Blue Train pulled out of the
station, on its journey to Calais.
The pair in the Bentley reached Boulogne at 10:30 AM
the next morning, after averaging 43.43 mph over the
crude 'roads' of pre-war France, reportedly never exceeding
75 mph. They rolled onto the 11:35 AM ferry and made
the crossing, reaching RAC headquarters (for official
witnessing) in Pall Mall, London, at 3:30 PM.
At 7:15 PM, the Blue Train passengers arrived at London's
Victoria Station, three and three-quarter hours behind
Barnato and his Speed Six. The car was forever after
known as the 'Blue Train' Bentley and a legend was born.
In subsequent years, the celebrated motorcar changed
hands as newer 'toys' came along. Owners included Lord
Brougham and Vaux, Charles Mortimer (of Brooklands fame),
and Mr. Reg Potter, who bought it in 1941, after which
it languished in a drafty wooden garage, deteriorating
with the years and the weather.
Woolf 'Babe' Barnato died in 1948, and probably did
not see much of his beloved Speed Six after selling
it. It's just as well he didn't see it in the condition
in which Hugh Harben bought it in 1968, after lengthy
negotiations with Potter. The proud old motorcar was
a rolling wreck, bashed and worn in every panel, the
interior serving as a rodents' nest, and missing its
righthand door amongst sundry other items.
At first Harben considered converting it to an open
touring Speed Six, which was what he was originally
searching for, but was convinced by his friends to restore
it to original as it was too historical a car to modify.
"Restore it as it is," he recalls them saying,
"and if you don't like it, you can swap it for
an open car."
Thankfully, he heeded their advice and embarked on a
comprehensive, three-year restoration. A few modifications
were carried out, but none so extensive as first
envisioned. The shallow, hinged windscreen was replaced
with a fixed, non-opening and slightly taller version,
and the 2-inch slot-like rear window was also deepened
slightly for better visibility. A Webasto fabric sunroof
was installed for ventilation in warm weather, and the
main body color changed from sober black to British
Racing Green, although black fabric covered the roof
area.
Harben fitted higher compression (6.6:1) pistons, with
a higher (3.3:1) ratio rear axle - identical to those
used by the factory race cars in 1929 and 1930. Unseen,
but certainly needed and appreciated was the inclusion
of a vacuum reservoir for the big drum brakes' servo,
complete with vacuum gauge, to allow an additional element
of safety should the car be moving with the engine off.
The car was used in many vintage car meets and Bentley
Drivers Club events since restoration, and has actually
competed in club racing at Silverstone and Shelsley
Walsh, although more for exhibition purposes than outright
competition. It's even been back on the roads of France
fifty years after racing the Blue Train, and has lapped
the circuit at Le Mans where its sister cars forged
the Bentley legend.
In recent years, the Blue Train Bentley has been in
the custodianship of North American owners. Between
Harben and its later owner, well-known collector Bob
Cole, there's a gap in the car's history. Cole purchased
it through Sotheby's in 1984, and in recent years carried
out a partial restoration, refurbishing the interior,
paintwork, fitting new tires, and rebuilding all systems
except for the engine itself, which proved to be in
good order. He drove it on the Colorado Grand rally
in 1991, recalling a fabulous 30-mile dice he had with
two pre-war Alfas. Apparently the razor-sharp Italian
racers were not man enough to shake the big, lumbering
Bentley on the winding country backroads, their rearview
mirrors full of grille and headlamps at every turn.
Of course, Cole, a former race car driver, can get the
most out of a good car, drifting the Speed Six in the
corners and having a marvelous old time...
The Bentley was used to promote the Hillsboro Concours
one year, and even pulled off a publicity stunt wherein
it 'recreated' its famous 1930 dual, and raced the Southern
Pacific train from San Francisco to nearby Burlingame,
where Cole's office is located. Of course, the latter
'race' had the benefit of police escorts through crowded
San Francisco streets and highways, a luxury Woolf Barnato
never could have hoped for!
It was on exhibit and offered for sale in Monterey as
part of the Blackhawk Collection's sale in 1992, for
a sum of 4.5 million dollars. Exactly how much it changed
hands for is unknown.
It was purchased by Vintage Racing Motors of Redmond,
Washington, just outside of Seattle, to reside in an
impressive collection of historically significant racing
cars. The Bentley - towering over its low-slung stablemates
- is one of few non-racing examples there, which include
Graham Hill's Vl6 BRM, Le Mans racers like the Ford
GT40, Gulf Mirage, Porsches, Ferraris, etc. Many interesting
Lotuses, Elvas, Coopers, Can Am racers, and other important
competition cars make this soon-to-be-museum a race
car fan's mecca.
Driving An Automotive Legend
The first thing I noticed was the key. It wasn't a key
like a normal car, but a skeleton key instead, like
something you'd use to unlock an old chest in your grandmother's
attic. Walking up to the imposing old beast, one gets
a sense of great power; not just the automobile's, but
that of the person who had it built to express his place
in the automotive hierarchy.
The door swings open wide, exposing an inviting pair
of true bucket seats in pleated tan leather. The door
panels repeat the pattern, with straight-grain walnut
trim pieces along the doors to carry the dashboard's
warmth through the cab to the rear section. The floor
is very flat, and it's a relatively simple interior,
less adorned than you might expect.
Stepping up into the car is no easy task for the short-legged
(I'm sure Barnato was quite obliging to help boost his
ladyfriends up an into their seat). It's more like climbing
in. Once aboard, on the right-hand side of course (providing
you're fortunate enough to be driving!), the view is
simply delicious. Stretching out before you is one of
the longest, proudest bonnets in the business, the fender
tops and chrome headlamps visible to the sides.
The dashboard is symmetrical, with its Jaeger 150-mph
speedometer on the left (presumably to entertain or
frighten your passenger), with the almost superfluous
matching tachometer in front of you. Between are a lovely
Roman numeral clock, and fuel gauge, ammeter, water
temperature and oil pressure, as well as a vacuum gauge
for the brake servo reservoir. The big three-spoke steering
wheel (changed at some point from a four-spoke wheel),
in understated black bakelite and polished alloy, is
set off by a central hub featuring levers for mixture,
throttle setting, and spark advance. The long gearshift
lever is to the right of your right leg, next to the
flyoff brake lever.
Starting is a simple matter of richening the mixture
slightly and retarding the ignition (unnecessary when
warm), turning the key and pressing the starter button.
The car had been sitting for quite some time before
we came to visit VRM, and a float had stuck, allowing
fuel to leak from the front carburetor. I could smell
the rank odor of old gas too, which concerned me as
to its effect on performance that day. Old gas has much
lower octane than fresh, but my worries were unfounded
as the relatively low compression engine could probably
run on ale and not know the difference.
Once fired up, it settled into a sound-salad of deep-breathing
intake hiss, a bass, hollow rumbling of the drain-pipe
exhaust, and a surprisingly muted clatter from Once
fired up, it settled into a sound-salad of deep-breathing
intake hiss, a bass, hollow rumbling of the drain-pipe
exhaust, and a surprisingly muted clatter from the aluminum
motor. Contributing to its relative silence (for a big
pre-war car) is the ingenious overhead camshaft drive.
As you all know, W.O. Bentley learned his craft working
in the railroad industry, and the system of eccentric
crank rods that drive a locomotive's wheels was employed
in his OHC engine designs. Driven by a gear on the crankshaft,
a short, secondary crank with a 2:1 reduction directly
above rotates a triple eccentric connecting rod drive
(to maintain smooth, continuous rotational action),
that is connected in turn to the overhead camshaft.
The result is a direct connection between crankshaft
and camshaft, without the noise or slack of chain drive,
which was common practice at the time. Ingeniously,
the con rods that drive the camshaft are built from
an alloy that expand with heat at the same rate as the
block, maintaining precise tolerance and component longevity.
It's also extremely silent. The vertical tower in which
the camshaft drive operates adds noticeable length to
the rear of the engine, giving the impression of even
more motor than is the case. By the way, that overhead
camshaft bumps four valves per cylinder.
As expected from cars of its era, there is no synchromesh
on any of the gears, and the four forward ratios must
be double-declutched going up through the gearbox as
well as when downshifting. This process is made all
the more challenging by the very heavy flywheel and
low compression engine, which tends to keep on spinning
at the same rate when declutched, reluctant to lose
revs.
It takes a great affinity for those old (and expensive)
teeth in the gearbox, 'feeling' your way between gear
dogs and trying to keep crunching - and the resulting
embarrassment - to a minimum. Second gear was the real
tough one, trying to get into the cog before your momentum
dropped so low that you'd just as well be in first again
anyway. Remember, the rear axle ratio was raised to
Le Mans specs by Harben, and 'long-legged' is an apt
description for the torquey brute.
Once into second, the big six yanks the 2½-ton
car along with aplomb, and my J shifts into third were
usually quick and silent. Fourth was rarely needed,
except on the highway, where it felt like an overdrive.
A bit more boot in fourth, however, was just too tempting
to resist, as the tall, narrow Bentley happily thundered
past modern traffic, turning heads all the way. The
feeling was like driving a well-upholstered truck. No,
more like a bloody locomotive, and here I was,
Engineer Dave! With that view high above the road, the
long bonnet before me, I could well imagine a pair of
steel rails stretching to the horizon, as I poured on
the coal…
Gear whine almost drowns out the deep exhaust note at
highway speeds, but it's a mechanical melody, not offensive
in any way.
Steering is surprisingly responsive and tight, although
very heavy at low speeds - particularly when parking.
Ride quality is firm yet well-damped, and quite isolated
from road irregularities, which I presume is a result
of sitting almost directly between the distant axles.
Brakes from this era almost always need at least a day's
advance notice, but not so with this Speed Six. Whether
it's the nature of the Bentley's cast iron drums, the
geometry of the brake shoes and levers, or the servo,
I was very impressed with the braking, and felt confident
to give the car a good hard run, even when traffic was
present. A firm foot was needed to bring the leviathan
to a complete halt, but for peeling off speed when quick
downshifts were out of the question, a couple of strong
dabs did the job.
Visibility is minimal, but Barnato obviously cared more
about where he was going than where he'd been. The tiny
rear view mirror gave no more than a glance at something
in the slot rear window, and the side windows, again,
convey style - particularly with their unique glass
'awnings' - more than view.
The Blue Train pulled long grades with ease, and was
remarkably relaxing to drive - if one could forget that
its value exceeds that of a fleet of ten new Bentley
Turbo Rs and a house with enough garage space in which
to park them!
The name Speed Six suggests a fierceness or overt
element of high performance, but the performance of
this big car is deceptive, in that it loafs along and
gets the job done without any fuss or strain. It's almost
docile, and requires very little work on the driver's
part to maintain a high average speed over a long distance
(once into top gear, that is). Lesser cars - even in
its day -could extract the same performance, but at
the expense of the driver's effort and therefore seemingly
more high-performance oriented. The Speed Six driver,
however, could maintain the pace far longer. Tractability
is such that you could keep it in top gear right down
to a walking pace - perhaps 400 or 500 RPM - and burble
along smoothly, then plant your foot in it and pull
strongly up to somewhere over 100 mph.
I could see how the affluent sporting motorist of the
thirties would choose the Speed Six as the car of choice.
Few others could match its performance, ruggedness,
comfort, or driveability. Or the statement it made about
its owner.
'Babe' Barnato's private car was perhaps the ultimate
expression of the model, and of the long-distance Gran
Turismo - a genre that wouldn't come into its own
for decades after this bespoke Speed Six sped across
France in those carefree pre-war days.</s> | 12,512 |
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Can it be said that the car bearing
the plates MT 3464 which I saw in Lincoln's Inn gardens,
can properly be described as "authentic"? That description
or classification of Jenkinson requires some careful
consideration. (Quote the definition "authentic") It
is true that it has had a chequered career, through
no fault of its own. It was given a clean bill of health
after the 1932 crash. It has, however, never disappeared
from view. The entity or sum of the parts has always
existed in some form or another and has now been put
back to a specification that it was in at some known
point in its history, namely the start of the fatal
1932 Brooklands race, with the exception of the colour
and possibly the detail of the rear suspension.</s> | 12,513 |
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Based on all this data and information,
it is Mr. Hay's considered opinion that none of the
1929 Speed 6 survives with the exception of fittings
which is impossible to date. Of the 1930 Speed 6 he
believes that only the following exist on the car as
it is now, namely pedal shaft, gear box casing and steering
column. Of the 1932 car, the 4 litre chassis and 8 litre
engine form in which it was involved in the fatal accident,
he believes that the following exist: the chassis frame,
suspension (i.e. springs, hangers, shackles and mountings),
front axle beam, back axle banjo, rear brakes, compensating
shaft, front shock absorbers and mountings, the 8 litre
engine, some instruments and detailed fittings.</s> | 12,514 |
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On to Dawson City before crossing
the Yukon river by ferry, one of only two crossing points
in its near 2000mile length. The BDC of Australia boys
organized an Aussie night out at Diamond Tooth Lils
saloon and gambling hall, where dancing, wine, women
(ours) and song were the order of the night. Money was
gambled, lost and won, honky tonk pianos tinkled, grubby
bars served into the wee hours. The cowboy swing doors,
horses, unsealed streets and wooden buildings from the
late 1800s confirmed we were really in this Gold Rush
frontier town with our "modern" cars, and
reading a newspaper at midnight was easy...
Onwards to our northern most point, almost at the Artic
Circle as we drove the Top of the World Highway into
the USA and Alaska at Poker Creek 4127ft the most northerly
US land border with a population of 5. The fog and snow
climbing to the crossing needed the windscreen folded
down as visibility was down to just a few metres and
we were very conscious of big drops either side of the
road... never saw them but top of the world views we
are told!
On to Chicken, Alaska and its music festival, then Tok
and finally after a last 387 mile/623km days drive we
had made it to Anchorage. Wow the car and ourselves
had made it all the way from Australia, those last few
days on sometimes poor unsealed roads had been tough
on the car and its passengers, but we had made Anchorage,
Alaska in just 13 driving days. Now we just to get back!</s> | 12,515 |
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Having owned a vintage Bentley since
1992 I have made many friends in the Bentley hobby around
the world. I have seen, enjoyed and photographed many
vintage cars in the US and the UK at the various events
I have attended. Over time, it has occurred to me that
members in the United States possess a considerable
number of "matching number — original bodied cars."
As a consequence I decided to seek out these cars in
an attempt to document them for the benefit of the BDC
archives and the enjoyment of the membership. They have
survived intact after 80 or 90 years following years
of being driven as once new, then used cars, then "beaters."
They were then sometimes abandoned and left to decay
before being re-discovered and brought back to life.
They deserve and should be recognized and revealed for
the enjoyment of all like-minded aficionados.
From time-to-time I will submit such articles to the
Review as I meet with the owners, photograph and document
their cars. I have relied on, and want to acknowledge,
the very kind, generous and knowledgeable assistance
of Dr. Tim Houlding in providing some of the historical
information and photographs. I also relied on, as well,
the information contained in the book, "Bentley,
the Vintage Years, 1919 - 1931" authored by Michael
Hay.
My first submission and the "sacrificial lamb"
for these articles is my own car, an early 6½,
"sports model" (as described in the factory
records) also termed the "Big Bentley." I
understand that the 11' chassis was the chassis of choice
for the team 6-cylinder cars due to handling and weight
advantages when compared to the longer wheelbase chassis.
The desirability of the 11' sports chassis by hobbyists
for conversion to racing specification or Vanden Plas
replicas of one type or another is the primary reason
the 11 footers have lost their original bodies. The
modifications were made in favor of light weight racing
coachwork. Tim Houlding advises that TB2542 is the last
11' sports chassis remaining carrying its original coachwork.
TB2542 still has is original engine, number FW2605 and,
according to Michael Hay's book, is the 42nd car delivered
to a retail customer. She was a Mrs. Cholmeley who,
according to the factory records, resided at Lushill,
Highworth, Wiltshire.
The car was delivered on September 18, 1926 from Gaffikin
Wilkinson & Co. Ltd., 8 Dover St., W1 after H. J.
Mulliner completed the erection of a one-off "Simplex
Coupe" (Mulliner's term) body. The coachwork is
a four-light drop head coupe with a dickey seat. It
is referred to as a "¾ folding head coupe"
in the Bentley factory records.
The following photograph is a view of TB2542 after completion
of the coachwork by Mulliner prior to delivery to the
customer. Note that a number plate has not yet been
obtained for the car. The number YR633 was later assigned
and a V-5 for this number is still with the car. The
original paint scheme was purportedly pea green (we
discovered this during its restoration) over brown.
There was no indication of the color of the hides. The
canvas was most likely black.</s> | 12,516 |
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Beautiful workmanship, magnificent
driving and, above all, the most minute preparation
enabled the Bentley team to pull off the double victory.
For this year, not content with covering the biggest
distance in the 4 hours, a Bentley also won the final
of the race on a cylinder-capacity handicap basis. Moreover,
on the score of distance, three other Bentleys were
respectively second, third and fourth, and they finished
together, crossing the finishing line like a squadron
of battleships in "line-ahead." Continued...</s> | 12,517 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
What he can say with some pride is
that racing proves the quality of their work. "If
it lasts on the track, it'll be bomb-proof on the road.
And all our cars are roadworthy, even the racers."
Sure enough, there are tax discs on 'Mother Gun' and
'Monty'," says Stewart, busy fabricating an exhaust
bracket to make the job even quicker. Having done every
possible job on every type of Bentley, and developed
tweaks that give a vintage engine torque that would
tear the clutch out of most modern stuff, the team is
enjoying the new popularity of short-chassied, big-engined
specials. While it is satisfying to sort out the mixture
on a pair of sloper carbs, planning and building one
of these heavyweight rockets is a creative outlet.</s> | 12,518 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Expert Evidence
� Mr Sibson. Mrs Brewer was given
permission by the court to call expert evidence
from an automotive engineer specialising in the
Bentley Marque and Mr Sibson was in consequence
instructed on her behalf by her solicitor in disclosed
instructions dated 23 March 2009. These instructions
required Mr Sibson to assist the court in determining
what the proper description of the car should be.
He prepared a first report dated 4 April 2009 which
was based on a detailed inspection of the car on
29 March 2009, a second supplemental report dated
2 October 2009 and a further report dated 23 February
2010 which he was ordered by me to prepare as his
answers to a list of technical questions that the
parties had agreed both experts should answer.</s> | 12,519 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
I have come to the conclusion that
these submissions rely upon extracts of a letter taken
out of context and which contain material inaccuracies.
The letter as a whole relates to the history of the
one and only car from 1929 up until he sold it in 1936.
He makes it clear that it was his decision to rebuild
the same car. He did not let it go into limbo, nor did
it cease to exist. More importantly, he regards the
car which raced in the British Empire Trophy Race at
Easter 1932 as the same car that had won all the previous
races back to the 1929 win. It also refers to the fact
that it was racing with its old chassis and the 6+ litre
engine in both 1929 and 1930 Le Mans races.</s> | 12,520 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Tony and I carried on, completely separately,
but working together. He started to build complete cars
for clients. They would hand over the chassis, complete
with body, to me and I would finish them completely.
Sometimes the engineering work — such as wings
and things — had already been done on the car,
but the bodies when they came to me needed to be trimmed
and completed. This was quite a comprehensive job and,
with my expertise and knowledge, I was able to give
his customers what they wanted.</s> | 12,521 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
The original paint scheme was a painted
silver body with maroon wings and wheels. It was not
polished aluminum as has been rumored. It must have
made a striking appearance when new.
The Lancefield bodywork included front helmet-style
wings, abbreviated running boards and high waistline.
All of this resulted in giving YM5044 a long, sleek,
elegant look that is now a pure joy to behold.
Esthetics notwithstanding, the long narrow body has
relatively limited room. Both the front and rear seats
are bench-types. Swathed in pleated hides, they are
very comfortable, but can accommodate four adults only.
There is no room for luggage or any cargo whatsoever.
It is a much narrower car than YX5106, the 8 litre Thrupp
& Maberly drop head coupe covered in the June 2007
issue of the REVIEW.
It never ceases to amaze this writer that the open 8
liters are such large cars but have such limited carrying
capacity. One wonders what the owners did with their
luggage? If touring with luggage is envisioned, then
YM5044 provides comfortable touring for only two.
All four doors have flap pockets fitted for maps and
other hand items. The rear doors have beautifully finished
recessed fitted wooden cubbies with scent bottles.
The instrumentation is standard 8 litre. The speedo
was out of the car being re-calibrated when it was photographed
for this article.
According to the factory records in club archives, YM5044
was sold by Bentley dealers Jack Barclay & Jack
Olding Ltd to its first owner, a Mr. Prescott of Suffolk,
in 1932. This was after Bentley Motors went to the receivers,
of course.
The current owner has the two original buff log books.
They are both the initial and the subsequent book stamped
“duplicate” with a date stamp of 5 Dec 55.
When these log books still exist they provide invaluable
and irrefutable documentation of a car’s ownership
history.
YM5044, was registered in the name of Edward Clifford
Prescott, 10 Heathview Gardens, Putney Health, SW 15
on 11/5/1932 by the London County Council. The first
change noted in the original logbook shows a change
of address for Mr. Prescott. Mr. Prescott moved to Westhorpe
Lodge, Westhorpe, Showmarket, East Suffolk. He registered
the car with the East Suffolk County Council on 17 April,
1952.
The second change shows that a new owner, Henry Russell
Jones, Ty Derwen, Llanfair. D. C, Ruthin, North Wales,
registered YM5044 with the Denbigh County Council on
19 July 1952. Mr. Jones paid the road tax for 1952 (£29.10.9),
1953 and 1954 (£12.10.0 each).
The third change in the first log book shows an ownership
change to Mr. David Edmund Cleaton Roberts c/o Westminster
Bank Ltd, 84 Kensington High St., London W.8, date stamped
by the London County Council on September 12, 1954.
The London C. C. road taxes for 1955 to December 31,
1959 are shown as paid by Mr. Roberts. It is interesting
to note that full-year road taxes were paid through
1956. Starting in 1957, payment of the road tax was
made quarterly. The last recorded payment on October
12, 1959 for road tax through December 31, 1959. It
is a fair assumption that YM5044 was taken off the road
starting on or about January 1, 1960.
As an aside, Tim Houlding advises that the Ministry
of Transport caused the owners of cars to have their
vehicles inspected annually commencing in the early
1960’s. Many older cars were taken off the road
by their owners as they had no chance of passing technical
scrutiny. It was not uncommon that cars were simply
scrapped as the expense of bringing them up to scratch
was simply prohibitive. Perhaps this applied to YM5044
and contributed in whole or in part to its being taken
off the road.
There is a final change on the duplicate log book showing
an address change for Mr. Roberts to 5 Queens Road,
Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LX. It is signed by Mr.
Roberts but is not date stamped. In light of the assumption
that TM5044 was taken off the road as of 1960, the car
remained in storage in the ownership of Mr. Roberts
for 44 years. The log book’s data questions the
37-year storage that has been mentioned in the Christies
catalogue and the articles in The Automobile
and Octane.
The factory records in club archives contain few entries,
ending in 1937. All of the entries relate to the factory
sending parts to various garages in 1934, 1935, 1936
and 1937. The car was laid up during WWII and, in fact,
was stored in the basement of Jack Barclay’s palatial
showrooms in central London.
Early on, Mr. Roberts entered YM5044 in numerous automobile
competitions. They were organized by the BDC and the
VSCC. These included the Firle Hill Climb at Eastbourne,
BDC events at Silverstone and the Brighton Speed Trials.
Although comparative records do not exit, this has to
be one of the few 13‘ 8 litre cars with a competition
history.</s> | 12,522 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Continuous
history - summary. The uses and whereabouts
of the car are virtually unknown from 1930 until
July 1976. Thus, there is no information as to its
history at all after 1938, unless the reference
to the car in the 1944 Autocar article can
be taken to indicate that it was still in good condition
at that time. Thus, it is a complete mystery what
happened to the car so as to be without its engine
and its bodywork and with only a very corroded and
incomplete chassis when Mr Mann came across the
remains of the chassis in 1976. It was not proved
that the axles and steering column found by Mr Mann
close to the corroded chassis in 1976 had come from
the same car as the chassis had come from. Thus,
in 1976, all that can be shown to have survived
of Miss Unwin's original car was part of a very
badly corroded chassis.</s> | 12,523 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
Many of the Speed
Sixes that were produced were immediately bought
by wealthy individuals and used for private purposes.
Although their design and specification were similar
to the Speed Sixes that were raced, most of those
in private hands were never raced.</s> | 12,524 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Thus, in summary, the expression Old
Number One is the famous name in history of vintage
Bentley racing car. It is justifiably applied to the
car which in a succession of forms raced at Le Mans
between 1929 and 1932 when it crashed. It is the "authentic"
"Old Number One".</s> | 12,525 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
It was the result of a conversation
with Mr. Hillstead, of Bentley Motors, Ltd., during
the course of which he enthused about the staying powers
of the Bentley car, that I conceived the idea of going
for the "double-twelve" record, at that time
the accepted "Supreme Test" of endurance.
Continued...</s> | 12,526 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
A car such as the supercharged Bentley
is a distinctly unusual subject for a used-car test,
but this model was suggested by H. M. Bentley and Partners,
3 Hanover Court, London, who specialise in this make,
for they have confidence in what is generallv termed
the blower car… Clearly, it was a machine, which
would appeal only to a certain limited type of owner,
and the car must be approached from that angle, which
to some extent is bound to shape one's judgment of it. Continued...</s> | 12,527 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
Before: MR. JUSTICE OTTON</s> | 12,528 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
A further reason
why Mr Mann is personally liable to Mrs Brewer is
that SMRL did not buy the car from Mr James until
after SMRL had sold it to Fortis and, until that
sale, the car was in Mr Mann's possession since
it had been bailed to him and not to SMRL. Mr James
had contracted with Mr Mann personally to procure
a sub-sale of the car and in those circumstances
any warranty that Mr Mann gave Mrs Brewer had been
given by him to a prospective buyer of the car at
a time when it was in his possession and he was
personally seeking to arrange for its sub-sale.
For this additional reason, Mr Mann must have given
Mrs Brewer the warranty in his personal capacity.</s> | 12,529 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
1,000 miles in a day... in a 1925 LeMans
Bentley... with the top down... and the temperature
below freezing... is a feat that should be attempted
only by mad dogs, Englishmen and Texans...
Continued...</s> | 12,530 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Sidney Farnsworth -
Dec 28, 2013
We installed a Filter on our 4 1/2. If memory
serves me correctly the biggest concern
was to ensure the oil pump was adequate
to maintain a proper flow through it. We
use strictly 50 weight non detergent oil,
as difficult as it is to obtain sometimes.</s> | 12,531 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Ettore Bugatti famously derided them
as being the fastest trucks in the world, but snide
comments couldn’t stop the rumbling racing cars
from Bentley Motors from collecting countless wins and
trophies in the 1920s.</s> | 12,532 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
The original paint scheme was a painted
silver body with maroon wings and wheels. It was not
polished aluminum as has been rumored. It must have
made a striking appearance when new.
The Lancefield bodywork included front helmet-style
wings, abbreviated running boards and high waistline.
All of this resulted in giving YM5044 a long, sleek,
elegant look that is now a pure joy to behold.
Esthetics notwithstanding, the long narrow body has
relatively limited room. Both the front and rear seats
are bench-types. Swathed in pleated hides, they are
very comfortable, but can accommodate four adults only.
There is no room for luggage or any cargo whatsoever.
It is a much narrower car than YX5106, the 8 litre Thrupp
& Maberly drop head coupe covered in the June 2007
issue of the REVIEW.
It never ceases to amaze this writer that the open 8
liters are such large cars but have such limited carrying
capacity. One wonders what the owners did with their
luggage? If touring with luggage is envisioned, then
YM5044 provides comfortable touring for only two.
All four doors have flap pockets fitted for maps and
other hand items. The rear doors have beautifully finished
recessed fitted wooden cubbies with scent bottles.
The instrumentation is standard 8 litre. The speedo
was out of the car being re-calibrated when it was photographed
for this article.
According to the factory records in club archives, YM5044
was sold by Bentley dealers Jack Barclay & Jack
Olding Ltd to its first owner, a Mr. Prescott of Suffolk,
in 1932. This was after Bentley Motors went to the receivers,
of course.
The current owner has the two original buff log books.
They are both the initial and the subsequent book stamped
“duplicate” with a date stamp of 5 Dec 55.
When these log books still exist they provide invaluable
and irrefutable documentation of a car’s ownership
history.
YM5044, was registered in the name of Edward Clifford
Prescott, 10 Heathview Gardens, Putney Health, SW 15
on 11/5/1932 by the London County Council. The first
change noted in the original logbook shows a change
of address for Mr. Prescott. Mr. Prescott moved to Westhorpe
Lodge, Westhorpe, Showmarket, East Suffolk. He registered
the car with the East Suffolk County Council on 17 April,
1952.
The second change shows that a new owner, Henry Russell
Jones, Ty Derwen, Llanfair. D. C, Ruthin, North Wales,
registered YM5044 with the Denbigh County Council on
19 July 1952. Mr. Jones paid the road tax for 1952 (£29.10.9),
1953 and 1954 (£12.10.0 each).
The third change in the first log book shows an ownership
change to Mr. David Edmund Cleaton Roberts c/o Westminster
Bank Ltd, 84 Kensington High St., London W.8, date stamped
by the London County Council on September 12, 1954.
The London C. C. road taxes for 1955 to December 31,
1959 are shown as paid by Mr. Roberts. It is interesting
to note that full-year road taxes were paid through
1956. Starting in 1957, payment of the road tax was
made quarterly. The last recorded payment on October
12, 1959 for road tax through December 31, 1959. It
is a fair assumption that YM5044 was taken off the road
starting on or about January 1, 1960.
As an aside, Tim Houlding advises that the Ministry
of Transport caused the owners of cars to have their
vehicles inspected annually commencing in the early
1960’s. Many older cars were taken off the road
by their owners as they had no chance of passing technical
scrutiny. It was not uncommon that cars were simply
scrapped as the expense of bringing them up to scratch
was simply prohibitive. Perhaps this applied to YM5044
and contributed in whole or in part to its being taken
off the road.
There is a final change on the duplicate log book showing
an address change for Mr. Roberts to 5 Queens Road,
Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LX. It is signed by Mr.
Roberts but is not date stamped. In light of the assumption
that TM5044 was taken off the road as of 1960, the car
remained in storage in the ownership of Mr. Roberts
for 44 years. The log book’s data questions the
37-year storage that has been mentioned in the Christies
catalogue and the articles in The Automobile
and Octane.
The factory records in club archives contain few entries,
ending in 1937. All of the entries relate to the factory
sending parts to various garages in 1934, 1935, 1936
and 1937. The car was laid up during WWII and, in fact,
was stored in the basement of Jack Barclay’s palatial
showrooms in central London.
Early on, Mr. Roberts entered YM5044 in numerous automobile
competitions. They were organized by the BDC and the
VSCC. These included the Firle Hill Climb at Eastbourne,
BDC events at Silverstone and the Brighton Speed Trials.
Although comparative records do not exit, this has to
be one of the few 13‘ 8 litre cars with a competition
history.</s> | 12,533 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
In December 1919 the first complete
Bentley, Experimental No. 1, underwent a road test in
the hands of Sammy Davis of The Autocar, whose report
was published in January 1920. During 1920 and 1921,
as a result of continuing testing and competition work
in sprints, hill climbs and racing on Brooklands, the
development of the 3 Litre proceeded. By September 1921,
when the first production model was delivered to its
owner, the 3 Litre Bentley looked much as we know it
today. Continued...</s> | 12,534 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
~~</s> | 12,535 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
There were now two cars disputing the
same identity, and one — the special — sporting
a highly non-Bentley chassis number! Enter Houlding,
magnifying glass to the fore. He admits the case had
him baffled. "There was no doubt the special had
been built on a genuine short chassis as there was no
trace of 'cut and shut'. However, I could not find a
correct number anywhere on it." In this instance
a screwdriver would have served better than the lens.
A deck board above the front chassis crossmember was
eventually lifted and there, at last, was numerical
proof positive. From there on it was comparatively easy
to match original registrations to chassis.</s> | 12,536 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
MIDCOAST — The North American
Vintage Bentley Meet kicked off May 18 at the Owls Head
Transportation Museum. Around 30 vintage Bentley cars,
ranging from 1921 to a more modern 2014 model, adorned
the tarmac at the museum while club members toured the
museum and eventually took turns in a driving skills
test. This was the starting point for the club’s
North American Tour and they were to continue to roam
around New England from here.
The members of the club began their visit at the Samoset
Resort in Rockport, and toured the area around Rockland,
Port Clyde and the Marshal Point Lighthouse before returning
to Owls Head and the museum. They then headed to Hope,
where they met with Andy Swift and toured his antique
fire engine restoration business, Firefly Restorations,
before hitting the road for a drive to Mount Desert
Island and a stop in Bar Harbor.
Vintage Bentley automobiles are some of the most prestigious
cars in the world. Bentley cars at the meet were brought
in from California, Arizona, Missouri, Texas and New
York. Though not driven to Owls Head, the cars were
shipped in and driven around the area.</s> | 12,537 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Research has revealed that the Times
reporter was Maynard Greville, a much respected commentator.
These two articles again reveal the contemporary perception
of the car, namely that it was the same car that had
raced in 1929 and 1930 and again in 1931 and for the
last time in 1932.</s> | 12,538 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
It was agreed at
the end of the meeting that Mrs Brewer would buy
the car for �425,000 subject to financing being
arranged through Mr Neil Hardiman, the Stoke Park
Finance Ltd's representative that Mr Mann had introduced
them to.</s> | 12,539 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Even so, he appeared satisfied that
the car found a good home. "My understanding is
that the family that bought it are enthusiastic Bentlists,
so it's just as likely that the car will remain in their
collection for decades. In any case, I hope they drive
it, as that is what it is all about."</s> | 12,540 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Crossed the Yukon river towards Alaska
by ferry. Dawson City has a levy because this time of
year the ice floating down the river can cause blockages
and floods. In the winter they drill a hole into the
rivers ice and pump water out to build an ice bridge
across the Yukon. Depending on the thickness of the
ice even trucks can cross. Stopped at the top of the
world golf course, the most northerly course in the
world and bought a cap. Entered the northern tundra
landscape in thick fog and rain. Temperature 8 Centigrade
with snow on the side of the road. Crossed the boarder
at Poker Creek, elevation 4400 ft, the most northerly
landpost. Stopped in a town called Chicken for chicken
soup and used the facilities labeled "Chicken Poop"
on the way to Tok. The road is now very bumpy from the
frost damage. The trees are spindly and not very tall,
a huge wildfire destroyed the forest in 1994. We have
not seen a single animal today.</s> | 12,541 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Type 'A' and type 'D' gearaboxes have
similar ratios, but the 'D' type gears are more massive
and are on splines not keys. Also the 'D' box is about
twice as heavy as an 'A' box. One can improve the latter
by having new gears manufactured on splined shafts.
Some of the very fast 3 / 4½ litre cars are thus
equipped.</s> | 12,542 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Contracts.
The sale of the car was in fact undertaken by
four separate but inter-related contracts. These
were:
(1) A contract between SMRL and Mrs Brewer whereby
she provided a sum of �40,000 to cover the deposit
payable to SMRL when it sold the car for �430,000.
This deposit was not covered by the sum being advanced
by Fortis to enable it to buy the car and let it
on to Mrs Brewer since Fortis had contracted to
bail it on hire purchase terms to Mrs Brewer for
the repayment of the lesser sum of �390,000 and
financing charges on that lesser sum. The contract
was entered into on 5 June 2007 when Mrs Brewer
arranged for the transfer of the deposit from her
account to SMRL's account pursuant to SMRL's invoice
dated 30 May 2007. This contract was, therefore,
a contract which was both subject to and subordinate
to the contract of sale to Fortis. It was, in summary,
a contract which was evidenced by SMRL's invoice
to Mrs Brewer dated 30 May 2007 that was subject
to an implied term that the car conformed to the
description as set out in SMRL's invoice to Fortis.
(2) A contract between SMRL and Fortis whereby SMRL
sold the car to Fortis for �430,000 (the sum being
lent to, plus the deposit paid by, Mrs Brewer).
The contract was made on or about 6 June 2007 when
Fortis transferred �390,000 to SMRL pursuant to
SMRL's invoice of 30 May 2007.
(3) The hire purchase agreement entered into between
Mrs Brewer and Fortis. This agreement was entered
into by Mr Mann filling out Fortis's blank standard
conditions form by adding his description of the
car using his words "1930 Speed Six Bentley Car",
passing the completed form to Mr Hardiman who gave
it to Mrs Brewer to sign and who himself then forwarded
the signed form to Fortis on about 6 June 2007.
Fortis subsequently countersigned that agreement
and sent a copy to Mrs Brewer on 3 July 2007.
(4) The contract for the sale of the car by Mr James
to SMRL which was entered into when Mr Mann forwarded
�325,000 from SMRL to Mr James on 8 June 2007 with
a purchase invoice in SMRL's name. This contract
replaced the contract or arrangement between Mr
Mann and Mr James that had been entered into in
December 2006 when Mr James bailed the car to Mr
Mann to enable him to arrange for its sale on behalf
of Mr James.</s> | 12,543 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Mr James left the
car with Mr Mann in December 2006. He did not sell
the car to Mr Mann at that stage. Instead they agreed
the price at �325,000 and they also agreed that
the car would be left with Mr Mann on a sale or
return basis and that the sale would only proceed
if and when Mr Mann sold it on. There was, therefore,
a conditional contract in place which required Mr
Mann to market the car and involved the contractual
bailment of the car to him whilst it was being marketed.
It followed that either party could terminate this
contract and the bailment at will prior to any sub-sale
being completed on giving the other party reasonable
notice. Apart from the price, this conditional contract
contained no other express or implied terms. This
contract had been entered into because Mr James
wanted to sell the car and he knew and respected
Mr Mann since he had bought the car from him in
its current condition many years previously and
had been very satisfied with it. He was obviously
confident that Mr Mann would achieve a sale which
would enable him to receive his agreed asking price.
Once the car had been left with Mr Mann, he undertook
some service work on it in February 2007 and then
started to market it.</s> | 12,544 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Proverbially there is many an untrue
word spoken in all seriousness, but when in 1930 The
Autocar described the then new 8-litre Bentley as "not
a sports model in any shape or form" the writer
could hardly be blamed for failing to foresee that a
track-rigged edition (re-styled the Barnato Hassan Special)
would later raise the Brooklands lap record to 142.6
m.p.h.. or that later still the same machine would become
one of the fastest sports cars on the roads of Britain.
Continued...</s> | 12,545 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Mrs. Diane Barnato-Walker is the daughter
of the late Captain Barnato. She was a surprise witness
and contacted the plaintiff's solicitors of her own
initiative when she read of this action in the newspapers.
She was born in 1918 and was 14 years old as the time
of the 1932 Brooklands crash. She was present at the
500 miles race and saw Clive Dunfee driving Old Number
One, as she put it , in what she called gray primer.
She was standing next to Jane Baxter, a celebrated actress
of the day, who was married to Clive Dunfee. She witnessed
the fatal accident.</s> | 12,546 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
After the rain day in Graaff Reinet
with museum visits we had a very busy day:
6.15 Roger gets up, does his business.
6.45 Kurt gets up and does his business, Roger
goes for breakfast.
7.15 Roger comes back and does some more business
and Kurt goes to breakfast.
8.15 Daily oil, water and tire check, loading
the car.
8.30 Assembly and line up of cars in front of
Dorsty Hotel for the tour photo shoot.
9.15 Photoshoot, Charles the professional photographer
wanted all the Bentley people in the picture and all
the local bystanders out which was quite a challenge.
9.30 Very cold morning two jackets required and
departure to the Valley of Desolation, spectacular views
of cathedral standstone formations, the rain just stopped
and the mist was lifting, perfect for a 20 min nature
walk.</s> | 12,547 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
"The front dash panel with the
instruments in was an Elm Board located in a Local Builders
yard. Didn't have tachometer fitted when I had it. The
body was finished in aluminium. Bonnet repaired, wings
repaired. Cellulosed in Black with red wheels. Completely
reassembled to a car able to move under its own power."
There were no seats either in the front or back of the
car, so it had to be driven by sitting on a box while
visiting the local coach trimmers. "The firm was
called J J Benson of Leigh On Sea Essex" says Roy,
"The company has now moved into the aviation business
operating from Southend on sea Airport."
"We had discussed with J. J. Benson, himself, the
finished trim to be fitted. As the car didn't have any
weather protection it was suggested that a leather substitute
vinyl was to be used... JJ Bensons manufactured the
complete set of seats, door panels, and floor covering.
Finished with a brass half round beading to finish the
top surrounds to the front and rear passenger area."
The services of some specialist repairers had also been
engaged along the way — the radiator was overhauled
by Northern Radiators in Leeds Yorkshire; the wheels
were sandblasted and fitted with new spokes to the original
hubs, by Carlton Forge in London; the lamps and bright
work were polished and plated by Borough Plating in
Southend; ML Magnetos' were repaired, rewired etc. fitted
with new rotors by Eastwood Auto Electrical; all engine
parts, water pump, water jackets, gaskets, various brackets
etc were supplied by Southgate Motors in London whose
workshop was full of W.O.'s cars; the button in the
middle of the differential was fashioned by a Hungarian
engineer (this engineer, Roy recalls "had defected
from Hungary when the Russians invaded; he escaped and
took up residence in England").
And to apply the final 'finish', the car was given a
tonneau cover for the front and rear. Needless to say,
the restoration was immaculate to the last detail. And
the value of this 1924 3-litre had risen considerably
from £700.</s> | 12,548 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
The next day we spent in Bath and
were received by the mayor in the city park, followed
by a lunch in the County Club. The mayor, the President
of the County Club (a retired Air Marshall), the vicar
and the organist joined as well and they all gave speeches,
quite an affair! In the afternoon we took a guided tour
through this beautiful city. The Romans built a settlement
around the thermal springs here some 2000 years ago
and a vast complex of baths was constructed, defining
its spot in history. They are fuelled by mineral springs,
outputting over a million litres of hot water each day.
It was also a prosperous city during the medieval period,
the site of an Abbey and Cathedral, and during the Georgian
period the city was laid out with stately avenues, streets
and crescents, massive structures were built which still
exist today - extremely impressive. The nobles came
here in the 19th century to heal and relax with their
wives (or mistresses!). Beautiful parks and botanical
gardens were conceived for relaxation, today they are
ideal for picnics but local by-laws prevent the drinking
of alcohol outdoors, (however topless bathing, I was
told, is frowned upon but not illegal - get our priorities
right!). Jane Austin also knew Bath as a thriving spa
resort and lived here from 1801-1806; she set two of
her novels in Bath. During World War 2 the city suffered
a significant amount of damage during air raids. The
prestigious crescents and terraces were relatively unscathed
and later restored but large sections of more minor
Georgian and Victorian areas were demolished and replaced
by modern buildings, which now look out of place. The
town centre is mostly traffic free with lots of coffee
houses to sit outside, lots of young people roaming
around as Bath is also a University town. So we did
find the English summer after all - it lasted two days!
Our next stop was Torquay where the Atlantic ocean and
the English channel meet. Lost the starter motor. When
we arrived in the Hotel parking lot in Torquay I took
the starter motor out and saw that one of the bolts
holding the spring on the Bendix shaft in place was
sheared off. An Australian colleague had a spare set
and this was fitted with the help of our Belgium friends.
Two hours later the car was starting again with the
replacement unit. Collateral damage included minor burns
and a blue finger nail trying to refit the five pound
starter motor. The Australian colleague wants the spare
kit back, so I ordered a unit from my mechanic which
hopefully will arrive tomorrow. Then we have to replace
it again, by that time I will be an expert in replacing
starter motors. Luckily we were able to meet up with
great-niece Natasha and boyfriend Richard after worries
that we weren't going to make it in time.
Torquay lies on the "English Riviera", the
waterfront is the focus of life in the town with a lively
harbour and palm tree-lined promenade, giving it a Mediterranean
feel. From a background of pirates, smugglers and honest
fishermen, the town developed into a fashionable haven
for tourists. Beacon Quay, now a bustling tourist haunt,
was developed on the site of World War 2 slipways. Agatha
Christie enjoyed bathing at Beacon Cove which became
one of the original "ladies' beaches". And
an eccentric hotel proprietor was the inspiration for
John Cleese to create Basil Fawlty and Fawlty Towers
when he and the Python team stayed at a Torquay hotel.
We had very nice rooms overlooking the water. As today
is a free day we set out to find a quiet spot to enjoy
a lunch of english fish and chips. We landed in nearby
Dartmouth, set on the banks of the estuary of the river
Dart. It was of strategic importance as a deep water
port for sailing vessels. It was used as the sailing
point for the Crusades of 1147 and 1190 and was a home
of the Royal Navy during the reign of Edward the third
and was twice surprised and sacked during the 100 years'
war, after which the mouth of the estuary was closed
every night with a great chain. The pilgrim fathers
put into Dartmouth en-route from Southampton to America.
They rested a while before setting off on their journey
to America in the Mayflower and the Speedwell on 20
August 1620. About 300 miles west of Land's End they
realized the Speedwell was unseaworthy and returned
to Plymouth. The Mayflower departed alone to complete
the crossing to Cape Cod. In the latter days of World
War 2 the town was a base for American forces and one
of the departure points for Utah Beach in the D-day
landings.
We returned to our Torquay hotel for dinner, which was
a fun affair with magicians and card sharks entertaining
us. A very relaxed atmosphere which we thoroughly enjoyed
after a busy day of sight-seeing. Tomorrow we set out
for the New Forest and our next adventure...</s> | 12,549 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
Barnato clearly had a weakness for
the fair sex, his affair with June, the actress, led
to the divorce from Diana's mother. He remarried in
1932 to Jacqueline Queagly of San Francisco, the daughter
of a Californian coal magnate. They were divorced in
1940.
WO wrote in his autobiography that on the 11th July,
when the Times newspaper broke the news about Bentleys
going into receivership, Barnato was in America engrossed
in Business and personal matters (WO was hinting at
something here). Others have said that Barnato was pursuing
an American lady at that time. We now know that he was
actually in the UK on this date, but what I'm leading
up to is possibly the real reason for Barnato's haste
to get rid of Bentleys.
As we know, Barnato never raced after his victory at
Le Mans. Even if the Bentley cars were no longer competetive,
with his wealth he could afford to buy any car that
he wanted and continue racing after the liquidation,
but he didn't. Barnato still toyed with the idea of
racing by having Wally Hassan rebuild Old No One with
an eight litre engine and construct the Barnato Hassan
single seater racing car built from Bentley parts, but
he never raced it himself. By doing this, Barnato showed
that he still wanted to race but was prevented from
doing so for some reason.
In Wally Hassan´s autobiography "Climax In
Coventry" he devotes a chapter to his employment
with Barnato. Several very interesting points emerge,
Hassan tells of being summoned to Ardenrun by Barnato
just after the sale of Bentley to RR, and being offered
a job looking after Barnato's cars. During the conversation,
Barnato mentions that although he was no longer chairman
of Bentley Motors, he was still on the board of directors
of RR (This was in 1931 and contradicts the accepted
date of Barnato's directorship of RR).
Hassan also confirms that Barnato was still rich and
mentions the polished brass nameplates of Barnato's
companies adorning both sides of his London office door.
He also tells of Barnato obtaining an eight litre engine
from RR to put into Old No. One, which shows that Barnato
must have had some considerable influence at RR. Another
anomaly is that when Barnato called Hassan to his office
in 1936 and gently let him go by offering to use his
influence to get Hassan a position at RR, one of the
reasons Barnato gave to Hassan for this decision was
that he had not raced since the death of Clive Dunfee
at Brooklands whilst driving Old No One in the BRDC
500 mile race on 24th September 1932.
Actually Barnato had not raced since Le Mans 1930 and
used other drivers to drive his racing cars although
Hassan does mention that Barnato did some test driving.
Usually people give up racing for reasons such as an
accident or decrease of competitiveness, this did not
apply to Barnato, he was a superb driver in his prime.
That is why I suspect that the reason he gave up racing
and Bentley Motors was because of a promise to somebody,
possibly a woman.
One should never underestimate the power of a woman
over a testosterone driven man. History is littered
with examples of powerful men that were putty in the
hands of a beautiful woman.
My theory is that Barnato was smitten with Jacqueline
Queagly who was a mormon and wanted to marry her, which
he did in 1932, and that she would only agree if he
gave up racing. In order to prove this to her he planned
to get rid of Bentley Motors as quickly as possible,
this would explain his haste. After all, Bentley Motors
was probably only a small part of his portfolio, and
had outlived its usefulness to him.
In his statement to the press Barnato gives financial
reasons for letting Bentley Motors go into receivership.
Put yourself in his place, being a tough guy, the last
thing you would want the public to think, would be that
you were doing all this this just to win a wife. Better
the financial reason (which most people consider to
be untrue). I don't think that Barnato originally intended
that Bentley Motors be killed off, but once started,
the sequence of events led up to this happening.
Perhaps there is someone out there who can confirm this
theory, but just think about it if it were true, what
an irony, Bentley Motors killed off for the sake of
a woman.</s> | 12,550 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
The immediate subject is 3-litre Bentley,
and it is introduced on this occasion by A. F. Rivers
Fletcher, who at one time was with the original Bentley
Company. He writes of a late example of 3-litre belonging
to a disabled enthusiast, Brian Ashworth...
Continued...</s> | 12,551 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
If the Vauxhall Prince Henry was the
first British sports car, the one which most readily
springs to mind at the words "vintage sports car"
is the Bentley, and particularly the 3-litre. Yet when
the Bentley was announced in May 1919, there was no
car in existence, nor would there be for several months.
Walter Owen Bentley, or W.O. as he was always known,
had come up with the design after working on locomotives
and aero engines, as well as selling French DFP cars.
As an illustration, he used a drawing by the Autocar
artist, F. Gordon Crosby He described to Crosby the
car he had in mind and then gave him a free hand. The
winged B emblem and famous pointed radiator were Crosby's,
the rad a modified form of the DFP's which became more
rounded in the Bentlevs. Continued...</s> | 12,552 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
Today we experienced temperature swings
of 40-80-50 degrees. Left Vail around 8am heading thru
Glenwood Canyon and over McClure Pass into Paonia for
lunch, southwest of the state. It was around 40 degrees
in Vail and sunny, so we headed out early morning thru
the picturesque Glenwwood Canyon.
Our first pass of the tour took us over McClure Pass
into an agricultural valley where lunch was served in
the small town of Paonia, 400 inhabitants. The ladies
of Paonia made all the food...homemade cooking and lovely
desserts, brownies, peach cobbler, etc. The kids had
a day off school and helped with the serving, a very
friendly lot. Locals, some with their old cars, came
out in droves to admire the cars in 80 degree weather.
Each town hosting lunch along the Colorado Grand route
receives generous financial support from the organization
for a community project and a $5000 college scholarship
for a local graduating high-school senior. So the organization
is always very welcome by the locals inhabitants.
After lunch we headed towards Grand Junction over the
Grand Mesa, climbing from 5000 ft to 10.000 ft. Had
to stop on the top to put a jacket back on as it cooled
down to 50 degrees. 20 miles before Grand junction we
hit heavy rain on the I-70, no exits, so we had to drive
on in shorts and got very wet! Had to change drivers
on the fly as Derek's glasses and googles were fogged
up. By the time we were in Grand Junction arriving in
the parking lot the sun was out again and we started
to dry up. All part of the fun!</s> | 12,553 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
"The front dash panel with the
instruments in was an Elm Board located in a Local Builders
yard. Didn't have tachometer fitted when I had it. The
body was finished in aluminium. Bonnet repaired, wings
repaired. Cellulosed in Black with red wheels. Completely
reassembled to a car able to move under its own power."
There were no seats either in the front or back of the
car, so it had to be driven by sitting on a box while
visiting the local coach trimmers. "The firm was
called J J Benson of Leigh On Sea Essex" says Roy,
"The company has now moved into the aviation business
operating from Southend on sea Airport."
"We had discussed with J. J. Benson, himself, the
finished trim to be fitted. As the car didn't have any
weather protection it was suggested that a leather substitute
vinyl was to be used... JJ Bensons manufactured the
complete set of seats, door panels, and floor covering.
Finished with a brass half round beading to finish the
top surrounds to the front and rear passenger area."
The services of some specialist repairers had also been
engaged along the way — the radiator was overhauled
by Northern Radiators in Leeds Yorkshire; the wheels
were sandblasted and fitted with new spokes to the original
hubs, by Carlton Forge in London; the lamps and bright
work were polished and plated by Borough Plating in
Southend; ML Magnetos' were repaired, rewired etc. fitted
with new rotors by Eastwood Auto Electrical; all engine
parts, water pump, water jackets, gaskets, various brackets
etc were supplied by Southgate Motors in London whose
workshop was full of W.O.'s cars; the button in the
middle of the differential was fashioned by a Hungarian
engineer (this engineer, Roy recalls "had defected
from Hungary when the Russians invaded; he escaped and
took up residence in England").
And to apply the final 'finish', the car was given a
tonneau cover for the front and rear. Needless to say,
the restoration was immaculate to the last detail. And
the value of this 1924 3-litre had risen considerably
from £700.</s> | 12,554 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
The notes upon this car that follow
are not in the more usual form from an actual owner,
he being a person unknown at the moment. They come from
A. F. Rivers Fletcher, who, as he described in an article
published some time ago in The Autocar, was with the
old Bentley firm during the racing era. He was fortunate
enough to encounter the Speed Six which that redoubtable
pair of "Bentley Boys", Woolf Barnato and
Glen Kidston, drove to victory in the 1930 Le Mans 24-hour
race. Continued...</s> | 12,555 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
The car's various
numbers are as follows:
Registration Number: PG6345
Chassis Number: SB2770
Original Engine Number: NH2732
Current Engine Number: WK2671
The car's registration number was de-registered
at some stage prior to 1981 and was re-registered
in that year after Mr Mann had satisfied the DVLC
that it had the same chassis number as the car that
had originally been registered with that number.</s> | 12,556 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
The 1930 Bentley Mayfair Coupe's 8-liter
engine, capable of 100 mph, was designed to knock Rolls-Royce
off its pedestal.
Introduced at the London Motor Show in 1930, the Bentley
8-liter made an immediate impact. While the engine was
an extension of the successful 6.5-liter engine that
powered Bentleys to numerous race victories, the 8-liter
was intended to knock Rolls-Royce from its pedestal.
The 8-liter was capable of 100 mph fitted with formal
coachwork, while the Rolls-Royce had difficulty attaining
90 mph. It also impressed the automotive scribes of
the era, with the Sphere of 1931 describing the new
8-liter as "one of the finest examples of British
Automobile Engineering that has ever been produced,"
while Autocar recounted a 1930 road test in glowing
terms.
Unfortunately, the 8-liter was launched in the teeth
of the Great Depression and Bentley's chief financier,
the great Woolf Barnato, cut his losses and withdrew.
After only 100 8-liters were built, Bentley ceased production.
The majority of 8-liters were fitted with formal, heavy,
four-door saloon or limousine coachwork, so it is rare
to find one built to the very sporting specification
exhibited by YX5124. This short-chassis example is a
very handsome two-door fixed-head coupe by the Mayfair
Carriage Company, which was an important coachbuilder
in the 1930s.
Chronicled as the second-to-last 8-liter built, YX5124
has complete history from new. One of only three 8-liter
short-chassis fixed-head coupes, its value is enhanced
by the fact that one of the three is still locked away
in India. YX5124 was first delivered to C.G. Hayward.
Its next owner was H.J. Thomas, who was director of
the Bristol Aeroplane Company. While in his ownership,
the 21-inch wheels were replaced with 19-inch wheels
and the fenders and running boards altered to incorporate
tool boxes. The Bentley was mothballed during WWII,
then found its way to Royal Navy war hero Captain G.C.
Blundell in 1957.
Blundell had bought his first Bentley as a junior officer
in the 1930s and remained true to the marque until his
death at age 93 in 1997. Most impressively, the 8-liter
remained in his ownership until 1983, when it was purchased
by a collector. He immediately commissioned a complete
rebuild by a W.O. Bentley specialist restorer in the
U.K.
The Bentley was painstakingly restored to its original
configuration, the bodywork preserved and all mechanical
components overhauled. The fenders, running boards,
and wheels were all returned to their correct form and
a photographic record of the work is included.
The Bentley retains its original engine and body and
is equipped with a full tool kit and log books dating
from 1945. The 8-liter has been expertly maintained
and extensively exercised, covering in excess of 250,000
miles during its lifetime.
While no longer a 100-point restoration, it remains
in outstanding condition. The green leather interior
shows minimal wear. Woodwork remains in excellent shape,
as do the gauges and headliner. The engine and bay are
indicative of a well-maintained car.
The Bentley's exterior brightwork is impressive and
shows only minor flaws, while the paintwork is striking,
in British Racing Green and black. When fully opened,
the sliding sunroof offers both driver and passenger
the benefits of open air motoring with convenient closed
comfort. It is a feature unique to this Bentley.
With its exceptional provenance, wonderful condition,
and rare production, this 8-liter short-chassis fixed-head
coupe is a handsome representative of Bentley's most
masterful creations.
The SCM Analysis
This car sold for $962,500 at the RM auction at Amelia
Island, Florida, on March 10, 2007.
The final bid may have been a disappointment to the
seller, but it's close to RM's estimate, and SCM Senior
Auction Analyst Dave Kinney thought it was (like Goldilocks's
third bowl of porridge) "just right."
This car shows honest, normal wear, correct maintenance,
and best of all, a soulful patina. I would rate it a
solid #2, and in my opinion, this car represented strong
value for the amount it cost. To find a vintage Bentley
with its original engine and original body still in
place is very rare indeed… and it's an 8-liter
Bentley-the last and greatest Bentley of them all.
This particular car appears to be a one-off, and it
was the second-to-last produced by W. O. Bentley's motor
car company. Shortly after this car was built, Rolls-Royce
bought Bentley out of receivership (foiling W.O.'s plan
to sell to Napier and keep going) and Bentley himself
joined Lagonda. Though respectable Bentley-badged cars
continued to be produced by Rolls-Royce in Derby, as
"The Silent Sports Car," there would never
be another W. O. Bentley.
Speeds in excess of 100 mph
Mayfair bodied two 8-liter Bentleys. This fixed-head
coupe would have been lighter than most, and therefore
much faster, able to sustain speeds in excess of 100
mph.
Regardless of expense, no detail was overlooked in these
cars. For example, the exhaust pipe was asbestos lagged,
encased in aluminum to reduce resonance, then coupled
with a 20-gallon trash can-sized silencer. The resulting
exhaust note is bliss to the Bentley faithful.
The starter was designed to engage with surgical precision
via a unique solenoid design. It meshes with the flywheel
before rotation begins. The above are just two of dozens
of examples that distinguish a Bentley from its contemporaries.
The cars were engineered to the highest standards.
Some car collectors have ignored vintage Bentleys, dismissing
them as too agricultural or too bulky. But except for
1931's quirky 4-liter Bentley, they are nimble and responsive.
With the growing popularity of new Bentleys like the
Continental GT, accompanied by advertising campaigns
reminding us of Bentley's rich racing heritage, a wider
circle of collectors are starting to become aware of
these rolling pieces of automotive history.
However, few pre-war marques suffered as many coachwork
and engine swaps as the W. O. Bentley cars. The majority
of 8-liter Bentleys were originally fitted with formal
closed bodies that were eventually tossed aside and
replaced with more sporting, open tourers. Sadly, many
of these replacement bodies are hideous hulks.
The practice of replacing "Aunt Emily" saloon
and limousine bodies started in the 1930s, when car
owners began to move from the back seat to the front.
They no longer wanted to be chauffeur-driven; they wanted
to feel the wind in their faces. So a vintage Bentley
that has retained its original body-especially an elegant
closed design like this one-will always merit a premium
price over one with an ungainly replacement.
Records available from new
Complete records of these cars from new are available,
and it's relatively easy to determine which cars are
authentic. As values increase, genuine examples will
lead the way. That includes this well-maintained car
with its original body and original engine.
You may have missed this one, but another is sure to
appear. So during the interim, do your homework. For
example, is the original engine still in the car? With
very few exceptions, the engine number is the same as
the chassis number. With this car, the engine number
is one number up from the chassis number, but we know
it's the original, thanks to the late Stanley Sedgwick's
booklet All the Pre-War Bentleys-As New. It lists all
of these cars by chassis number, engine number, British
registration number (license number), delivery date,
coachbuilder and body type, and the original owner's
name.
Once you learn a bit more about vintage Bentleys, you'll
want to talk to other Bentley owners. You'll find them
to be very opinionated. One will swear that his 3-liter
Speed Model is the one to have. Another will argue that
only the 6 1/2- and 8-liter are worth owning.
Meet as many owners as you can and beg for rides in
cars in your price range. Maybe, someone may even allow
you to drive his. In the end, buy the one that makes
you smile the most.</s> | 12,557 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Of the 665 4½ liter cars manufactured
by Bentley Motors, only one had a body built by Thrupp
& Maberly. It is chassis number MR3390, engine number
MR3393.
The original purchaser, W. M. Wallace, Jr., then residing
at Stirling, Scotland ordered the 10’ 10½”
chassis with 15/53 diff. and “C” gearbox.
It was also equipped with the Tecalamit one-shot lubrication
system fitted by the factory. The centralized lubrication
system was a highly unusual feature on a 4½ liter
chassis, it being more commonly supplied with the 8
liter chassis. The open sports tourer body created by
Thrupp & Maberly (body no. 5187) is unique to this
car. The original UK registration mark was MS34.</s> | 12,558 |
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