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<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
The four-cylinder three-litre was built
primarily as a sports model. In course of time it has
attained a considerable vogue as a fast and reliable
touring car with an almost endless life, the original
sports model being retained as a separate type of chassis,
and it will interest all owners and prospective owners
of the three-litre models to know that this chassis
will be continued absolutely unaltered, and is not in
any way superseded by the new six-cylinder. Continued...</s> | 1,959 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
The three-litre Bentley chassis has
the distinction of having won its way in a remarkably
short period of time, being first produced so recently
as 1921. This has largely been due to its successes
in various sporting events, culminating in the winning
of the Rudge-Whitworth Cup in the Grand Prix d'Endurance
in Juno last year. For some time there have been two
types of three-litre chassis produced, known as the
" Long-wheelbase Model " and the "Short-wheelbase
Speed Model " respectively; it is the latter which
we were recently able to test on the road. Continued...</s> | 1,960 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
Few things are more interesting than
the gradual development of a car, and few cars have
developed in a more interesting manner than has the
three-litre Bentley… Originally, this car was the
sporting car par excellence; a machine built to give
a high performance and designed to be handled by the
enthusiast from whom skilful driving might be expected.
The car has been available to motorists for, relatively,
a few years. During that time it has established a very
high reputation, and at the same lime development has
resulted in a transformation of the machine from the
sporting car to what can be termed in comparison a genuine
touring car. True, the sports or short chassis has an
even higher performance than hitherto, but its manufacture
forms a small proportion of the total energy devoted
to Bentley cars, and the main production is centred
in the long, or touring, chassis. Continued...</s> | 1,961 |
<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> | 1,962 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
With a thrilling roar and the clash
of Bendix pinions 41 self-starters come to use, and
40 engines spring to life. All, that is, with the exception
of poor Montier's wonderfully speeded-up Ford, which
splutters and bangs and will not start until half a
dozen depressions of the starter button, when he rushes
gamely off in the rear of the procession... Duff on
the other hand, pulls his hood, secures in like lightning
to the screen pillars and roars off in a babel of warm-heated
applause... Continued...</s> | 1,963 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Bentley Motors Ltd., decided not to
supply front wheel brakes of any kind with their chassis
until they were satisfied that they had produced an
absolutely fool-proof system. Realizing the danger involved
by fitting types of an unperfected character, this concern
has spent a great deal of time and money in producing
a system that is (a) perfectly safe in the hands of
the ordinary driver at the wheel of a fast car; and
(b) long-lived and easy to adjust. Continued...</s> | 1,964 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
When the three-litre Bentley was first
put on the British market, some three years ago, its
sponsors stated that the car had been designed as a
sports model, capable of good performances on the road.
In its layout were incorporated several features that
were the.outcome of experience gained in building high-efficiency
aeroplane engines, and the way in which this car has
gained considerable popularity among motorists of all
classes has given the lie direct to those who considered
that an engine incorporating such features as four valves
per cylinder, dual magneto ignition, and other features
usually connected with racing types pur et simple,
would not be successful. Continued...</s> | 1,965 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
There is probably no car coming under
the category of a real postwar production that has built
up for itself a finer reputation than that possessed
by the three-lilre Bentley today. The success of this
car at Indianapolis, its performance in the Tourist
Trophy Race, and the way in which a standard four-seater,
driven by Capt. G, F. Duff, broke the double-twelve-hour
record at Brooklands at over 85 m.p.h. average speed,
are fitting counterparts to the success that has been
achieved by this car in the hands of owner-drivers.
Continued...</s> | 1,966 |
<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> | 1,967 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
As already announced in the Autocar
of April 22nd, a three-litre Bentley car is to compete
in the 500 Miles Race at Indianapolis on May 30th…
The Bentley is one of the few cars, which can be converted
into a racing car by altering only a few parts, such
as gear ratio, carburetter, and compression. An interesting
regulation for this race is that the two-litre cars
may have single-seater bodies, whereas the three-litre
machines must carry two. This is a considerable advantage
for the smaller cars. Continued...</s> | 1,968 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
If ever there was a paradox on four
wheels it is the three-litre Bentley. Originally designed
and subsequently described quite rightly as a sporting
model, it has all the characteristics of that type of
car, yet the effect of a trial run is to make one wonder
what exactly is the definition of a sporting car…
Many years ago a car which travelled only with difficulty
at under 30 m.p.h. on top gear, which was the proud
possessor of an inordinately flat spot in the lower
part of the carburetter range, which was exceptionally
noisy and rather difficult to handle, was considered,
fitted with a light and speedy looking body, to offer
every possibility which the word sport might imply. Continued...</s> | 1,969 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
The Bentley car illustrated is equipped
with a particularly fine example of the coachbuilder's
art. The body, which has been specially built by Charlesworth
Bodies. Ltd., of Coventry, is designed to provide the
most ample leg-room for a long-legged driver and to
combine this feature with the provision of a dickey
seat in which leg-room is also an important consideration. Continued...</s> | 1,970 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Since the announcement in The Autocar
of May 17th, 1919, that a Bentley car was to be produced,
over two years have rolled by. Motorists to whom the
chassis appealed especially have been wondering what
was happening, why no cars succeeded the original experimental
chassis, and, little by little, the rumour grew that
the Bentley never would be a production job…Within
a few weeks, the first car is to leave the works in
the hands of its owner, and there will follow a steady
output of five cars a week, the price per chassis being
£1,050. These facts alone are the firm's answer
to its critics, but one may be forgiven for dwelling
a little on the difficulties which have had lo be overcome
during the past in order to reach the production stage
of this attractive sporting chassis. Continued...</s> | 1,971 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
A British super-efficient sporting
car, the engine of which is designed to keep its "tune"
in the hands of the average owner. The chassis stands
alone in its class as a car designed to give that peculiar
and almost perfect combination of tractabilitv and great
speed usually to be found on machines built for racing
and for racing only. Essentially a light chassis with
a very powerful engine, the car is nevertheless suitable
for the average motorist who has not the time to maintain
an engine in perfect tune, the whole point of the design
being that the engine will do its work easily without
the need of constant attention to tappet clearance or
other minor adjustments. True, in the hands of the motoring
enthusiast who has mechanical ability and is able to
obtain the last ounce of power from the engine, the
car should well repay attention and care spent upon
it, but the great majority prefer a car which will do
its work year in and year out without trouble, and for
such is the Bentley designed. Continued...</s> | 1,972 |
<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> | 1,973 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
The query as to which is the fastest
sports car in the world, using as a definition a model
which can be run in. say, the T.T. or the Le Mans races,
and yet prove tractable in daily use, opens up an interesting
topic for debate. There are many Continental cars which
could lay claim to the honour, and at least one of them,
shown at Earls Court, was reputed to have a maximum
speed of 140 m.p.h… We have, of course, no British
car in production which will approach this speed but,
on the basis of a measured performance both at Brooklands
and in numerous speed trials, we have one vehicle which
seems capable of worthily upholding our honour. It is
something of a solemn thought to realise that it is
an eight-year-old design. We refer, of course, to Mr.
Forrest Lycett's famous 8-litre sports Bentley. Continued...</s> | 1,974 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
According to legend the Goodman Bentley
was conceived about 200 metres from the summit of Danseys
Pass-a remote and little used short cut to Central Otago
from the north — on Saturday, June 4th, 1960. The
South Canterbury Branch's Queen's Birthday Tour was
en route to an overnight stop at Alexandra and the Goodman
lads, Brian, then aged 20 and Barry, aged 17 struggled
up the long winding pass in their Model T Tudor, they
each having to put a foot hard down on the low gear
pedal. Suddenly with the blare of a horn and a shower
of shingle Don Oddie bellowed past in his 4 1/2 litre
Bentley, and as he disappeared over the summit Barry
was heard to mutter "One day I will own a car like
that!" Continued...</s> | 1,975 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
…The route took us over Danseys
Pass and whilst making our slow and labourious way up
(with both feet pushed hard onto the low gear pedal)
we were passed by Don Oddie in his early 4 1/2 Bentley.
That did it. Barry swore that one day he would have
a car like that. I also agreed that it was very nice
but later bought a small continental vintage car and
thought that that was the end of my plans to one day
own a Bentley. The 3-litre story really starts after
the 1st Bentley Alpine rally when Barry arrived home
and stated that he intended to build up a 3-litre…
Continued...</s> | 1,976 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
I have used Mobil 1 synthetic
oil in all my cars since it was first introduced
and have had exceptional success with the product.
After having noticed glowing endorsements from
many manufactures, such as Porsche who recommends
only Mobil 1, I thought, "Why not collector
cars, too?" It is not cheap, but if oil needs
to be replaced only once a year that would be
an excellent advantage for our low mileage cars.
I explained our concerns and requirements to the
Mobil 1 manufacturers and they replied —
not with a form letter, but with a detailed report
addressing my exact questions. I am impressed
and will be using Mobil 1 in my 3 Litre.</s> | 1,977 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Robert C. McLellan</s> | 1,978 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
"Collector" cars of all makes
and models bring to mind one thing equally as much as
the rare, decades-old car itself — meticulous and
thorough care by an adoring owner. (In this story, "collector"
cars refer to those built before 1985.) No matter if
it's a 1925 Vintage Bentley, a 1932 Flathead Ford, a
1950 Jaguar XK120 or a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado, these
car owners spend countless hours ensuring the exterior
is waxed, the interior is kept fresh, the tires are
properly pressurized and the engine clean and lubricated.
Meticulous care ensures that a decades-old car will
last for decades to come. When caring for their vehicles,
however, collector car owners face a very unique set
of circumstances, and one of the questions every adoring
owner asks is, "What oil should I put into my engine?"
According to Kevin Chinn, ExxonMobil Lubricants &
Specialties Global Technical Advisor, Mobil 1 should
be at the top of the list for many collector car owners.
"These cars are used in a variety of ways from
tours, to concours, to racing, so collector car owners
and their vehicles may be facing many different situations,"
explained Chinn.
To one extreme, for example, proper engine lubrication
can be a challenge when a car is not only decades old,
but rarely driven. "With collector cars, drivers
may be heading to events or tours and be out for short
distances at slow speeds, as opposed to long-distance,
highway driving, so the oil basically doesn't have a
chance to get very hot," he explained. "At
such low temperatures, the oil simply doesn't heat up
enough to burn off water condensation or unburned fuel."
So, importantly for collector car owners, a synthetic
oil should have a strong additive system to help neutralize
contaminants such as acids resulting from water condensation
and unburned fuel that can lead to damaged engines.
"The other extreme could be a collector car rally
where the vehicles are raced and high oil temperatures
are to be expected," said Chinn. "In this
case, it is greater protection against wear and deposit
formation that a high-quality synthetic engine oil can
provide." In fact, even if not racing, it is probable
that a collector car will be subject to more stressful
conditions than originally intended, simply due to the
nature of modern driving, which can be very different
from the driving conditions of yesteryear (for example,
increasing volumes of traffic leading to more stop-and-start
driving).
Fully synthetic motor oils, like Mobil 1, contain high-performance
fluids and a system of additives to:
:: Reduce friction and minimize wear
:: Help keep engines clean
:: Prevent rust and corrosion
:: Maintain stable oil viscosity.
The
result is a lubricant that flows well at both hot and
cold temperatures, and in a wide range of engine conditions.
Hence, the advantages of a synthetic oil can be just
as important for a collector car as the advantages are
for a new car.
While ExxonMobil doesn't specifically test Mobil 1 with
collector cars, the company has conducted extreme field
trials that test oil in vehicles under low-mileage,
low-speed conditions, and also high-mileage, high-speed
conditions. According to Chinn, "Mobil 1 continually
demonstrates outstanding performance even in the most
extreme field trials we conduct."
With the benefits firmly established and with so many
options to choose from, what viscosity should collector
car owners use? "Typically, older vehicles were
designed with thicker oils in mind," said Chinn.
"Decades ago, the manufacturing was different.
Today, the manufacturing of engines is a very precise
science, and all of the parts fit together very snugly.
For older cars, the manufacturing tolerance was lower,
so there is generally more space between parts, and
higher-viscosity oil is often the better recommendation.
In addition, it is likely that higher viscosity grades
contain higher levels of anti-wear additives (as measured
by phosphorus content), which is better for some older
engine designs."
Chinn suggests Mobil 1 5W-50 or Mobil 1 15W-50 for the
majority of 1950s and newer collector cars, which typically
have a modern oil-system design. "These viscosity
grades should be easily available and good for essentially
any collector car from Bentleys to Fords to Chevys,"
said Chinn. "In fact, I have a colleague who uses
Mobil 1 15W-50 to help keep his 1931 Ford Model A in
pristine condition, another who relies on it to protect
his 1948 Chevrolet pick-up truck, and one who chooses
Mobil 1 0W-40 for his 1971 Mercedes 280SL."
For pre-50s cars, Chinn says that it is always worth
talking to experts in vehicle owners clubs to learn
from previous experience. "If an engine has been
cleaned and rebuilt, there should be no issues with
using a synthetic oil, as not only should the modern
base stocks and additives be compatible with all of
the engine materials, including seals, but also fully
compatible with any conventional oils that may have
been used previously," Chinn said. "However,
if the engine is worn or has not received regular oil
changes, the owner would be advised to run synthetic
oil initially for a few hundred miles before changing
the oil and filter to ensure that any existing dirt
which could initially be dislodged and removed does
not overload the filter."
While most manufacturers recommend changing oil after
several thousand miles, many collector car owners log
relatively few miles each year. What is the owner to
do? "We would recommend change intervals based
more on time than miles," explained Chinn. "As
with any vehicle, it is of course prudent to monitor
your oil level frequently and top-off as needed, but
if using Mobil 1, collector car owners could change
their synthetic oil as little as once per year. For
instance, use a fresh change of oil before you put your
car into winter storage, because when oil remains stagnant
and doesn't circulate, there is a chance for moisture
and acids to accumulate and subsequently damage the
engine."
No matter the make and model of collector car, a well-balanced
synthetic oil such as Mobil 1 can offer valuable benefits
under all driving conditions. "It should help your
decades-old car drive decades into the future,"
said Chinn.</s> | 1,979 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
There's nothing quite like reading
the auction results to deflate your hopes of ever owning
that collector car you've always longed for and thought
that maybe, somehow, if you leveraged yourself to the
brink of insolvency, you might just be able to afford
someday. Take the Bentley 4½ Liter, for example.
If you were watching the Gooding & Co. auction in
Monterey last August, you saw a 1931 4½ Liter
supercharged roadster sell for a jaw-dropping $4,510,000.
Goodbye, Bentley dreams, right? Continued...</s> | 1,980 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
There's nothing
quite like reading the auction results to deflate your
hopes of ever owning that collector car you've always
longed for and thought that maybe, somehow, if you leveraged
yourself to the brink of insolvency, you might just
be able to afford someday. Take the Bentley 4½
Liter, for example. If you were watching the Gooding
& Co. auction in Monterey last August, you saw a
1931 4½ Liter supercharged roadster sell for
a jaw-dropping $4,510,000. Goodbye, Bentley dreams,
right?
Well, yes, probably, though they're not sailing quite
as far out of reach as you might think. The $4.51 million
price paid was not for just any old 4½ Liter,
if there is such a thing, but for one of the 50 supercharged,
or "blower," Bentleys built by the factory.
Moreover, it was coveted as a highly original car, with
a boat-tail body by Gurney Nutting, and had been owned
by the late Ann Klein, the widow of a well-known British
collector, Bill Klein.
As over-the-top as the Gooding result is, its actual
effect is to make the run-of-the-mill 4½ Liter
— again, if there is any such thing — look
nearly affordable, even if its price tag could buy you
two or three nice houses. Though so few cars change
hands that it's hard to generalize, 4½ Liters
seem to be trading in the $400,000 to $500,000 range,
with prices going up to $1 million for the most coveted
examples.
The 4½ Liter — naturally, with a touring
body, and finished in green — has been a collector
car nearly as long as it's been in existence, and its
values have been rising slowly, but inexorably, for
decades. As an investment, this is old-money, blue-chip
territory, with no exhilarating price spikes, and no
heart-stopping plummets. "Values have steadily
been going up since Bentley Drivers Club came out in
1936," said Robert McLellan, owner of the McLellan's
Automotive History literature business, proprietor of
the recently established vintagebentleys.org Web site,
and lifelong Bentley enthusiast.
There's no question that the 4½ Liter has the
right stuff to hold its place among the world's most
desirable cars. An outright win in the 24 Hours of Le
Mans in 1928, one of the marque's legendary five Le
Mans wins between 1924 and 1930, is just the tip of
its exhaustive racing pedigree. Visually impressive,
beautifully engineered and constructed, expensive and
exclusive when new, the big Bentley is a fitting representative
of the best of Britain's pre-war automobiles.
The curveball for would-be Bentley owners, according
to McLellan, is that so many of the 670 4½ Liters
built between 1927 and 1931 have been modified from
their original specification. "Over the years have
been maintained in one fashion or another to keep them
on the road," he said. "To pinpoint the values
of the cars is kind of tough. How do you do that when
the cars have been restored so many times, some of them
several times?" One widespread practice has been
to replace an original sedan body with the open, Le
Mans-replica touring body.
Howard Krimko isn't sure how much all of that really
matters. "Bentley guys don't seem to care,"
said Krimko, who sells new and vintage Bentleys at his
Long Island dealership. Champion Motor Group. "They
want to drive these cars and have fun with them."
He is currently offering a 1928 4½ Liter, with
tourer-style coachwork, and readily divulges that the
car was originally fitted with a Gurney Nutting sedan
body. Powered by an engine that was one of the spares
at Le Mans, the car is priced at $500,000.
Although the relative weakness of the U.S. dollar has
led to buying sprees by European collectors, Krimko
does not see any speculation in the 4½ Liter
market. "These cars are not traded like stocks.
They're selling because they're coming out of a collection
of people in their late eighties," he said. "The
cars I'm seeing have been in collections for a long
time." And they're likely to stay with their new
owners for a long time, too.</s> | 1,981 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
We landed safely in Durban and spent
two days relaxing at the Zimbali Lodge, a luxury resort
with golf, swimming and nature walks, could be in Florida
or Hawaii. Roger (my co-driver) and the rest of the
Bentley crew dribbled in and yesterday we picked up
the cars at Durban port (seventh largest port in the
world), the containers were lined up and we drove the
cars out of the boxes ourselves, no damages. Everything
seems to be very well organised.
This morning we started the first leg to Zululand going
towards Mozambique and Swaziland. The 27 cars (none
newer than 1931) were dispatched in 20 second intervals,
our cars carries number 19 and is labeled Switzerland.
Always a big commotion when we tank up or drive through
a village, people are waving and smiling, a very friendly
lot the South Africans. Roads are excellent so far and
we passed through farmland, eucalyptus and sugar plantations,
all very sophisticated like in Europe! Got stopped by
the police, was not speeding very much (Have probably
mixed up the 80 km speed sign with miles), could hardly
stop the car when they jumped out from behind the trees,
I had to show my Colorado driving license, which did
not match the English car, when they wanted to see the
international license I waved my Swiss hat, we had a
friendly chat about the tour and they waved us on, no
fine.</s> | 1,982 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Zululand takes its name from the Zulu
people. The name belonged to an early chief and translates
as 'haven'. The largest cultural group in South Africa,
the Zulu are fiercely independent and proud nation,
The Zulu are popularly known for their beehive-shaped
homesteads, iklawa (a short spear often called an assegai),
crafts and fear-inspiring dances. In January 1879, British
troops invaded Zululand after the Zulu King Cetshwayo
refused to meet the terms of the British ultimatum.
After the war, Zululand was divided into six districts,
and was formally declared a British possession on 19
May 1887. The territory was incorporated into Natal
ten years later. In terms of South Africa's policy of
creating bantustans, KwaZulu became self-governing in
the year 1977, but unlike the Transkei, Ciskei and Bophuthatswana
it did not opt for 'Independence'.
All cars arrived safely in the Ghost Mountain Inn near
the Mkhuze game reserve, tomorrow we will do a boat
ride and a safari in the afternoon...
Kurt</s> | 1,983 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
In Zulu country we did a boat safari
in the rain, did see some fish eagles, and a jeep safari
where we saw a rhino with her young. The South African
bush is much denser with higher grass and more trees
than East Africa. For this reason one sees fewer animals
but it is still beautiful to see a hyena crossing the
road in front of us.
We have two mechanics following us in a Jeep and they
help anybody who breaks down, I needed some help today
as the car was running rich and burning too much petrol,
we are well adjusted now and the car flies again. The
other cars have minor problems as well, sticking breaks,
starting motor problems and leaking fuel lines but no
major issues yet.
Crossed into Swaziland, we all had to blow the horns
to mark our entry, a very small country which got peaceful
Independence in 1968 from the British, the country is
run by a king and a Parliament, no infighting, very
friendly people, absolutely no safety issues. We drove
over a mountain pass in thick fog and rain, like in
the Swiss alps and then were welcome at an Inn which
just looked like a lodge in Bavaria, even the waitresses
were dressed up in their local costumes/trachten, the
food like at home, salami, pates, carrot cake/rueblitorte
etc, they call Swaziland the Switzerland of South Africa.
After every lunch the owner and the cook gets a round
of applause for their efforts, we are encouraged to
talk to people as they do not see many Europeans, the
Bentleys are a sensation, we get as many as 20 people
around the car when we stop and almost all the people
speak English well, the schoolchildren are all dressed
up in tidy uniforms like in England, we are generally
surprised how well agriculture and the infrastructure
is developed. The weather is slowly improving and today
we actual had a warm dry day.
Roger (my co-driver) started to drive the heavy car
today and did not crash the gearbox, so I can take some
pictures from now on and relax a bit.
Soon more… Kurt</s> | 1,984 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Before we left Swaziland we went for
some handicraft and sticker shopping, we ended up in
a textile factory where they had sewn a textile flag
of Swaziland on my Bentley t-shirt, the women kindly
turned away when I exposed my not so young upper body.
The factory came to a standstill when we left as they
all admired the car and waved us on.
We drove towards Dundee, a coal-mining town founded
by the Scotts, and battlefield country. The Boers/Buren
(Dutch settlers who came here some 400 years ago to
supply the ships with food) fought the Brits in 1899
because they said they were here first.. We had morning
tea at the museum and the ladies baked fruitcakes and
sausage rolls. Most of the places in this area are run
by the whites of Dutch descent.
From a motoring perspective we had a frustrating 24
hours. Three flat tires. Fortunately the teamwork between
Roger and myself worked and it took us less than 15
min to unpack the car and change the wheels. The local
shop charged us $4/CHF 5 for fixing a tube. The cause
was rough wheels on the inside and hard driving.
After driving in 90/30 degree weather we arrived in
the area of Drakensberg, a world heritage site. The
surrounding mountains are 3300 meters high and borders
Lesotho... The plan was to take the helicopter up to
Mount Champagne for a drink there — but like in
the Alps we have thick fog and heavy rain — the
fire is going and we have time to relax...
One car has a radiator, which was split open at the
seam, they are using the free day to dismantle the radiator
from the car and drove it to a local shop which is 1.5
hours away for repair, so the emergency crew available
to us does a good job which is comforting. Roger and
I will put the top up if we get a bright spot as the
forecast for tomorrow is still wet.
After having had the opportunity to talk to some white
South Africans we sense that there is some considerable
anxiety amongst them fearing that the country will deteriorate.
A lot of black people have now important positions in
government and industry, some due to connections rather
than skill, crime and corruption is on the rise.
We on the other hand find the black South Africans friendly
and non-aggressive. I guess like in any other country
in the world living in the countryside is peaceful with
mischief happening in the big cities.
Kurt & Roger</s> | 1,985 |
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We left Drakensberg under heavy clouds
and drove around Lesotho, which is behind the mountain
range and stopped in Little Switzerland on a 2000m high
mountain pass. After a cup of tea and scones we entered
the Golden Gate Park with interesting Sandstone formations
and tall golden grasses, very beautiful somewhat like
Arizona. Then on the way to Bloemfontein we hit another
downpour, the temperature dropped from 25 to 15 degrees
centigrade within minutes, we treated the windshield
with rain ex which gives better visibility than the
old wipers.</s> | 1,986 |
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Just outside Bloemfontein we visited
the Steyn Family, the great grandfather was the last
president in 1899 of the Orange Free State before the
hostilities with the British broke out. The Brits finally
won because they put the women and children in concentration
camps so the returning Boer soldiers did not have anywhere
to go. The Boers fought with German Mauser rifles, the
money for the arms also came from Europe.
In 1947 Queen Elizabeth visited the Steyns here as well,
as the sons served for the British in the first and
second world wars, the current head of the family served
in Angola, a very stubborn lot always prepared to fight.
The family prepared a wonderful lunch, asparagus wrapped
in bacon, gammon/ham, chicken cakes, chopped beef with
mushrooms, potatoes and beans — a meal we have
almost everyday.
The Bentley tour consists of 5 3-Litres, 12 4.5 litres,
7 6.5/Speed Sixes and 3 8-Litres. The nations participating
are Belgium, America, New Zealand, Australia, England
and a couple of Swiss. The accommodations have been
average recently, our tour leader keeps us reminding
that we are after all in Africa, but the W.O. folks
do not complain much and seem to be able to handle the
rough well, the South African wine which is excellent
makes up for any inconveniences like falling off toilets
and no showers!
Yesterday we travelled 500 km, with about 12 degrees
and strong winds, from Bloemfontein to Graaff Reinet
in the central highlands (1000 meters altitude), we
wore two jackets on top of one another, warm hats and
gloves. The scenery was very attractive with lots of
mountains and outcroppings.
Today a free day, rain, rain, rain, all outside activities
are cancelled until further notice...</s> | 1,987 |
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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> | 1,988 |
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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> | 1,989 |
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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> | 1,990 |
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19.00 We walked over from the
church to the Victoria hotel where we were greeted with
sherry, wonderful old furniture and picture galleries.
We had dinner with Toon and Mieke Boogers (the Dutch
couple we met in New Zealand), we had two bottles of
red wine "Pinotage" with stuffed chicken and
lamb.
21.30 Return to our bedroom, Rogers sorts out
the maps and schedules for the following day and makes
sure we get up on time in the morning.
22.00 All quiet.</s> | 1,991 |
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We spent two days at the Shamwari Game
Reserve, which consists of 20.000 hectares (200 km of
fencing) of indigenous vegetation that teemed with game
before the onslaught of the Settlers in the 19th century.
Lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo and great variety
of other game species graced the Eastern Cape before
being destroyed to make way for agriculture. Thus, Shamwari
was created to bring wildlife back to an area where
it has been absent for so long, to an area steeped in
history, ranging from dinosaur fossils, stone age tools,
to 1820 settler history. In doing so, a vast amount
of species was re-introduced since 1990.
The land is owned and financed by an individual, no
state support! We enjoyed most the white and black rhino
with their young, the lion family with male, female
and two cubs, also we saw young giraffes. The accommodation
was first class with game drives in the morning and
late evening, we even had a bush dinner.</s> | 1,992 |
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From a motoring perspective we had
the left magneto only firing on one or two cylinders
(both mags have been fully reconditioned for the trip),
the cause of the problem was probably excessive moisture
after the rains and poor contacts between the rotor
and the six contact points, our service crew spent a
couple of hours on it and we have full power again for
our drive to Port Elizabeth.</s> | 1,993 |
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As it was not recommended to visit
old historical Port Elizabeth (all black now), we went
to Grahams town in the mountains with two other cars
from the US. This town is now an important educational
center and is home to South African leading schools.
The British started it in 1850 and today it has some
18000 students, 40% white - 60% black and the cost per
year is $15000.00. The campus looks exactly like the
old English schools with brick buildings.
One of our party knew some people in town so we got
a private tour and had a good pasta lunch. This part
of the country and towards Capetown (Western Cape) is
very beautiful with lots of sandy beaches and more tropical
vegetation.</s> | 1,994 |
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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> | 1,995 |
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Knysna where we stayed a couple of
days is a fishing and coastal town/resort along the
Garden Road surrounded by lush forests of sub tropical
trees. The lagoon is home to the endangered Knysna seahorse
and many birds species. We had fresh oysters and fish
(did not get sick for a change) for lunch and took a
ride along the coast and found a garage with a skilled
mechanic who came from Mozambique (we spoke some Portuguese),
he was able to fix our handbrake problem we had since
we picked the car up in Durban (bent cable devices due
to too hard pulling by the dock workers). Also met some
Swiss folks who emigrated to Cape Town as they can live
on the AHV/Social Security. In the evening we took a
paddle steamer across the lagoon to the Indian Ocean
to see the sunset. The hotel was the most charming yet
with bungalows overlooking the blue waters. We shared
the cottage with another couple and when Heather (my
wife) phoned a lady picked up, I had some explaining
to do...</s> | 1,996 |
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Yesterday we had driven about 20 km
early in the morning and all of sudden the windscreen
was fogged up — with a blue sky. The cause —
a missing radiator cap! We drove back to where we started
in the hope to find the cap on the road, but no luck
— and back to the mechanic from Mozambique (who
gave me a present the first time, a South African AA
badge), we fixed the problem with a gear boot (rubber
device with a hole), a bystander provided us with a
champagne cork to plug the hole on top, so now we have
the African version of a radiator cap — admired
by all the Bentley colleagues as it is unique! (We don't
know what happened, stolen or not put on tightly by
my dear co-driver Roger?). After this mishap we drove
another 400 km through the little Karoo (dry country)
from George to Outdoorn over the Quetina Pass which
was built by Italian prisoners of war between 1943 and
l951. Outsdoorn was once the Ostrich capital of the
world (for exporting feathers), between 1890 and 1914
they had 750.000 ostriches and the wealthy farmers built
palatial homes, which are still intact today.</s> | 1,997 |
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Last night we stayed an Matjesfontein
a charming Victorian village on the railway halt between
J'burg and Cape Town. The famous Millner Hotel was built
in the early days of the South African wars and was
used as a hospital and later used by British officers
who had 20.000 troops there. The hotel is still intact
with a wonderful long bar, ironworks and towers.
Today drove from M'fontein to Montague over another
pass into the Napa Valley/Wallis of South Africa, they
grow apricots, peaches and nectarine as well as muscat
grapes. Montague is another well preserved agricultural
Victorian village. We had tea at the main hotel on the
lawn. The hotel is owned by "Sepp" another
Swiss fellow, he was waiting by the car as we left his
place, he noticed the Swiss flag on the car! We then
drove over to Waenhuiskrans (all Dutch names) through
2 hours of wheat fields and are now staying at a wonderful
beach hotel about 100 km away from Cape Town.
Life is good... Kurt</s> | 1,998 |
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The last day of motoring was stressful
as the car overheated due to a loose ground wire —
battery not charging and a broken wire on the fan switch
— no electrical fan. So the morning tea break at
a private residence turned into a physical challenge.
35 degrees and laying for 1/2 hour under the dashboard
on back with the feet up in the air and over the seats.
The service crew guided me through all the checks and
fixes. At the following petrol stops it was Roger's
turn for a work out. As the car would not start due
to low battery the car had to be pushed three times
with the help of locals as the car was too heavy for
one person.</s> | 1,999 |
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We drove from the coastal Arniston
Resort to Franschhoek in the mountains where the 207
French Huguenots arrived in 1688; they had fled France
because of religious persecutions. They brought with
them their extensive knowledge and skill of wine making
and the fertile Frankschhoek Valley became one of the
earliest wine producing regions of the Cape. We had
an excellent lunch at the Hotel Chamonix under huge
oak trees, a fillet minute with a very nice tasting
Chardonnay.
In the late afternoon we arrived in Kapstadt/Capetown
after some 4500 km and 1500 litres of petrol totally
exhausted from the heat and work outs, we only had 30
min to change and jump into the bus which took us to
the cable car which went up to the table mountain (1000
meters above sea level). During the trip the car rotates
through 360 degrees, providing passengers with a superb
view of the city, the sweep of table bay, robben island,
the table mountain chain as well as the constructions
site for the 2010 football world championship (Sepp
Blatter repaying his dues for getting the African votes
for Fiva president).
Capetown developed around the refreshment station at
the foot of table mountain by the Dutch East India Company
in 1652. The company gardens were used to supply passing
ships with fresh produce, and between 1692 and 1783
it was developed into a world famous botanical garden.
The city is divided up into various districts including
the Malay and the district museum Chronicles the forced
removal of 60000 people from 1966 to 1982 from other
areas. One can see old slave quarters turned into the
Supreme Court and collections of Dutch and Flemish masters.
A very cosmopolitan city, with the young people hopping
around the waterfront some showing off their BMWs, Mercedes
and Aston Martins. The standard of living is very high
and the quality of service in the hotels and restaurants
exceptional.
Final words in a couple of days.</s> | 2,000 |
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The cape was first discovered in 1420
by Bartholomew Diaz, the Portuguese spice trader. Vasco
da Gama came 20 years later and developed the first
map of Africa. As the cape was half way between India
and Europe the East India Company developed a trading
post here. The Dutch eventually colonized the cape and
in 1820 the British took over... In 1954 South Africa
became an independent State. The white only vote and
white only having access to good education and skilled
jobs ended in 1994 when Nelson Mandela was released
from prison. Today the private and public schools are
mixed, the best players make the cricket team and there
is equal opportunity to go to university. When filling
jobs 7 colored and three white people have to be interviewed,
a kind of a quota system to bring the non-whites into
the middle class. The bigger issue now is the gap between
rich and poor and the ghettos in the big cities where
drug gangs rule.
Last Sunday we toured the cape in the back of the Boogers
4.5 Litre, visited a colony of penguins (1600 km to
the Antarctica) as the waters are a cool 15 degrees.
We were introduced by our host (who lives here) to their
neighbours, a Swiss couple who live in the fashionable
Camps Bay with its palm lined beach and lively atmosphere.
The twelve apostles (stone formations in the sea) and
table mountain/Tafelberg ravines and buttresses form
an impressive backdrop. The Swiss couple invited us
to their house for a cappuccino and espresso. For the
farewell dinner we ordered an iron and pressed trousers
and shirts to look halfway respectable, as we did not
have jackets as requested! After 10 minutes most of
the guys took off their jackets anyway and we were good
company again.
The highlights of the tour were:
:: The Shamwari lodge game reserve with the super
lodge and wildlife - the friendly people in Swaziland
with the very alpine scenery
:: Capetown with the Tafelberg/Table mountain
and its beaches</s> | 2,001 |
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The organization was perfect. John
and Frederike White (ex British army officer) have driven
the road beforehand and pointed out all the turns with
landmarks before and after, so it was impossible to
get lost for long. Even speed bumps and radar traps
were mentioned on the daily schedule. Nobody got a ticket
and the Bentley Drivers Club and John's reputation are
intact. He now plans to organize a last tour for Silver
Ghosts in 2009.</s> | 2,002 |
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The Monday morning we drove the car
to the dock directly into the container # 15 marked
Furger, the car will arrive in Tilbury Nov. 30. We took
a final tour o f Capetown in a minibus and saw all the
must see historical sites like forts, churches, district
6 (segregation races) and monuments.
We are leaving South Africa with very good memories
and are now looking forward to see our beloved wives.
Kurt & Roger</s> | 2,003 |
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Fourteen
Vintage Bentley cars participated in the 2007 Peking-to-Paris
Rally which began in Peking on May 27, 2007, and ended
on June 30th. The race is a reenactment of the original
"great race" of 1907, the first transcontinental
motor rally.
According to www.PekingParis.com, the official website
for the race, "It had been an epic challenge between
a Prince and a Pauper - Prince Borghese had the best
funded entry and carefully researched the conditions
of setting out on a journey where the first 5,000 miles
saw no roads, at all, so, no maps and no garages. His
chief rival was a fair-ground worker who until he read
news of the race in a Paris newspaper, Le Matin, picked
up blowing in the wind, he had never even sat in a motor-car,
so had no idea how to drive one."
The 2007 rally included twenty-two Bentley cars, fourteen
of which were Vintage Bentleys. The route driven "was
totally authentic, in terms of driving conditions and
places visited, taking cars northwards through the Great
Wall of China, through the Gobi Desert into Outer Mongolia,
crossing the Steppes and vast grassy plains of Asia,
into Russia and southern Siberia and on to Moscow...
then northwards to St. Petersburg (the famous detour
of the 1907 race), and on into Europe to a party in
Paris."</s> | 2,004 |
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Two Vintage Bentleys won the 2007 "Vintage
Sports Car Club Awards" for pre-1931 cars. These
were a 1926 6½ Litre Tourer driven by Gerold
Leumann / Hans-Rudolf Portmann (First prize), and a
1929 4½ Litre LeMans driven by Gordon Phillips
/ Mark Phillips (Third prize). The "Spirit of the
Rally Trophy" was won by a 1929 6½ Litre
Tourer driven by Peter Livanos.</s> | 2,005 |
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On June 15th 2007, as the Brooklands
track celebrated its centenary, the most famous of the
vintage Bentley racing cars were reunited at the circuit
for the first time in the company of the very latest
Bentley Brooklands coupe.
Bentley's proud sporting pedigree, forged by the exploits
of the immortal Bentley Boys on this famous racetrack
in the 1920s and 30s, was the inspiration for the new
Bentley Brooklands coupe. During this period, Brooklands
was the scene of some of Bentley's greatest triumphs,
as the Bentley Boys raced their machines on the treacherous
Members' Banking.
Two of the most successful Bentley racers at Brooklands
were Speed Six models with special Vanden Plas bodies,
known affectionately as ''Old Number Two'' and ''Old
Number Three''. These were the only cars created by
Bentley specifically for competition purposes.</s> | 2,006 |
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"Old Number Two" was victorious
in its first outing, winning the 1930 Brooklands Double
Twelve (a 24-hour race run over two days), driven by
Bentley Boys Frank Clement and Woolf Barnato at an average
speed of over 85 mph. "Old Number Three",
driven by Sammy Davis and Jack Dunfee, came second.
Old Number Two went on that year to take second place
at Le Mans behind another famous Bentley, "Old
Number One".</s> | 2,007 |
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Bentley's performance at Brooklands
was outstanding with its cars placed in the top three
in 172 races out of 672 entered. Of these, Bentley achieved
73 outright wins.
Speeds on the outer circuit were exceptional, with cars
like "Tim" Birkin's Single Seat Blower Bentley
taking the lap record twice, raising it to over 137
mph. Of the 84 drivers earning a "120 mph"
badge, 15 drove a Bentley.</s> | 2,008 |
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The highly coveted "130 mph"
badge was earned by a mere 16 cars, three of which were
Bentleys. In the late 30s, the Barnato-Hassan Bentley
driven by Oliver Bertram became one of only three cars
to exceed 140 mph when in 1938 it achieved 142.6 mph.
Margaret Allan, driving a Marker Bentley affectionately
known as ''Old Mother Gun'', proved that women were
equally courageous and skilled at the wheel, when she
achieved 134.97mph at Brooklands in 1938.</s> | 2,009 |
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Commenting on the new Bentley Brooklands
coupe, Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen said:
"Bentley is one of the most successful racing teams
in the illustrious history of the Brooklands circuit
and it is this proud sporting pedigree that was the
inspiration for the new Bentley Brooklands coupe."</s> | 2,010 |
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We were very pleased to see a
lengthy article on the "Brooklands Centenary"
in Issue No. 252, Aug. 2007, of the "Bentley Drivers
Club Review". If you haven't seen it check it out.
It has numerous photographs that were taken of club
members enjoying the event.</s> | 2,011 |
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The author was surprised to find a
vintage 3 litre Bentley in the barn of a remote farm
in USA. It's been there 30 years, now covered in a deep
layer of dust and a covering of pigeon droppings. It
is thought to be a 1925 model and to have had a Weymann-type
saloon body. The present owner intends to fit a reproduction
of the Vanden Plas open tourer body. Continued...</s> | 2,012 |
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The term 'barn
find' is regularly used to describe the discoveries
that are revealed in the pages of Lost & found,
but it is not often these days that you come across
a genuine example.
I recently had a real surprise when a good friend took
me to a remote farm in die USA and introduced me to
the hard-working farmer. We went over to an old barn
that was built on a mound with a large ditch around
it, rather like a dry moat. The wooden bridge to the
barn door had long gone, effectively isolating its contents.
When the door was opened there appeared the familiar
radiator of a vintage 3 Litre Bentley, nestling behind
a couple of packing cases and an upturned table, all
laced with a deep layer of dust and a covering of pigeon
droppings.
Once inside, it became clear that the car was not carrying
an original body but it is not known when it was rebodied,
or by whom. The farmer purchased the 3 Litre from the
widow of the previous owner in Scotland during the '50s.
Little paperwork came with the car, though it is thought
that the body might have originally been by HM Bentley,
brother of the great WO. The brothers were in partnership
for several years before HM resigned to concentrate
on his car sales business and later moved into coachbuilding.
The 3 Litre is a long-chassis version that has been
shortened. There is a one-piece bonnet from the radiator
to the windscreen and a four-seater tourer body with
the spare wheel mounted at the rear. The dashboard and
instruments are not original and the front axle comes
from a different model of Bentley. Underneath this body,
which doesn't look up to HM Bentley standard, is an
original car with the right engine, with twin Sloper
carbs, plus correct radiator and front wings. It is
thought to be a 1925 model and to have originally had
a Weymann-type saloon body. It is the farmer's intention
to fit a reproduction of the Vanden Plas open tourer
body. I wonder if he will get round to it - it has been
in the barn for 30 years already!</s> | 2,013 |
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Over the years Robert has sought out
every potential source of information on our 3-Litre
Bentley, Chassis No. 869. This has included everything
available through the Bentley Drivers Club archives,
contacting previous owners, purchasing literature pertaining
to all 3-Litres, seeking out magazine and newspaper
articles where our car appeared and talking experts
ears off in order to learn everything possible about
the car.
But there are always surprises. And www.VintageBentleys.org
is designed to help you fill in gaps in the history
of your Bentley by soliciting information from previous
owners and people who have knowledge of the car. One
success story that we can relate is on Chassis No. 564,
currently owned by David Brownell.</s> | 2,014 |
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Roy Ginn, who owned 564 from 1966 to
1971, contacted us with information and numerous photographs
and a newspaper article about the car as it was when
he owned it - a goldmine of information for David.
In 1966 Roy Ginn got to know of a 'veteran car' lying
in a shed, in a village in Essex. A friend and customer,
Michael Grigsby, acted as the go-between and helped
to locate this car. Well, this wasn't 'any' veteran
car; it was a vintage Bentley! The owner, according
to Roy, was a Major Douglas Forrester Muir, retired
from the Army. Word was out, says Roy, that Major Douglas
was "financially embarrassed" at the time.
But when asked if he would sell the car he said, "If
I thought of selling it — about £1000, but
I'm not. It can stay where it is."
Michael Grigsby still managed to make an appointment
for Roy to view the car, who proceeded to the village
of Great Totham located between Maldon and Colchester.
He looked at the car and it "seemed complete"
— i.e. the engine, gearbox, rear axle were in place;
lamps were there, but in a box; looked for and found
instruments... Ginn pressed £700 into Major Douglas'
hand — the deal was struck. And he returned home
with 564 on his trailer.
He knew the new purchase would either 'surprise' or
'shock' his father Alfred George William Ginn, who ran
a car repair business. Says Roy, "Father was a
time served Coachbuilder and Wheelwright. He worked
for Parkward Coachworks also All Lewis's. He worked
on Coach bodies and Limousines, also made carriage wheels
as part of his work."</s> | 2,015 |
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The first thing his father said was,
"What the b_ _ _dy hell load of junk have you gone
and brought now?" Quite annoyed he said, "Does
it go?" "Don't know", said the new owner.
Roy tried starting it up after cleaning two sets of
plugs, getting top of Auto Vack off and filling it up
with petrol. A few explosions later, and re-cleaning
of plugs she did start up, showing reasonable oil pressure.
He put the engine off and walked around the car to discover
that it had "water pissing out of everywhere".
Restarting the engine caused the starter motor to fall
apart, and the bits were everywhere. Time to set it
all aside and do some planning.</s> | 2,016 |
<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> | 2,017 |
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"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> | 2,018 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
In 1968, a local
newspaper published a story on Roy Ginn's 564. Excerpt:
"Shoebury garage owner, Mr. Roy Ginn, of Beach
Garage, Rampart Street, picked up the wreck of a 1924
Bentley in a shed in Great Totham, for £700. Three
years work, a further £700, and six first rally
prizes later the car is valued at more than eight times
the original price... Mr. Ginn was offered such a price
- but he is not selling. "The value goes up and
up and up. I'm entering it for rallies and so forth,
but it is not a practical road car." The three
litre Bentley is well known in the town, although it
has only been road worthy for six months..."
Roy Ginn sold the car in 1971: "When I sold CX
6624 she was black with red trim and red wheels…
Had SU carbs. All nickel bright work."
The buyers, Frank Dale & Stepsons remarked, "Nice
car. Just needs breathing on."</s> | 2,019 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
The above history is an example of
an ongoing process in unraveling the mysteries of a
car's origin. You will enjoy reading the entire history
of Chassis
No. 564 as we know it. And perhaps you know something
about the car before it passed into Roy's hands in 1966.
If so, please submit information here.</s> | 2,020 |
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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> | 2,021 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
The first World
War had brought about great advances in the development
of the piston engine, materials and fuel. It also brought
about changes in the social life of the country and
the redistribution of wealth. Nevertheless, there were
plenty of young men coming out of the Services with
money to burn and bent on combating the inevitable boredom
which occurs between the ending of the excitements of
war and the process of settling down to peace-time England.
Practically no cars for private use had been made since
1914, and such second-hand ones as would be available,
would command fantastic prices and would have no performance
to speak of in any case.
It was against this background, that W. O. Bentley found
himself with his engineer's training, his experience
in the development and racing of the French D.F.P. sports
car before the war, and in the design and development
of aircraft engines, in particular the Bentley Rotary
engine, during the war.
Before the war ended W. O. had already formulated his
ideas for a reliable, reasonably comfortable, quiet
but fast motor car of sporting type which could be owner-maintained.
Taking for his inspiration the principles on which the
pre-war racing Peugeot and Mercedes engines had been
made, he settled down in January 1919, in New Street
Mews (off Baker Street) in London, with F. T. Burgess
from Humber's and Harry Varley from Vauxhall, with both
of whom he had worked during the war, to make detailed
drawings of the new car. Clive Gallop joined the team,
and in September Nobby Clarke (Chief Petty Officer R.
A. Clarke, D.S.M., R.N.A.S.) also joined. It was Nobby
Clarke, later to become Head Mechanic, who put together
the first 3 Litre Bentley engine which started for the
first time in October 1919. A semi mock-up of an engine
and chassis was on view at the Olympia Motor Show in
November 1919. 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.
THE PROTOTYPE
The engine had four cylinders cast en bloc with four
aluminium water jackets and a single overhead camshaft
operating four valves per cylinder, driven by a vertical
shaft from the front end of the crankshaft. The valve
operating gear was enclosed by two inclined covers.
A magneto on the offside and the water pump on the nearside
of a cross shaft were driven by gears off the vertical
shaft. Water was delivered through the cylinder jacket
on the nearside and was returned to the radiator by
a water rail fed by five curved branch pipes from the
top of the cylinder block. A single Claudel Hobson CZP
carburettor on the nearside supplied mixture to the
cylinders through a ram's horn induction pipe. Lubrication
was by dry sump and oil was pumped under pressure to
the main and big ends and to the camshaft. Excess oil
from the camshaft was returned to the sump by external
pipes to the crankcase breathers.
Power was delivered to the rear wheels through a cone
clutch, 'A' type gear box, pot joint universals and
spiral bevel rear axle. The frame of deep section was
made of high grade steel.
EARLY DEVELOPMENT
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.
Following lubrication problems with the dry sump, a
wet sump was designed having cooling tubes running through
it. However, the tubes soon became blocked with road
dirt and this sump was discarded in favour of a unit
having a large separate oil tank under the crankcase.
A second magneto was fitted to the water pump end of
the cross shaft and the water pump was moved in front
of the vertical shaft housing and was driven by a skew
gear from the magneto cross shaft. Provision for a second
set of plugs had been incorporated in the original cylinder
block casting in anticipation of future developments.
The original two-cam per cylinder camshaft was replaced
by a triple-cam per cylinder shaft whose direction of
rotation was reversed. A small dynamo was driven from
the rear end of the camshaft through a geared-up (3:1)
set of gears in its own box. The cam case was now enclosed
in a half cover with a large oil breather in the centre
and the drain tubes led to the crankcase through the
cylinder jackets. The water rail with up-swept branches
gave place to a neat rail along the side of the block
just above the exhaust manifold.
Very little alteration was made to the chassis except
for flattening the pronounced curve of the front end
of the frame and the dumb irons. By September 1921,
when the first production model was delivered to its
owner, the 3 Litre Bentley looked much as we know it
today.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF
PRODUCTION ENGINE AND CHASSIS
The Engine. Four cylinders cast en bloc with bore and
stroke 80 x 149 mm. and having a capacity of 2,996 c.c.
Each cylinder had four valves and eight valve springs
operated by a single overhead camshaft with triple cams
per cylinder. The cams operated two single steel rockers
to the exhaust valves and a single forked rocker for
the two inlet valves. The camshaft was driven by a vertical
shaft and bevel gears from the front end of the crankshaft.
Aluminium alloy pistons and four bolt shell bearing
connecting rods were used. Twin synchronised magnetos
driven from a cross shaft fired eight plugs in the order
of 1-3-4-2. The carburettor was a Smith 5 Jet Type 45
VS.
Lubrication: Oil was piped under pressure from the separate
oil tank under the crankcase through the drilled crankshaft
to the main and big end bearings and by splash to the
cylinder walls and little ends. A separate pipe from
the filter, outside the engine on the near side, fed
oil to the camshaft bearings and rockers. Surplus oil
was returned to the tank via two drain tubes situated
between the cylinders and also down the vertical shaft
housing.
Overhead valve gear: The original BM 1800 camshaft was
fitted to the first 160 chassis after which the BM 2391
was used until 1926, when the BM 1800 was reinstated.
Both camshafts were hollow and had drilled oil ways
for lubricating the five bearings and rocker gear. The
complete set of steel rockers were threaded on long
(steel) rods supported in a single rocker carrier which
ran the whole length of the cam case.
Clutch: The clutch was of the inverted cone type lined
with Ferodo. The compensated withdrawal mechanism was
automatically lubricated.
The dynamo: The dynamo, originally geared up through
its own gear box, was later driven at camshaft speed
and was connected to the camshaft by a flexible coupling.
The cooling system: Water was taken from the radiator
and pumped to a distribution pipe inside the offside
cylinder jacket and was returned to the radiator by
a water rail with short branches taking off from the
area of the valve seatings.
The Chassis. The frame was of high grade steel of deep
section, braced fore and aft by two tubular tie bars
and four heavy angled cross members, which combined
made a rigid frame. The nose of the engine was supported
on the front cross member, the gear box on the two centre
cross members and the fourth cross member in rear of
the rear axle.
The gear box: An 'A' type box with four speeds forward
and a reverse with positive interlock, and right hand
change. The gate was carried on an extension of the
box. The speedometer in the early cars was driven by
pulley from the propeller shaft; later it was gear driven
from the nearside of the gear box casing.
The back axle: The final drive was by spiral bevel and
pinion encased in a removable nose-piece without disturbing
the back axle casing.
Brakes: Both the foot and hand brakes operated on the
rear wheels and were of the internal expanding type.
The brakes were compensated through a balance beam differential.
Coachwork: Initially the Company supplied chassis for
customers to fit the kind of body they wanted, but to
qualify for the Five Years Guarantee the complete car
had to be returned to the Works for a final test. Later
the Firm was able to sell complete cars with bodies
to their own specifications.
Handling qualities. By any standards the 3 Litre handled
well. Although at low speeds the steering was somewhat
heavy, it became easy and light as the speed increased
and at all times remained positive. The steering was
extremely sensitive to correctly balanced front wheels;
each wheel being supplied with four 'studs' on to which
lead and fibre rings were threaded and secured with
a nut. The tendency of the car was to understeer with
the rear end breaking away first but, even on ice, it
always gave plenty of warning long before things got
out of hand.
The brakes, considering the weight of the car, were
extraordinarily effective, but considerable pedal pressure
was required.
The Super Sports model with its very short (9 ft.) wheelbase
was tricky to handle at the best of times, being liable
to break away at either end almost without warning.
TYPES OF 3 LITRE MODELS
The Short Standard. This was the first model made and
it had a 9 ft. 9 J- in. wheelbase chassis with a low
(4-3) compression engine, 'A' Type gear box and 13/51
(or optional 3-53) rear axle ratio. One hundred and
forty-one chassis were made in 1922, 44 in 1923 and
8 more during 1924/5. Total production was 193. Each
chassis was guaranteed to do 80 m.p.h. on Brooklands
Track.
The T.T. Replica. Following the Firm's success in the
Tourist Trophy race of 1922, a replica chassis, as regards
engine, was produced. The compression ratio was raised
to 5-3 and the body was the new light sporting four-seater
Vanden Plas. Each chassis was guaranteed to achieve
90 m.p.h. Sixty-seven cars of this type were made in
1923 and four in 1924, bringing the total of replicas
to 71.
The Long Standard. At Chassis No. 161, the 10 ft. 10£
in. wheelbase model was introduced to cater for those
who wanted larger or heavier closed bodies for continental
touring. This model had the low compression engine,
a new wide ratio 'B' type gear box and 13/55 final drive.
In 1923, 93 Long Chassis cars were made and in this
year the Smith Bentley 45 BVS replaced the Smith 45
VS carburettor. In the next two years production increased
rapidly, 266 cars in 1924, 240 cars in 1925. In 1926
production fell to 122 and during the next three years
only 79 cars were made because the 6\ Litre and the
4½ Litre were beginning to come into production.
In all 800 Long Chassis cars were built-almost half
the whole 3 Litre output. Each chassis was guaranteed
to do 75 m.p.h.
All the cars mentioned so far had blue backgrounds to
the 'B' in the winged radiator and fuel tank badges.
The Speed Model. The first Speed Model was Chassis No.
356, and the type had the T.T. Replica engine with 5-3
compression, 9 ft. 9$ in. wheelbase, B.H.B. pistons,
twin S.U. carburettors ('Slopers'), 'A' type gear box,
3-53 rear axle ratio and front wheel brakes. Each chassis
was guaranteed to do 90 m.p.h. Vanden Plas bodies for
this model were most favoured but two-seater and saloon
bodies could also be fitted. In each of the years 1924/5/6,
production was 130/134 cars a year. In 1927 only 88
cars, 1928 21, and 1929 four cars were made bringing
the total production for this model up to 507 cars.
Except for the T.T. this model supplied all but one
of the Firm's racing 3 Litres. All Speed Model Chassis
had red backgrounds to the 'B' in the badge.
The Light Tourer. It was necessary for the Firm to make
a cheaper model to sell quickly at under £1,000
for the complete car in order to help finance the launching
of the 6J Litre Bentley. This model had the short chassis,
low compression engine, 'B' type gear box and low axle
ratio. Forty were made and they did what they were intended
to do. Some of these cars have been converted to Speed
Model specifications in later years.
The Super Sports 100 m.p.h. Model. In 1925, to meet
a limited demand for something even more exciting than
the Speed Model, a 9 ft. wheelbase chassis with a 61
compression engine with the Speed Model gear box and
final drive was produced. The background to the 'B'
in the badge was green and the radiator tapered in at
the bottom like the Standard 6\ Litre. Only 15 of these
chassis were built, but each was guaranteed to do 100
m.p.h. and the guarantee for this model was reduced
to one year. The specification of this engine became
the standard specification of the Speed Model engine
from 1926. Most of the bodies were two seaters, nevertheless,
Martin Walter managed to build a four-seater body which
complied with the Le Mans regulations for the car which
ran in the 1926 Le Mans race.
PRODUCTION MODIFICATIONS
As experience on road and track was gained, improvements
were made to the 3 Litre, but even in the early production
stages there were few major modifications to the engine
or chassis to correct initial faults. Such modifications
as were produced were for the purpose of increasing
reliability, power and docility as can be seen from
the following paragraphs.
1923. The T.T. Replica, based on the T.T. cars and the
Long Wheelbase chassis were introduced as the first
link in the separation of the town carriage type of
car from the sporting car.
1924. The Speed Model with twin S.U. carburettors came
into being as an improved version of the T.T. engine
and chassis. Four-wheel brakes of Bentley-Perrot design
were fitted to all the new 3 Litre chassis, necessitating
a redesigned front axle and modifications to the steering.
A single adjustment under the floorboards took up wear
on the linings of all four wheels simultaneously. Experiments
were tried out with hydraulic brakes, but for a variety
of reasons the Firm decided to keep to the rod operated
system and in fact used no other system in any of their
later models.
1925. A larger header-tank was fitted to all chassis
(from No. 1010) which raised the height of the radiator
by 1 in. This greatly improved the appearance of the
line of the bonnet which previously had sloped downwards.
1926. The original steel rocker arms were replaced by
duralumin ones, the initial design of which gave trouble,
but was quickly modified. All chassis frames were reinforced
and the Long Chassis were fitted with strut gear strengthening
plates. The early type of sliding Perrot shafts were
found to cause excessive wear and seizure of the shafts
after considerable mileages, and to cure this the male
and female shafts were pinned and the sliding effect
transferred to the frame bracket. Stone guards were
fitted to Speed Model radiators and Dunlop tyres were
fitted to all chassis. From chassis No. RT 1549 a cast-iron
differential casing replaced the original aluminium
type. At the end of the year the separate oil tank under
the crank-case was replaced by a sump and crankcase
in one casting (like that of the 4½ Litre). The
capacity remained the same at 2\ gallons.
1927. Speed Model chassis were equipped with 'C type
gear box instead of the original 'A' type close ratio
box. (The new box was more robust and quieter, but was
not nearly as much fun to handle according to some.)
1928. The final changes appeared after the introduction
of the 4½ Litre when some parts such as the thicker
gauge frame, heavier front axle beds, separate rocker
boxes for each cylinder and fixed type top vertical
bevels were incorporated in the last of the 3-Litres.
THE 3 LITRE IN COMPETITIONS
W. O. Bentley set out with the intention of putting
into practice what he had learnt from racing the French
D.F.P. car before the first World War, and that was
that racing was the surest and cheapest way of testing
a car, and that success was the cheapest form of advertising.
1921. Some months before the first production chassis
were being delivered to their owners, Experimental No.
2 started winning races, hill-climbs and speed trials
up and down the country and in the process collected
eight 'firsts'.
1922. It was not until a year later, in May and June
1922, that Bentley Motors entered for major races. Early
in the year four production chassis, whose engines had
shown up well on test, were taken in hand in the Experimental
shop where, under Frank Clement, they were stripped
down and meticulously rebuilt.
Modifications to these chassis included a small, flat,
most un-Bentley-like radiator, an outside exhaust system,
a 22 gallon fuel tank slung amidships (in addition to
the standard 11 gallon tank) and a 2 gallon spare oil
tank on the near side between the gear box cross members.
The fuel and spare oil were fed under pressure by an
air pump under the dash operated by the riding mechanic.
High compression pistons were used and a C.Z.P. Claudel
Hobson carburettor with heating coils round the induction
pipe. A good deal of lightening of parts was done, such
as drilled pistons, hand-brake lever, brake drums and
filed connecting rods.
INDIANAPOLIS. One of these cars was shipped to America
to be driven by Douglas Hawkes in the Indianapolis 500
Mile Race. The car was hopelessly outclassed, but it
finished the course at an average speed of around 81
m.p.h. after a trouble-free run.
The car created a very good impression, but the cost
of the venture was fearful at a time when money was
in short supply. For all that this very new marque had
been tested and had come out with credit.
THE T.T. The next event was in June, a month later,
when a team of three 3 Litres to be driven by W. O.
Bentley, Frank Clement and Douglas Hawkes were entered
for the International Tourist Trophy Race in the Isle
of Man. This race was somewhat odd in that it was for
3-litre cars when the International formula was for
2-litre cars. The entry list was, therefore, small and
the R.A.C., to give it greater spectator appeal, ran
a 1,500 c.c. race over a shorter distance, concurrently
with the main race, which was over eight laps of the
37J mile circuit. Two Sunbeam and three Vauxhall racing
cars and three Bentley modified touring cars started
in the race which was run in pouring rain. One Sunbeam
and two of the Vauxhalls dropped out leaving the remaining
Sunbeam to win with Clement's Bentley 2nd, 'W. O.' 4th
and Hawkes 5th. The sole remaining Vauxhall was 3rd.
The most important thing for Bentleys was that they
won the Team Prize against two teams of well-known racing
cars which made for very good publicity.
Small time events were not neglected either, for between
July and October, Bentleys took no less than 19 firsts
in speed events, and private owners were beginning to
take a hand.
RECORDS. In September, J. F. Duff, one of the Bentley
Agents, took single-handed the British 'Double Twelve
Hour' record (in England, of course, 24 hour racing
was not allowed) at 86-79 m.p.h. covering just over
2,082 miles in the two periods. He also took Class 'D'
records (as they were then called) of 1 to 13 hours,
100 to 1,000 miles and 100 to 1,000 kilometres at between
86 and 87 m.p.h. The car weighed 23$ cwt. on the start
line, and petrol and oil consumption averaged 14-7 and
85 m.p.g. respectively.
1923. LE MANS. While Bentley Motors continued to pile
up successes in minor meetings, John Duff, impressed
with the reliability of the 3 Litre, persuaded 'W. O.'
to prepare his record-taking 3 Litre for a 24 hour race
to be held at a place called Le Mans, in France. 'W.
O.' thought it was a mad idea, but unwillingly agreed
and lent him Frank Clement as co-driver. In the event
the car ran well and, in spite of no front-wheel brakes,
finished equal 4th, and in the hands of Clement set
up the first Sports Car lap record at Le Mans at 66-69
m.p.h. During the race, trouble was experienced with
stones flung up by the car in front, breaking lamp glasses
and puncturing the petrol tank. In future years Bentleys
were fitted with stone guards on radiator, lamps and
tanks.
A month later Duff entered the same 3 Litre privately
(in company with a locally-owned Bentley) in a touring
car G.P. at San Sebastian. Neither car did any good,
although they were ahead of the Hispanos and Peugeots
which suffered from tyre troubles. Duff was leading
at an average of 65 m.p.h. when a stone hit him in the
face and caused him to crash. The second Bentley retired
shortly before the end of the race. For this magnificent
drive Duff was given, ex gratia, the 3-litre class prize.
BOULOGNE. In September, three 3 Litres were entered
for the Georges Boillot Cup at Boulogne to be driven
by Frank Clement, Bertie Moir and John Duff, the first
two cars being Works entries. Clement burnt out a new
type of magnesium alloy piston and retired. Duff had
hit a cow in practice, the result of which showed up
in the race, and Moir, in spite of continual carburettor
trouble, managed to finish without distinction.
1924. LE MANS. Duff again entered his Works-prepared
3 Litre, a new car with front-wheel brakes and stone
guards all round. The Bentley's speed and reliability
told as the opposition gradually fell out; then the
Bentley was in trouble itself with a jammed gate, the
windscreen broke away and finally swollen hubs delayed
the car for 40 minutes while a wheel was changed. In
spite of all these tribulations, the Bentley won the
race at 53-78 m.p.h. and recorded the Firm's first win
at Le Mans.
1925. LE MANS. The Firm
entered two new cars, one driven by Clement and Duff
and the other by Kensing ton Moir and Dr. J. D. Benjafield.
The 'Le Mans Start' was first used in this race. Segrave's
Sunbeam and Moir's Bentley had a great duel for 15 laps,
when the Bentley ran out of fuel due to a miscalculation
as to the extra amount of fuel a Bentley would use when
racing with the hood up. As the rules did not allow
filling up under 20 laps, Moir was out of the race.
Duff continued with the second car until a petrol pipe
broke causing an hour and a half's delay. (For the future
all racing Bentleys had duplicated pipes and change-over
taps.) Clement and Duff continued through the night
making up for lost time until the early hours of the
morning, when a carburettor fire caused too much damage
for the car to continue. Future S.U. 'Sloper' carburettors
had a strengthening rib underneath the float chamber.
A 34-litre Lorraine-Dietrich won the race at 57-84 m.p.h.
RECORDS. In September,
Benjafield and Duff, in the latter's 3 Litre, made two
attempts at Montlhery on the 24 Hours Class 'D' record.
In the second attempt they took it at 95-03 m.p.h.
1926. RECORDS. The Firm
attempted in April to take the 24 Hours Class 'D' record
at Montlhery at over 100 m.p.h. The drivers were Barnato,
Clement and Benjafield, in the latter's very short chassis
Brooklands 3 Litre with a light body. After taking the
12 Hours at 97-54 m.p.h., the car retired. A second
attempt was made at the end of April with the same car
and drivers. This time only the Six Hours record was
taken at 102-2 m.p.h. before the car was retired.
The final attempt was made
at the end of June using, again, Benjafield's short
chassis with a long tailed, very light, streamlined
body. The drivers were the same, but with the addition
of Duller. The 12 Hours record was taken at 100-96 m.p.h.
Four hours later the car was crashed during a thunder
storm in dramatic circumstances which put off further
attempts indefinitely.
LE MANS. A team of three
new cars were entered; two Speed Models driven by Benjafield/Davis
and Clement/Duller, and a Super Sports 9 ft. car driven
by Thistlethwayte and Gallop. By 4 a.m., Bentleys were
5th, 7th and 8th. Two hours later Duller retired with
valve stretch due to over-revving, and at 9 a.m. Gallop
brought in the 9 ft. chassis with a broken rocker. The
Davis/Benjafield car was then running 3rd, three laps
behind the Lorraine in front. With orders to take second
place and with failing brakes, Davis over did it at
Mulsanne and was out of the race 20 minutes before the
end. The Lorraines came in 1st, 2nd and 3rd, the winner
averaging 66-08 m.p.h.
The Benjafield/Davis Bentley
was numbered 7 in this race and, as a result of its
dramatic failure, was for ever afterwards known as 'Old
No. 7'.
BOULOGNE. Benjafield bought
'Old No.7'andentered it for the Georges Boillot Cup
race in September with Kensington Moir as his co-driver.
On the 13th lap, when Benjafield was in 3rd position,
he crashed the car badly and was himself taken to hospital.
Both subsequently recovered fully from their injuries.
1927. THE SIX HOURS. Four
3 Litres were entered for the Essex Six Hours race at
Brooklands, two of the Works' cars, one driven by Clement
and the other by Benjafield and Barnato; and the two
private entries of Callingham and the Birkin brothers.
All but the Birkin car had the new type of duralumin
rocker arms and these broke up one after the other during
the race and the cars retired. Tim Birkin's car had
lost all its gears except 3rd, when Clement took the
car over, and between them they drove it into third
place behind Duller's Sunbeam and Davis's Alvis.
LE MANS. The Works entered
three cars. The first of the new 4½ Litres driven
by Clement and Callingham and the two 3 Litres which
ran in last year's race, driven by Benjafield and Davis
(in 'Old No. 7') and Duller and Baron D'Erlanger in
the other. The race started at 4 p.m. as usual, and
the three Bentleys ran away from the rest of the field.
At 9.30 p.m. all three Bentleys were involved in the
'White House Crash'. Two of them were out for good and
the third, 'Old No. 7', so badly damaged it was doubtful
if it could continue. Davis managed to get the car to
the pits. In spite of a bent front axle, twisted chassis,
cracked steering arm ball joint, a broken headlamp,
loose and flapping offside running-board and wing, the
two drivers in turn kept the car going through the night
and the next day, even increasing speed to destroy the
leading Aries and finally winning the race at 61-35
m.p.h.
This was the last of the
nine races in which Works prepared and entered 3 Litres
took part. With their second win at Le Mans the Firm's
luck had at last turned and in a blaze of glory (for
wasn't she the Guest of Honour at the Savoy?), 'Old
No. 7' handed over the torch to the new 4½ Litre.</s> | 2,022 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
In order to understand why the Speed
Six came into being it is necessary to know something
of the background which brought it about and to trace
its development from the first six cylinder car which
Bentley Motors made. The Standard Model 6 1/2 Litre,
or Big Six Bentley, as it was sometimes called, was
in production long before the 4 1/2 Litre appeared on
the scenes and when the Three Litre was still only four
years old. The time had come for a much more powerful
engine and a stronger chassis, specially designed to
carry spacious bodies under town and country conditions.
Continued...</s> | 2,023 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
In order to understand
why the Speed Six came into being it is necessary to
know something of the background which brought it about
and to trace its development from the first six cylinder
car which Bentley Motors made. The Standard Model 6
1/2 Litre, or Big Six Bentley, as it was sometimes called,
was in production long before the 4 1/2 Litre appeared
on the scenes and when the Three Litre was still only
four years old. The smaller car, designed as an open
rugged sports car for the enthusiast then looking for
something to replace the excitements of the first World
War, was rapidly becoming known to the public following
its successes in sprints, hill-climbs, the Tourist Trophy
of 1922 and Le Mans 24 hours races of 1923 and 1924.
It was almost inevitable that all kinds of people with
money and a taste for the latest novelty wanted a Bentley-but
one with bodywork a little more civilised than the open
sports car. This led to totally unsuitable and heavy
closed coach-work being fitted to the chassis in an
endeavour to turn the car into a town carriage. To try
to cope with this situation the firm introduced a long
chassis version, the Standard or Long Wheelbase model
Three Litre. History merely repeated itself, and the
size and weight of coachwork was increased accordingly,
killing all semblance of performance.
The time had come for a much more powerful engine and
a stronger chassis, specially designed to carry spacious
bodies under town and country conditions. It was in
1924 that W. O. Bentley started work on a chassis which
was to produce high speed touring in comfort with all
types of closed coachwork. A six cylinder engine was
an obvious starting point. Although there were several
big engined cars on the market, they tended to be huge,
unwieldy machines, comfortable enough, but their performance
and road holding left much to be desired.
THE PROTOTYPE
The new engine followed closely the design of the Three
Litre and was in fact much the same engine with two
more cylinders added and the stroke shortened by 9 mm.
Thus the engine had six cylinders of 80 mm. x 40 mm.
with a capacity of 4,224 c.c. or 4 1/2-litres. The camshaft
was driven by coupling rods from the rear instead of
by a vertical shaft from the front as in the Three Litre.
The steering, gear box, rear axle and frame were redesigned
to give additional strength. Unfortunately figures for
the b.h.p. of the engine are not known but they must
have been around the hundred mark. The new car, disguised
under the name of the 'Sun', an ugly angular radiator
and an equally ugly Weymann saloon body with a huge
trunk overhanging the rear, was taken over to France
and driven by 'W. O.' for long distance testing which
included a visit to the 1924 French G.P. It was on this
trip that there occurred a chance encounter with the
new prototype Rolls-Royce Phantom I which had a momentous
influence on the future design and career of the Big
Bentley.
'W. O.', who was driving at the time, gives a dramatic
description in his Autobiography of seeing a long trail
of dust raised by a car travelling very fast towards
a Y junction for which he himself was making. Neither
car gave way and they arrived together at the junction
and continued, side by side, along the Route Nationale.
'W. O.' recognised his 'opponent' as the new Rolls-Royce
Phantom I prototype, of which there had been rumours,
and he in turn was recognised by the driver of the Rolls-Royce.
As this was an opportunity not to be missed, both cars,
still side by side, travelled flat out for mile after
mile along the straight, deserted French road. The encounter
ended abruptly when the Rolls-Royce driver's hat blew
off and he stopped to retrieve it, much to 'W. O.'s'
relief as he was on his last set of tyres.
As the engine had proved deficient of power low down,
and would probably not, even when developed, have a
sufficient margin of speed over the Phantom I, 'W. O.'
decided to increase the cylinder bore from 80 mm. to
100 mm. and the cubic capacity to 6 1/2-litres. The
new engine produced 140 b.h.p. on the bench and in practice
gave greatly increased acceleration over all ranges
and a higher maximum speed.
After months of experimental work and road testing,
a polished Standard 6 1/2 Litre engine and chassis were
exhibited at the 1925 Motor Show where it attracted
a great deal of interest.
THE CHASSIS AND ENGINE
All models of the 6 1/2 Litre chassis and engine followed
the same general design and differed only in modifications
to strengthen components by use of newer materials or
by increases in the section of certain parts; in the
development of power and reliability and in variations
of wheelbase, gear box and rear axle ratios to suit
particular types of coachwork. The descriptions which
follow, therefore, cover the Standard, Speed and 'Le
Mans' models. More detailed variations will be found
in the tables of specifications (see pages 10 and 12).
The frame is made of high grade steel and the side members
are of exceptionally deep section. The four press steel
and three tubular cross members make the bracing of
the frame complete in itself.
Front axle is of 'H' section 40-ton tensile steel which
was progressively thickened as more powerful braking
was evolved.
Rear axle is of semi-floating type with a four bevel
pinion differential and spiral bevel final drive.
Gear box (all types) is mounted by three-point suspension
and has four forward and reverse gears operated by a
right-hand change.
Universal joints are of the internal ring type enclosed
in oil-tight casings filled with oil. The fore-and-aft
movement of the propeller shaft is taken on a splined
coupling on the front joint.
Brakes are of the internal expanding type operating
on four large steel drums. The braking on all four wheels
is compensated by means of a balance beam differential.
The operation of the front brakes is of a Bentley-Perrot
design. The foot brakes are assisted by a Dewandre vacuum
servo motor. The hand brake operates on the rear wheels
only through a separate set of shoes.
Steering is by worm and sector adjustable for wear,
the thrust being taken by ball bearings.
Lubrication, except for one grease cup on the water
pump, is provided by Tecalemit connections which can
be loaded with oil from a gun.
The engine. The six cylinders are cast in one block
with non-detachable head. Each cylinder has two inlet
and two exhaust valves operated by a totally enclosed
overhead camshaft and valve rockers. The camshaft is
carried in seven bearings and is driven from the rear
end of the crankshaft, which ran in eight bearings.
Ignition is by twin synchronised magnetos (later one
magneto and one coil unit were fitted) firing twelve
plugs. The firing order is 1 4 2 6 3 5.
Lubrication is by pressure to the mains and big ends
and through the hollow camshaft to the cams and rockers.
Overhead valve gear. The valves, each with two concentric
coil springs, are grouped in sets of four, two inlet
and two exhaust per cylinder. The inlet valves are operated
by one forked duralumin rocker arm and the exhaust valves
by two single rockers each having a steel roller at
one end and an adjustable ball--ended tappet screw at
the other. The set for each cylinder is contained in
its own aluminium box.
Camshaft drive consists of a helical gear-driven three-throw
crankshaft at the rear end of the engine crankshaft
to which are coupled three connecting rods which in
turn are connected to a similar crankshaft direct driven
by the camshaft. The upper big end bearings of these
rods are fitted with an expansion device to compensate
for changes in crankshaft centres due to temperature
variations.
Dynamo and water pump are driven off the rear and front
ends respectively of the camshaft and the two together
damp out any irregularities set up by the action of
the valves.
Cooling system. This is unusual in that it has two distinct
water circuits controlled by a thermostat whereby the
radiator is by-passed in a cold engine. As the engine
warms up the circuit to the radiator is opened.
PRODUCTION MODIFICATIONS, 1926 1928
By March 1926, production models were in the hands of
the public and by the end of the year 58 cars were on
the roads. In the interval long range M.L. Type ER 6
magnetos were fitted to give increased flexibility;
a spring loaded clutch pressure plate replaced the cork
insert plate to prevent clutch judder; and to save the
batteries and make starting easier Ki-Gass injectors
were fitted to the engine. All these modifications made
the car much more pleasant to drive under town running
conditions.
For the 1927 Motor Show big changes took place which
were to be incorporated in the 1928 models. The more
important of these changes were:-the half-engine speed
dynamo driven by the camshaft was replaced by a new
5-brush dynamo placed between the dumb irons in front
of the radiator and driven from the front end of the
crankshaft through a flexible coupling, the dynamo casing
being bolted to to the front cross member; the radiator
tapered inwards towards the bottom and was redesigned
to fit the dynamo and at the same time was given a fuller
profile and a deeper, 100 mm. matrix which improved
the frontal aspect of the car and made it even more
imposing looking. For a time the camshaft had no damping
at the rear but after four months a torsional damper
was fitted to a taper on the end of the camshaft to
restore the damping effect exerted by the dynamo before
its removal.
A Delco Remy coil ignition set replaced the off-side
magneto and a Hardy Spicer propeller shaft took the
place of the plunging (pot) joint type which needed
frequent replacement of the blocks and slippers. To
make braking lighter, a Dewandre Servo motor was coupled
to the braking system. A third wheelbase chassis length,
12 ft. 7J in., was added to the range. By the end of
1927 the total of six cylinder chassis made had risen
to 185.
In mid-1928 two further modifications were introduced.
One was the change over to single pole wiring and the
other the provision of an 'oil bath' in the base of
the cam case. By this means the rocker rollers were
sufficiently lubricated to prevent pick up and the additional
lubrication helped to minimise the occasional squeak
from the tappet ball-ends.
Towards the end of 1928 there were persistent rumours
of the possibility ^^^^^_ of a 'Speed Model' version
of the 6 1/2 Litre. In fact a great deal of testing
had been going on, in secret, in the Firm's Experimental
Department for some months, and at the end of October
the first Speed Six was available for demonstrations.
The total number of Standard 6 1/2 Litres made by the
end of 1928 was 284.
THE SPEED SIX
1929. The Speed Model 6 1/2 Litre was conceived as a
stage in the 'improvement of the breed' with an eye
to long distance touring, and the design of the new
car followed generally that of the Standard model but
with certain important differences. The immediate outward
differences between the two models were the new shape
of the radiator, which had parallel sides, and the green
background to the radiator and fuel tank badges to distinguish
it from the Standard model which had a blue background.
Throughout all his designs W. O. Bentley insisted on
reliability as the first consideration. When he wanted
more power he built a bigger engine ('There is no substitute
for horsepower'). When it became apparent that a larger
car was needed to back up the hard-pressed 4 1/2 Litre,
it was natural that a Works' racing version of the new
Speed Six should be developed.
Early in 1929 Speed Six chassis were being delivered
to the public, though very slowly. On the 10th of May
1929 Woolf Barnato took delivery of the first of the
'Le Mans' racing models, destined to be known as 'Old
No. 1'.
The standard model continued in production and by the
end of the year 66 of them had been made, while 69 Speed
Models had been completed. The total for the Standard
model had risen to 350.
1930. The Speed Six for 1930 incorporated many of the
items tried out in the 1929 'Le Mans' car, such as the
single port block and induction manifold; the strengthened
connecting rods; the 5 gallon Elektron sump; racing
type rockers without the third rivet hole; Bosch magneto
and a compression ratio of 5-3 : 1 giving 180 b.h.p.
Two new 'Le Mans' Speed Sixes were built for the 1930
season and 'Old No. 1* was brought up to date. The only
major change was the introduction of the heavier front
axle with integral jacking pads which were incorporated
in the late 1930 models.
Production of the Standard model had almost ceased except
for special orders and only 18 more were made, making
the total up to 368. 108 Speed Sixes were made during
the year bringing their total to 177, after which no
more were made.
THE SPEED SIX IN COMPETITION
1929 DOUBLE TWELVE, BROOKLANDS
This was the Speed Six's first race and was driven by
Barnato and Benjafield. The car was far and away the
fastest on the circuit and led for the first four hours
at a speed of 92 m.p.h. Just after its first pit stop
it came in again with a broken dynamo drive. Driver
and mechanic removed the radiator and dynamo but as
it was impossible to repair the coupling on the spot,
the car was forced to retire.
This was the only occasion on which a Speed Six retired
from a race because of mechanical failure.
1929 LE MANS
Five Bentleys, including the Speed Six, were entered
by the Works in opposition to three Stutz, two Chryslers,
a du Pont and fourteen smaller cars. Birkin took the
first spell and completed his first lap with not another
car in sight. Then three Bentley's two Stutz and the
fifth Bentley came round in a bunch. The last Bentley,
which the week before had taken the Class 'C Twenty-Four
Hours record driven by the Hon. Mrs. Victor Bruce, retired
early. Birkin set the lap record for the year on the
slightly shortened circuit at 82-98 m.p.h. During the
night the four Bentleys increased their lead in spite
of faulty headlamps which flickered on and off. In the
early hours of the morning two Stutz and the du Pont
dropped out. The ballast of Clement's car shifted and
broke a brake rod which was repaired and by 10 a.m.
the Bentleys were back in their places again. So great
was their lead, the Speed Six was slowed down to a fast
tour for the last twelve hours of the race and the 4
1/2-litres were likewise slowed down for the last two
hours.
At the finish four Bentleys crossed in line ahead, led
by the Speed Six, to take the first four places. The
winner's speed was 73-62 m.p.h. This was Bentley's third
successive win at Le Mans and in addition they were
first and second in the Index of Performance, the first
time any car had won both awards.
1929 SIX HOURS, BROOKLANDS
Five Bentleys were entered, the Speed Six (Barnato and
C. Dunfee), a Le Mans 4 1/2 (Cook and Callingham) by
the Works, two 4 1/2s entered privately and Birkin's
prototype supercharged 4 1/2 Litre. The supercharged
car was fast but it soon had engine trouble and retired.
The Speed Six, lapping at 74 m.p.h., was leading on
distance but was way back on handicap. After four hours'
running it was in third place and had increased its
lap speed to 75 m.p.h. One of the privately entered
4 1/2s dropped out as did two Mercedes. At the fifth
hour, having made up its handicap, the Speed Six took
the lead and an hour later won the race at 75-88 m.p.h.
An Alfa was second and the remaining two Bentleys third
and eighth respectively.
Mercedes put in the fastest lap of the race with 81-19
m.p.h. but failed to finish.
1929 IRISH GRAND PRIX, DUBLIN
This was a two-day event, the winner being the car with
the best performance on handicap on either day. Ivanovski's
Alfa won the first day's race for cars under 1,500 c.c.
at 75-02 m.p.h. The second day, for cars over 1,500
c.c, attracted Kidston's Speed Six, three A\ Litres,
two of the Birkin supercharged cars, a 7-litre supercharged
Mercedes, three 1750 Alfas and eight other cars.
For 27 laps the Mercedes led Birkin, the two cars never
far apart. Then the inevitable happened and the the
Mercedes blew a gasket and retired. Meanwhile the three
Alfas retained their lead on handicap but after two
and a half hours one of them ran out of road and retired.
Birkin's car was overheating and Kidston's Speed Six
passed him to take fourth place on handicap.
Kidston again increased speed in an effort to catch
the Alfas but slid on the melting tarmac and buckled
a wheel. The wheel was changed at the pits in record
time but it cost them the race nevertheless. In a most
exciting finish Ivanovski's Alfa won by a bare fourteen
seconds at 76-4 m.p.h.; the Speed Six was second at
79-8 and Birkin third at 79-0. All six Bentleys finished.
Mercedes again made fastest lap (83-8 m.p.h.) but failed
to stay the course.
1929 TOURIST TROPHY, BELFAST
This was again a handicap race over 30 laps of the 13-66
mile tortuous circuit with 65 starters taking part.
Bentleys entered Kidston in the Speed Six; Birkin his
3 Blower cars ('W. O.' rode as Birkin's mechanic); and
Hayes his private 4 1/2. On scratch with the Bentleys
were 2 official Mercedes and 2 private ones; 3 official
and 4 private Alfas which received two credit laps.
There were 49 other cars of various sizes including
Austin Sevens with up to five credit laps handicaps.
The small cars held the lead for most of the race because
of their handicaps. Rubin overturned his car. Then it
rained, slowing all cars except Caracciola's Mercedes.
At half distance Kidston got into a series of slides
lasting about a quarter of a mile and crashed. Caracciola
was steadily passing car after car but with half an
hour to go the Austins were leading with the Alfas close
behind. First Campari's Alfa, then Caracciola, passed
the Austins. Heavy rain fell again but Caracciola, undeterred,
went on to win at 72-82 m.p.h. The Alfa came in second
at 67-54 m.p.h. and Birkin, with 'W. O.', finished 11th,
having averaged 69-01 m.p.h. Harcourt-Wood's supercharged
car had retired and Hayes, still running, was nagged
off at the end of the race.
Caracciola's Mercedes made fastest lap at 77-81 m.p.h.
in the wet.
1929 :: 500 MILES, BROOKLANDS
The Firm entered the Speed Six (Davis and C. Dunfee),
fitted with a stubby two-seater body, one of the Le
Mans 4 1/2 Litres (Clement and Barclay), now with a
long tailed body, and two other 4 1/2- Litres. Birkin
entered his prototype single-seater supercharged Bentley
and Kaye Don two 4-litre and one 2-litre Sunbeams. There
were five classes each with a time handicap, and all
cars ran in stripped form.
Birkin lapping at 121 m.p.h. developed an oil leak and
dropped back; Jack Barclay had two narrow escapes with
monumental slides, but in turn with Clement continued
to lap at around 110 m.p.h. The Speed Six lapped at
125 but had continual tyre trouble. Birkin's car caught
fire and retired at the same time as one of the 4-litre
Sunbeams and the 2-litre. Clement and Barclay went on
to win at 107-32 m.p.h.
The Speed Six, having made the fastest lap of the day
at 12609 m.p.h., and being ordered to slow down, finished
second at 109-4 m.p.h. Third place went to the remaining
Sunbeam which had broken its frame.
1930 :: DOUBLE TWELVE HOUR, BROOKLANDS
The Works entered two brand new Speed Sixes, Dorothy
Paget three Birkin supercharged 4 1/2 Litres and Durand
a privately owned 4 1/2. 59 cars started including teams
of Talbots and M.G.s in their first race.
On the first day, Kidston, in one of the supercharged
Bentleys, led the two Speed Sixes for a time, then slowed
and later retired with a broken valve. Birkin retired
with a broken frame and Durand's 4 1/2 caught fire and
later retired with a broken back axle. The third supercharged
4 1/2 caught fire at the pits but continued. Clement
led in the Speed Six with Davis in the other Speed Six
in second place. The latter broke a valve spring which
was replaced without the car losing its place. Two of
the Talbots were involved in a serious accident and
the third car of the team was withdrawn.
On the second day the Speed Sixes led comfortably. Marinoni's
Alfa, well ahead of its handicap, retired and Benjafield
refitted a new back axle to the remaining supercharged
Bentley but retired shortly afterwards. Davis' Speed
Six broke another valve spring and later an oil pipe,
both of which were remedied without losing second place.
In the afternoon it rained heavily but at last the race
was over and the two Speed Sixes finished 1st and 2nd
at 86-68 and 85-68 m.p.h. respectively. M.G.s won the
team prize.
The dress rehearsal for Le Mans had proved very successful.
1930 LE MANS
Seventeen starters came to the line, among which were
three Works' Speed Sixes, two of Dorothy Paget's supercharged
4 1/2 Litres and Caracciola's 7-litre Mercedes.
Caracciola led off, pursued by Birkin, who had passed
Kidston in 'Old No. I*. Birkin passed the Mercedes,
lost a rear tread, broke the lap record at 89-69 m.p.h.
and continued for another lap before coming slowly into
the pits. Davis in No. 3 Speed Six increased speed,
on orders, to make the Mercedes keep using its supercharger.
Dunfee took over Davis' car and crashed it. Barnato
and Kidston in turns began to reduce the Mercedes' lead
and finally passed it. On the next lap the Mercedes,
using its supercharger continuously, passed the Bentley
only to be re-passed again. Thereafter the Speed Six
gradually drew away until on the 83rd lap the Mercedes
retired, defeated by the 'World's Finest Sporting Car'.
Both Speed Sixes were ordered to reduce speed to a fast
tour and hold first and second places. Both the Birkin
cars continued during the night in third and fourth
places. Four hours before the end, Birkin's car broke
a connecting rod and an hour later Benja-field's similar
car retired with a broken piston. At 4 p.m. the Barnato/Kidston
Speed Six crossed the line to win Le Mans for the fourth
successive time at a speed of 75 -88 m.p.h. Close behind,
Clement and Watney brought their Speed Six into second
place at 73-73 m.p.h. These two cars also finished first
and second in the Index of Performance.
An interesting sidelight on Bentley's racing is that
'W. O.' never allowed his cars to show more speed than
was necessary to win; in consequence no one knew what
their potential really was. Daimler-Benz completely
underestimated the Speed Six. How much faster the Speed
Six could have gone has never been disclosed but from
strip reports after the race, it was stated both cars
could have continued for another eighteen hours untouched.
Shortly after Le Mans, Bentley Motors announced their
retirement from racing for the time being, so as to
incorporate the lessons they had learned in their production
models.
At the Motor Show of 1930 the magnificent 8 Litre made
its appearance but the clouds of the 'great depression',
spreading from the West, were already looming up on
the horizon.
Darell Berthon, 1966</s> | 2,024 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Over the past thirty plus years in
the collector car hobby, I have been fortunate to have
attended many vintage motor car tours and shows. I have
been particularly interested in Vintage Bentley and
Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp. ("Silver Ghost") cars.
They are right at the top of the list of vintage motorcars
that are still enjoyed "on the road." Today,
some 90 to 100 years after their initial manufacture
dates, they are still being driven and enjoyed by a
very active and vital segment of collector car owners
around the world. The respective organizations catering
to these two marques are amongst the most active of
the entire hobby and I am very fortunate to be able
to participate with them.</s> | 2,025 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
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> | 2,026 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
The unique design has traditional coachwork
construction with aluminum paneling over seasoned ash
with steel wings. The top mechanism is another matter,
however. The car has four lights all of which lower
into the coachwork so as to provide full protection
from the elements with hood up or full open car touring.
With the hood lowered it has nearly a "fold-flat"
appearance.
I assumed until the 2005/6 restoration that this was
a Mulliner design in its entirety. Only when the body
came off and the hood mechanism was removed and disassembled
did I discover that the hood mechanism was a "bought-in"
item and contained a hidden manufacturer's plate. It
is a "Beatonson Patent Head," number 4643
patented by Beaton & Son, London NW 1C.
It is an ingenious affair providing for not only the
folding of the top bows, but the folding of the metal
window frames and channels for all four windows. It
allows for the complete collapse of the lot while accomplishing
the "fold-flat" appearance. It is so complex,
yet sturdy, that Jim and David Pearce would only disassemble
and restore one side at a time while retaining the other
side complete and assembled as a pattern for the reassembly
process.
The door windows utilize the traditional chain operated
window winder assemblies while the rear windows incorporate
"Pullman-type" leather pull straps fitted
into little fitted cubbies in the side paneling to keep
the straps from flopping about when the hood is down.
The window frames for the doors provide for the front
window frame to be fixed to the door in the vertical
position which then nest into the rear of the windscreen
frames while the rearward door window frames simply
fold forward onto the door capping rail. It is a very
clever and tidy arrangement and I have yet to see a
similar installation on any other car although there
must be others, I'm sure.
Although this may be heresy to the "never raise
the hood under any circumstances" bunch, I have
had the hood up in very cold and/or wet weather and
the car is very weather tight and warm — yes I said
warm! The interior is draft free and there is virtually
no wind noise at speeds up to 70 mph. There are little
door and window seals throughout to keep it very civilized.
There is no need for a heater in cold weather driving
with some decent clothing. In fact, the windows need
to be kept open a bit to keep the interior from becoming
too warm. A very civilized arrangement for three-season
touring.
The windscreen is flat and fixed with fixed triangular
front quarter windows. The seat is a very comfortable
and wide bench seat with separate bottom cushions. There
are large map pockets fitted to the doors with full
instrumentation to the dashboard. All of the instruments
are very rare and are as originally supplied with the
chassis. The speedo, oil pressure gauge and main light
switch have the "Big Bentley" script on the
instrument faces. There are auxiliary switches which
operate the dashboard lamps (2), the interior light
(fixed to the rear hood frame and very handy at night)
and the spot lamp. Side cowl vents provide warm weather
ventilation.</s> | 2,027 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
The dickey is large enough for two
average size adults although we remove the seat bottom
and use the rear for luggage when touring. I like to
describe the body as a two door all weather coupe with
dickey.
As an early Big Six, the car came with a tapered radiator
and corresponding tapered bulkhead. The bonnet originally
supplied was "plain" with doors on both sides
which could be opened to provide for ventilation of
the engine compartment and the dynamo was mounted to
the rear of the overhead camshaft.
On 5 June, 1928 at 24,449 miles, the factory records
show that TB2542 was the recipient of factory changes
to the mechanicals and coachwork relating to the change
from a cam-driven dynamo to the more common crankshaft-driven
one. The records note the following changes: "1928
Head Lamps. 1928 mods. fitted. Rad, dynamo, Bonnet Sides,
Camshaft damper, Dashboard blanking plate." Hence
the later-appearing dynamo through the bottom of the
radiator, the louvered bonnet vents and the large round
plate fixed to the passenger side of the firewall where
the Smith's dynamo originally protruded through the
bulkhead. These 1928 changes apparently were post-sale
updates to this early 6½ car that replicated
production design changes made to the production cars
commencing with the cars shown at the 1927 motor show.
At 30,790 miles, on 14 November, 1928 the Dewandre vacuum
brake servo was retro-fitted, again as an update to
bring the car up to the 1927 specifications. The only
1927 spec. change not made to the car was the removal
of the nearside mag. so as to replace it with the Delco-Remy
distributor as provided on the later production 6-cylinder
cars. A "heavy-type" front axle was also fitted.</s> | 2,028 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
The mechanicals of the car are the
same as they were after the 1928 mods. The only other
change was the fitting of a 3.84 diff. replacing the
4.16 "stump puller" (changed as part of the
1976 restoration in South Africa) as originally provided
by the factory. The carburetor is the original Smiths
5-jet which, although certainly not economical (10 US
mpg) with the 3.84 diff., certainly gives fine touring
performance. It retains its "C" box and twin
magneto ignition system utilizing contra-rotating ML-GR
6's. There are two side-mounted spares as when new and
a trunk rack at the rear, a corner of which appears
in the original photograph.
The owner history of the car is: 18 Sep. 1926 - Mrs.
Cholmeley; Apr. 1927 - H.R.G. Colclough, Virginia Water;
Mar. 1931 - O.J. Battine, London; Aug. 1935 - R.C. Brooks,
Ashley Vale, Bristol; 1937 - Desmond Baumann Capetown,
South Africa; 1938 - J.H. Mitchell, Capetown, South
Africa; 1938 Tony Whale-Smith, Rhodesia; Mike Simpkins,
Rusape, Rhodesia; Feb. 64 - K. Anthony White, Capetown
South Africa; Jul. 1977 - Col. R. MacDonald-Hall, Essex;
1983 - Ron Player, Dover, Kent; May 1988 - Helmut Peitz,
Lisbon, Portugal; 2001 - Peter Hageman, Seattle, Washington,
USA; Mar. 2002 - Matthew Sysak, Washington Crossing,
Pennsylvania, USA.
The car, in the ownership of its English owners, had
accumulated approximately 80,000 miles on the clock
when it was exported to South Africa. After going through
owners in South Africa, the car was campaigned including
hill climbs. Eventually, TB2542 was abandoned in a field
on a farm near Rusape, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The
appearance of the car at that time was rough to say
the least as can be seen in the following photo. Notice
how the wings had been modified by the time this photo
was taken. They were changed back to the much more attractive
original shape by Tony White during his 1976 restoration.</s> | 2,029 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
In 1964, Tony White bought the car,
sight unseen, from Tony Whale-Smith. It was not running
and had to be put on an open rail car for transport
to South Africa. After Tony White restored the car (c.
1976) he found the car's performance not to his liking.
He found the performance of a 4½ more suitable.
TB2542 as it appeared following the White restoration:</s> | 2,030 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Consequently, Tony sold the car, via
Stanley Mann, to Col. MacDonald-Hall in 1976. TB2542
was re-registered in the UK. With the assistance of
the BDC, was re-assigned its original registration number,
YR 633.
I have the period advertisements for both Stanley Mann
and Coys from 1976 as offered in Thoroughbred &
Classis Cars for May and July. I also have copies of
numerous bills incurred by the Colonel for the maintenance
of the car on which he lavished substantial sums of
money.
The Colonel and subsequent owners in the UK (Ron Player)
and Portugal (Helmut Peitz) continued to maintain TB2542
until it was sold via a Bonhams auction in 2001. The
2001 purchaser was a dealer in vintage Bentleys, Mr.
Peter Hageman who imported the car into the United States
in 2001.
Peter had the car re-painted in a single-tone claret
while maintaining the brown canvas and the plum interior.
He removed the Grebel head lamps and TB2542's appearance
when I purchased the car in March of 2002 was:</s> | 2,031 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
After my acquisition of TB2542, oil
pressure issues dictated the necessity of serious mechanical
work on the engine. To confirm my diagnosis, I brought
Tony Fabian of Blackmore Engineering at Shoreham-by-Sea
in West Sussex to the US to evaluate the cars mechanicals.
I already had very good experience with Tony as it was
he who rebuilt my 4½ in 1992. We deduced that
a comprehensive engine, gearbox and chassis rebuild
was necessary. This effort including replacing the crankshaft,
pistons, rods, big and small ends and three-throw drive
along with every other system and sub-system. His excellent
work was completed in 2003.
In March of 2004, the car was involved in an accident
which required Tony to again weave his magic. Jim and
David Pearce performed a complete, body-off restoration.
It was at this point that I replaced the head lamps
with the current Grebel units similar to those which
Tony White installed on the car during the 1976 restoration.
It's a great look and the Grebel lamps are so good looking.
Following the 1½ year restoration, we flew to
the UK to join our fellow BDC members at Rousham House
for the concour and 70th anniversary celebration. We
then drove approximately 1,100 miles on a 10-day tour
of York, the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District and
the Cotswolds before returning to the south then home.
We left the car with the Pearces for fettling some minor
bits before the car left the UK for home.
She is a wonderful car to tour with. There is plenty
of power, something on the order of 150 bhp. The assisted
brakes have the initial braking effort of a modern car
but one has to be careful not to overheat them as they
suffer fade from overheating. Sustained use of all mechanical
braking systems are subject to this issue.
The effectiveness of the vacuum assist was exemplified
when the engine stalled approaching the ferry across
one of the lakes on our tour and the increase in braking
effort was enormous — we almost got very very wet.
6-cylnder cars have the reputation for very heavy steering.
TB2542, according to all of those who have driven her
is very nicely balanced and very light for a 6½.
She's not as light as my old 4½ but not nearly
as heavy as the 8 liters I have driven. On the twisty
bits, she can actually be thrown around with some confidence,
for an 81 year-old 6-cylinder car.
And, not lastly, there is that very comfy cabin in foul
weather. Well…………. we put up our
umbrellas when it rains, don't we?
TB2542 was repatriated in July of 2006 and I have driven
the car approximately 900 miles since with no problems.
TB2542 is now a dark non-metallic blue over black with
black canvas and claret interior. The car as it now
appears (the photos are by David Pearce):</s> | 2,032 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
We are registered for the 2007 North
American Vintage Bentley Meet in May of 2007 at Cooperstown,
New York and we plan to drive there and back. We are
also registered for the 2007 Vintage Bentley Tour of
South Africa. I hope to meet up with Tony White at Capetown
so that he can again enjoy seeing TB2542 and we can
compare notes.
TB2542 has certainly had an interesting 81-year life
and came close to an ignominious end in that field in
Rhodesia. Were it not for Tony White, it is very possible
that the car would have been lost forever. The vintage
Bentley movement would have been the poorer as the result.
I owe Tony a debt of gratitude.
She has risen like the fabled Phoenix and shines in
her present glory. Once more to please those who view
and drive her.</s> | 2,033 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
I had been nurtured in an atmosphere
that loved the best in car design. As soon as I was
strong enough to carry the heavy bound volumes of my
father's carefully treasured Autocars; my eye became
familiar with the proud leviathans of the 1920s…
As soon as I was able to read for myself, the fond volumes
of "Sammy" Davis and Tim Birkin, their white
overalls shining as armour, completely captured my schoolboy
imagination. They were my heroes, these men who time
and again rode those monstrous steeds, who time and
again won the victor's laurels for the winged B, and
carried the green of England's countryside supreme.
Above all in my mind stood the architect, whose name
the magnificent cars bore. Continued...</s> | 2,034 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
"Well, of course, my boy,
if you persist in this folly you can't expect me to
back you, financially or otherwise." That was that.
I had sacrificed parental sympathy to an ambition. I
had lost a father and gained, as my first car, a 1924
Red Label Bentley; dubious progress, I felt at the time.
However, in my case the choice of car was inevitable,
and my esteemed parent was, in part, to blame.
I had been nurtured in an atmosphere that loved the
best in car design. As soon as I was strong enough to
carry the heavy bound volumes of my father's carefully
treasured Autocars; my eye became familiar with
those proud leviathans of the 1920s, whose struggles
at Sarthe, Brooklands and Belfast seemed so much in
the epic tradition. As soon as I was able to read for
myself, the fond volumes of "Sammy" Davis
and Tim Birkin, their white overalls shining as armour,
completely captured my schoolboy imagination. They were
my heroes, these men who time and again rode those monstrous
steeds, who time and again won the victor's laurels
for the winged B, and carried the green of England's
countryside supreme. Above all in my mind stood the
architect, whose name the magnificent cars bore.
Thus you can realize that, when I first saw Le Camion
lurking at the back of a Salisbury garage, it was not
for me just a ponderous bulk under dust sheets. Dirty
(she had been laid up for some time) and old. But to
my eyes there was a halo, albeit somewhat askew, over
the radiator cap.
Naturally the appeal of the marque in this modern
age has changed. An old Bentley at Le Mans today would
be pathetic. They are by no means economical. They are
not a car for the lover of comfort. All this, when considering
purchase, I told myself, and was told repeatedly by
my concerned and well meaning family. The horrors of
colossal maintenance costs, of unreliability amounting
to danger, of the starkness of winter motoring-all I
had detailed to me with the most minute precision. However,
sentiment and stubbornness triumphed over reason. I
bought the car and for good or ill became bound to the
Bentley tradition by no small financial stake.
At length the car was mine. The cheques were cleared
and Le Camion, newly taxed and insured, waited for me
to take possession. A small group of my friends stood
by watching, waiting, amused; and-such is human vanity-I
hope no little impressed. My feelings, having had no
experience of vintage motoring before this, my first
solo, were a strange mixture. The thrill of ownership
was tempered by unease; I was about to test a childhood
dream: by respect, Le Camion was ten years my senior,
and therefore warranted deferential treatment; and by
fear, for the line of the car betokened a proud, wilful
spirit, scornful of all but the most expert handling.
The gear box, moreover, held for my imagination all
the mystery of the unknown, and I was but newly through
the driving test:
My friends were growing restless at my contemplation
of this, my irrevocable act The "Moment of Truth''
could be postponed no longer.
As debonair as possible, I vaulted into the driving
seat, there being no door on the off side. Anxious to
make as little noise as possible, I held the clutch
down for, it seemed, aeons, before moving the gear lever
hesitantly forward.
Sweetly the gear moved home. Crisply the note of die
exhaust rose as I accelerated. Harshly the engine juddered
to a standstill as I let the clutch in.
Of course, I had forgotten to release the handbrake,
so remote was it on the exterior of the scuttle. I carried
off this set-back as well as I could, though not without
the aid of a few expletives necessary to quell my by
now jeering audience. On the second attempt, however,
I moved off without a hitch, and with considerable dignity.
It was not until out on the open road, with my skill
improving, that I had at last the time and the confidence
for reflection. The classic lines of Le Camion were
indeed those of which I had dreamed, and the motion
of this bulk of machinery delightfully lively, and directly
and easily controllable.
The Bentley had become my reality. Fortunately I was
in love with Le Camion. I had to be. I couldn't afford
to be otherwise.
Familiarity breeds contempt. Bentley no longer inspires
dreams of steering wheels jerking under blistering hands,
of the roar of heavy cars circulating Le Mans with rev
counter needles dipping sharply over the white vibrating
figures, of a crashed and twisted 3-litre passing in
1927 the chequered flag. But this, after all, is the
background of this fine breed, and the cars still do
carry something of the atmosphere with them.
Particularly on a summer day, when the air is clear
and the road, slightly dusty, is reflecting the heat-then
the joy of motoring becomes real The verve of a thirty-year-old
car performing like a colt is answered by an exhilaration
in the blood.
These cars possess character. Their design conception
is magnificent, with perfection evident in every component
and in every hand reamed bolt-hole. The controls are
hard and positive. One can feel under one's hands exactly
how the car is behaving. I had never before encountered
such admirable handling characteristics. It seems almost
tragic that we have today, in so many cases, forsaken
such soundness, if harshness, of design; a trend I can
attribute only to the appearance of the woman driver.
The engine in its day must have been supremely efficient,
and it still surprises me with its flexibility. Of the
horrors of age I have found but few. Unfortunately the
car did need a major repair. When bought, the valves
were burned out, and bearings slack, but then Le Camion
was cheap in relation to others of her marque.
Since then the reliability has been unquestioned.
Minor repairs I am capable of performing myself. Spare
parts are easily obtainable with the help of a club
dedicated to the preservation of this species. Such
indeed is die camaraderie of the club that I found,
on leaving Le Camion outside an Edinburgh theatre, an
invitation on the windscreen to contact a total stranger.
Total? Well hardly. He owned a Bentley as well.
You know even father has a fond gleam whenever he sees
Le Camion and asks if he may drive. Not that I always
let him.</s> | 2,035 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
In the 1930 period, when there was
a much larger number of big cars on the market, chassis
were built, as a matter of course, to be fitted with
standard bodywork by the manufacturers, or with coachwork
produced by specialized firms. Within the performance
requirement of the average buyer, this system of chassis-plus-bodywork
was perfectly satisfactory, but when one came to a luxury
car such as the Bentley, the situation was markedly
different; to produce the best results, the tout
ensemble in excellence had to be matched to a much
closer degree, especially with closed bodywork. Continued...</s> | 2,036 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
So many changes
have occurred in the development of engines and cars
during the last quarter of a century that mere consideration
of the famous 8-litre Bentley car must inevitably excite
the query as to why a model with such an enormous engine
capacity should have been designed for sale as a standard
product.
During those years, and especially since the last war,
the drive with British manufacturers has been steadily
towards smaller engine capacities, higher power and
torque, lower fuel consumption and general all-round
economy; engine capacities now are seldom more than
4 1/2 litres in the larger cars, while 3,000 c.c. or
much less has been ample for many high-performance cars.
Although engine capacities have tended to become very
much smaller over the years, the outstanding feature
in car design has been, nevertheless, the virtual abandonment
by the majority of manufacturers of the production and
sale of separate chassis in favour of the integral construction
vehicle, enabling the makers to retain full control
of the design of the car and engine and its ultimate
performance, with cost-cutting applied in every possible
direction.
In the 1930 period, when there was a much larger number
of big cars on the market, chassis were built, as a
matter of course, to be fitted with standard bodywork
by the manufacturers, or with coachwork produced by
specialized firms. Within the performance requirement
of the average buyer, this system of chassis-plus-bodywork
was perfectly satisfactory, but when one came to a luxury
car such as the Bentley, the situation was markedly
different; to produce the best results, the tout
ensemble in excellence had to be matched to a much
closer degree, especially with closed bodywork.
The 8-litre, six-cylinder Bentley chassis was the last
of a series to be produced by W. O. Bentley before the
reorganization into the present company, and it was
designed to take almost any type of passenger bodywork
that could be fitted to the chassis, irrespective of
its bulk, height and weight, and to maintain a speed
of a genuine 100 m.p.h. with the maximum of reliability
and roadworthiness and at the same time the manners
of a good town carriage. Whereas, with other Bentley
chassis, there were always some limitations as to bodywork
weight and so on, none applied to the 8-litre model,
such was the capacity of this giant.
Specification
To cater for what might occur in the matter of all-up
weight, air drag, passenger and luggage weight, fuel
for long-distance travel and other imponderables, W.
O. Bentley designed a big engine on very much the same
lines as the previous 6i-litre six-cylinder, but with
a capacity increased from 6,597 c.c. to 7,982 c.c, and
fitted it into a long wheelbase chassis. The prime characteristics
of engine behaviour had to be: Maximum r.p.m. not much
higher than 3,000, sustained and smooth pulling power
over a wide speed range, freedom from major servicing
over long periods and complete reliability for high-speed
motoring. Petrol in those days varied from 1s 2 1/2d
to 1s 4 1/2d a gallon, so that fuel consumption at 10-15
miles per gallon represented a total cost no higher
than would be the case with a much smaller car at the
present time.
In the range of Bentley engines, from the early 3-litre
four-cylinder unit to the big 8-litre six-cylinder,
W. O. Bentley had always shown a strong individuality
and taste in design. This was exemplified in the adoption
of four valves per cylinder to obtain ample cooling
of valve seats and other locally hot areas; non-detachable
cylinder heads; built-up cylinder water jackets for
internal access to cylinder and head castings; lightweight
connecting rods and crankshaft; multiple crankshaft
bearings; neatly arranged and very accessible auxiliaries;
and a superb finish inside and outside the engine. Externally,
every Bentley engine had to be faultless to the connoisseur-
none more so than the vast 8-litre.
With a bore and stroke of 110 by 140 mm, the 8-litre
engine pulls standard top gear ratios of 3.533, 3.785
or 4.071 to 1, according to the rear axle chosen; on
seven special chassis a ratio as high as 3.3 to 1 was
fitted. This, with a tyre size of 7.00 x 21in, resulted
in a speed of 32 m.p.h. per 1,000 r.p.m. in top gear.
At 5.3 to 1 compression ratio, 225 b.h.p. was developed
at 3,500 r.p.m.; at 6.1 to 1, 230 b.h.p. at 3,300 r.p.m.
Getting Inside
The cast-iron cylinder block has side plates of stainless
steel secured by a multitude of 2 B.A. studs and nuts,
to facilitate full inspection and cleaning of the jacketing
and also the cylinder casting generally. A detachable
plate on top also enables the interior of the cylinder
head to be examined when necessary. The block is secured
to the Elektron crankcase by pairs of long bolts extending
to the main crankshaft bearing caps, the upper nuts
of which are concealed behind the lower extension of
the water jacket plates.
As was common in the days when it was designed, the
crankshaft, of marine design, has no balance weights,
but is supported by seven main bearings, and has, at
the front, a large multi-plate friction damper, which
is assisted in its work by the driving of a large dynamo.
An eighth main bearing, just ahead of the flywheel,
acts as a rear support for the shaft. The connecting
rods, which are machined all over, are light in weight
and small of mass, and both crankshaft and rod bearings
are of white metal and steel backed. The alloy split
skirt pistons, each with two compression and two scraper
rings, have fully floating gudgeon pins provided with
soft metal end caps. Lubrication of the main and other
bearings is effected in the normal manner from an oil
pump in the rear part of the Elektron five-gallon sump,
the drilled crankshaft being fed from a fore and aft
gallery pipe below the main bearing caps.
An outstanding attraction of this great engine is the
layout of the drives to the overhead camshaft and auxiliaries,
there being possibly no other engine in the world which
could provoke such interest in these respects. In his
early days, W. O. Bentley was a locomotive engineer
apprentice in the old G.N.R. shops at Doncaster, and
readers who may be conversant with earlier G.N.R. designs
will recall the classic beauty and neatness of the locomotives
built in these works. Something of this same regard
for design was exhibited when W. O. Bentley produced
die 8-litre engine, with a predilection for finely finished
parts and excellence of detail arrangement.
To ensure a sweet, smooth and completely silent drive
to the overhead camshaft, Bentley introduced a coupled
rod mechanism which was a counterpart of the driving
wheel side rods on a locomotive, except that three coupling
rods were used instead of two.
In the Bentley, a miniature three-throw crankshaft located
in bearings in the after part of the crankcase is driven
by helical gearwheels at a 2 to 1 ratio from the main
crankshaft, the throws being, set at 120 deg to each
other. At the rear end of the overhead camshaft is a
duplicate of the three-throw crankshaft in the crankcase,
and the pair of shafts are coupled together by three
vertical rods, each having bearings at top and bottom.
Locomotive-type
A pair of shafts, each with two throws set at 90 deg
(as the driving wheel crankpins are set on a locomotive),
would transmit the drive to the camshaft perfectly well,
but owing to the fact that the crankpins on the three-throw
shafts of the Bentley engine are so large in relation
to their throw that they are, in effect, eccentrics,
a triple rod drive to the camshaft was substituted to
ensure a very low-friction transmissions, with a completely
even torque, combined with almost perfect silence in
running.
The large bearings at the upper and lower ends of the
coupling rods are split for assembly with the one-piece
crankshafts, but in order to compensate for slight variations
of the cylinder block height under temperature variation,
a series of ground washers are fitted on the shafts
of the coupling rods, above and below the halves of
the upper bearings, the fractionally small clearances
between the washers being filled with oil from the engine
lubrication system. In effect, the washers can breathe
oil and pulsate to allow the upper bearing to move vertically
in sympathy with the upward expansion of the cylinder
block, with no appreciable play in the bearing itself.
In normal practice, the system of drive to the camshaft
requires no periodical attention or adjustment whatever,
over mileages of as much as 50,000 to 70,000 miles,
while, of course, the take-off point for the drive from
the rear end of the crankshaft is ideal. A disadvantage
of the system, seen through modern eyes, is the substantial
addition to the overall length of the engine, which
now could no doubt be materially reduced by suitable
design and manufacturing methods.
As was standard on all previous Bentley engines, the
main casing above the cylinder block of the 8-litre
contains an internal casing carrying the camshaft and
rocker assembly, from which one cam operates a pair
of inlet valves, while two cams are used for the two
exhaust valves for each cylinder. Long detachable side
plates permit feeler adjustment of the rockers and valve
stems, but adjustment is seldom needed in view of the
size and reliability of the engine.
With such a large -capacity, the fitting of two sparking
plugs per cylinder was considered a necessity, the plugs
on the exhaust side of the engine being energized by
a coil, while the others (on the induction side) are
operated by a magneto. A cross shaft, skew gear driven
from the camshaft and mounted in the rear of the camshaft
outer casing, drives the distributor and contact breaker
on the left side, and also the magneto on the right
side, giving perfect accessibility to these electrical
components and their wiring and controls.
The setting of the camshaft is distinguished by the
unusual location of two units; a friction damper at
the rear end and the centrifugal water pump at the front
end, the latter delivering water by a short, curved
pipe into the front end of the cylinder jacket and thence
to an internal gallery pipe and jets which direct the
coolant to the exhaust ports. The only auxiliary not
operated from the camshaft is the fan, which is belt
driven from the front end of the crank- shaft. The whole
setting of the auxiliaries and their method of drive
is a masterly piece of design, enabling the engine to
have an exceptionally clean and orderly appearance seldom
seen on modern power units.
The carburation system comprises two very large bore
S.U. carburettors, connected to a common induction manifold
and leading to the twelve inlet valves, and a miniature
idling carburettor mounted midway between the two main
instruments and feeding mixture through small bore pipes
to a point near each main throttle. This small carburettor,
which draws fuel from one of the main float chambers,
was fitted to obtain an economical mixture for slow
idling, which is essential for a big engine used for
town work.
Two other prominent features of the 8-litre unit, which
put W. O. Bentley far ahead of his time, are the three-point
rubber suspension of the engine, and the positive engagement
of the starter pinion before the motor is energized.
The separately located gear box, it may be noted, is
also mounted on rubber, again at three points.
Much has been written on the general performance of
the 8-litre model and of its capacity to eat up the
miles, but unquestionably its appeal to the present-day
motorist would be its very size and capacity to pull
like a giant with just a whiff of throttle, if only
one could afford nowadays to motor with such a car.
W. O. Bentley has said that he used regularly to leave
his London office at 9 a.m. in his 8-litre, have an
early lunch at Catterick, visit Carlisle, and then be
back in London the same evening-some 600 miles in not
much more than twelve hours. Then there was W. O.'s
famous run between Dieppe and Cannes during daylight
hours, among other feats of very fast touring in the
'thirties, while an 8-litre Bentley was the first to
lap Brooklands at over 100 m.p.h. with closed bodywork.
The average weight of an 8-litre saloon is 48 to 50
cwt, the chassis being very strongly built to cope with
high speeds. A number of the cars are still in very
good running condition, and certain engines have been
converted to diree carburettors, still further to increase
performance, the maximum horsepower being raised in
one case to 268.</s> | 2,037 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
As early as 1925 it became apparent
to the designer of the, by then, world-famous 3-litre,
that an entirely different type of car was required,
to meet the needs of a different class of motorist.
Such a car should have the attributes of a highspeed
touring chassis, should be capable of carrying the enclosed
coachwork of the time, and should handle like a dignified
town-carriage. The development of such a car was no
mean task and "W.O", ably assisted by the
redoubtable "K.M.", set about designing a
prototype based on their experience with the 3-litre.
The six-cylinder evolved closely followed the well-tried
layout of the 3-litre, but incorporated several new
features. Continued...</s> | 2,038 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
So much publicity
has been attracted by both the famous four-cylinder
Bentleys, by reason of the niche which they carved for
themselves in the annals of motoring sport during the
1920s, that it is not easy to write an article capable
of doing justice to that rather more dignified big brother,
the 6 1/2-litre "Big Six," which was outstanding
among the cars of nearly twenty years ago.
Dignified-yes-but let us not forget that it was one
of these models which, in the hands of those immortal
drivers "Babe" Barnato and "Tim"
Birkin, set the final seals on the racing career of
the Bentley in those memorable years at Le Mans in 1929
and 1930.
Readers of this journal will not need to be reminded
of the more recent achievements of the 6 1/2-litre in
the hands of enthusiasts, and future successes will
doubtless be chronicled as they arise.
This article was planned three years ago as the third
in a series on Bentleys, and it is hoped that it will
prove a worthy successor to those on the 3-litre and
4 1/2-litre which have already appeared in MOTOR SPORT.
As early as 1925 it became apparent to the designer
of the, by then, world-famous 3-litre, that an entirely
different type of car was required, to meet the needs
of a different class of motorist. Such a car should
have the attributes of a highspeed touring chassis,
should be capable of carrying the enclosed coachwork
of the time, and should handle like a dignified town-carriage.
The development of such a car was no mean task and "W.O",
ably assisted by the redoubtable "K.M.", set
about designing a prototype based on their experience
with the 3-litre. The six-cylinder evolved closely followed
the well-tried layout of the 3-litre, but incorporated
several new features, of which the more important were:
* Six-cylinder engine, 80-mm. bore by 140-mm stroke.
* Coupling-rod-driven overhead camshaft.
* Redesigned frame to carry coachwork of more generous
proportions.
* Redesigned rear axle gear-case to take a new range
of rear axle ratios.
* Gearbox with different ratios to suit this class of
car.
* Redesigned steering assembly.
* As far as is known it was the first motorcar engine
to be flexibly mounted on rubber blocks.
(The mathematically-minded will have observed that this
first "6 1/2-litre" was indeed a 4 1/2-litre!)
Experimental work proved the necessity for various alterations
and culminated in the adoption of a 100-mm. bore 6 1/2-litre
engine as the standard power unit. The increase in engine
size was not entirely unconnected with an unpremeditated
"dice", in France, between the prototype and
the first experimental "Phantom I" Rolls-Royce,
in which "The Sun"-for that is the name under
which the first Bentley Six was registered -had too
little in hand for the liking of "W.O.", who
was driving at the time. The 6 1/2-litre engine developed
140 b.h.p. at 3,500 r.p.m., and its excellent power
output at low r.p.m. met the demands likely to be made
upon a chassis designed for the dual role of town carriage
and high-speed touring car.
The specification of the first production models was
as follows :
Engine. —Six-cylinder, 100-mm bore by 140-mm
stroke, 6,597 c.c.
Four overhead valves per cylinder.
Coupling-rod-driven overhead camshaft.
Compression ratio: 4.4 to 1
Duralumin rockers. Ball-end tappet screws.
Dual ignition by two magnetos.
Thermostatically-controlled water circulation.
Celeron reduction gears, 30 by 60T.
Autovac fuel feed. Single Smith Type 50BVS./C. carburetter.
Clutch. — Single-plate type, Halo lined.
Single-plate clutch-stop.
Gearbox. — B.S. type. Indirect ratios: 3rd,
1.278; 2nd, 1.823; 1st and reverse, 3.364.
Steering. — Worm and sector type.
Rear axle. — Spiral bevel gears, ratio 4.16
to 1.
General. — Wheelbase 11 ft. and 12 ft. 33
in. by 6.75-in. tyres; 21-in. rims. 19-gallon petrol
tank. "Telegauge" petrol gauge. Smith double-pole
lighting and starting.
Road speed at 3,500 r.p.m. = 84m.p.h.
Chassis price, £1,450.
The first models had a half engine-speed dynamo, driven
from the camshaft and located on the aluminium bulkhead
as in the 3-litre, but the majority of these chassis
were later modified to the engine-speed dynamo driven
from the nose of the crankshaft, the radiator shell
being altered to suit. Few, if any, of the original
radiator shells are in existence today.
At this point it is convenient to deal with some aspects
of the operation of that somewhat complicated, but nevertheless
reliable type of camshaft drive, the coupling-rod crank-drive-frequently
referred to incorrectly as the "eccentric drive."
Broadly, the system consists of a helical gear-driven,
three-throw crankshaft, having the crank throws at 120
deg., to which are coupled three specially-designed
connecting-rods, which in turn are connected to a driven
crankshaft of similar dimensions direct coupled to the
over-head camshaft. The upper big-end bearings of these
connecting rods are fitted with an expansion-compensating
device to counteract changes in crankpin centres due
to temperature variations, and it is this device at
the camshaft end of the coupling rods, which appears
so complicated to the uninitiated. In the early production
models the device comprised four heavy, square-section
coil springs per coupling-rod, two on either side of
each big-end bearing, so adjusted, by means of suitable
spacing-washers and spring pressures, as to allow automatic
self-adjustment of the centres of the connecting-rod
bearings to suit the alterations in the centres of the
driving and driven crankshafts, as the direct result
of any expansion or contraction caused by temperature
variations in the engine unit. The actual dimensional
centre variations are comparatively small, being of
the order of from 0.016 in. to 0.018 in.
It was soon found that these heavy coil springs were
prone to fatigue fracture under certain engine running-conditions
(periodicity) and, although the number of failures was
small, they were replaced by a novel substitute known
as the " washer drive." This washer-drive
substitute for the spring drive consisted of a tubular
steel spool upon which were assembled forty-nine 25-s.w.g.
(0.020 in.) spring steel washers, each assembly being
dimensionally the same as the coil spring it replaced.
The successful operation of this washer assembly depended
upon the slight " dish " in the thin spring-steel
washers, plus the oil-film between each of the washers,
for the necessary spring pressures to compensate for
the centre variations. In practice these washer-drive
units, once correctly adjusted, remained constant dimensionally
for practically the life of the car.
The setting of these drive unit coupling-rods is a simple
operation requiring two ground mandrels 4 in. in length,
the diameters of which are ground parallel to suit the
bores of the connecting-rods (i.e., the driving and
driven crankshaft diameters), and a V-footed vernier
measuring-rig for measuring between the top diameters
of the centre driving crank-pin and the underside of
the centre driven crank-pin with both crankshafts on
top centre.
The Celeron reduction gear having been correctly meshed,
the centres of the crank-pins of the driving and driven
crankshafts are measured with the vernier. The two mandrels
are now inserted into one of the coupling-rod big-end
bearing assemblies and the centres for the crank-pins
checked, and so adjusted by means of spacing washers
under the bottom pair of washer-drive units as to give
the crankshaft centre dimension plus 0.018 in. with
the assembly "tightened down" on to a 0.022-in.
erecting shim under each washer-drive. The bearing securing-studs
are then filed flush with the top of each securing-nut
and are stamped with an "O" half of which
is on the stud and half of which is on the nut, to ensure
correct assembly. The connecting-rod assembly is then
stripped down and the 0.022-in. erecting shim removed,
thus giving the necessary controlled float (0.022 in.)
to the top big-end bearing to allow for crank-pin centre
variations when the final assembly of the drive is made.
The remaining two connecting-rods are adjusted in a
similar manner.
Due allowance was made in the design of the reduction
gear assembly for any gear-meshing adjustments by the
incorporation of eccentrically-machined bearing bushes
in the driving crankshaft bearing design. These bushes
are flanged; the flanges are slotted and the slots are
numbered for reference purposes and are locked by a
steel-tab extension from the bearing-cap housing. The
movement of these bearings from one slot position to
the next moves the camshaft driving crank approximately
0.005 in. into or out of mesh, according to the direction
of rotation of the bushings. The total slot movements
are:
From 0 to 1, zero ; from 1 to 2, 0.004 in.
From 1 to 3, 0.009 in.; from 1 to 4, 0.014 in.
From 1 to 5, 0.020 in.; from 1 to 6, 0.026 in.
From 1 to 7, 0.031 in.; from 1 to 8, 0.035 in.
From 1 to 9, 0.039 in.; or one millimetre travel from
minimum to maximum.
Another development introduced with the advent of the
6 1/2-litre was the ball-ended tappet screw, designed
to give 100 per cent valve-tip contact with the tappet-adjuster
screw, despite the use of overhead rockers, thus eliminating
the centre-punch effect of the orthodox tappet-screw
on the valve stem face, and, by so doing, reducing the
need for tappet adjustment to very infrequent intervals.
These ball-ended tappet-adjuster screws have, however,
one vice which presents little difficulty to those with
the " know how." If used in an inadequately
vented closed valve-chest they sometimes develop a squeak
or " stick " slightly when the car has stood
idle for a week or so. This trouble is due to the formation
of rust between the ball and socket and can be eliminated
by the introduction of a small quantity of paraffin
into the offending hollow tappet-screw.
Another refinement used for the first time as standard
equipment was the crankshaft torsional damper of the
conventional multi-disc type. Fitted to the front end
of the crankshaft, this self-contained unit, when adjusted
to slip at 60 to 80 foot-pounds, required attention
only at infrequent intervals.
A thermostatically-controlled cooling circuit of unconventional
design completed the layout of this very efficient power
unit. It consisted of two distinct water circulation
circuits regulated by a thermostatically-controlled
valve of ample proportions. In the " cold-engine
" circuit the thermostat by-passed the radiator
except for a small leakage to prevent freezing-up. With
the engine hot, the valve in the open position allowed
the coolant access to the radiator. The whole system
of cylinder block circuits was concealed within the
cylinder block and the front cylinder-block jacket-plate.
The single Smith 5-jet Type 50 BVS/C carburetter supplied
the mixture to a water-jacketed induction pipe of the
"Ram's Horn" balanced-flow type. In view of
the frequent queries raised concerning correct jet sizes
and positions in the jet-platform, perhaps a few words
on this subject would not be out of place.
The 5-jet Smith carburetter consists of an orthodox
float chamber and float mechanism feeding a jet platform,
in which are drilled and tapped five holes to take the
five screw-in " pedestal" jets ; i.e., four
power jets and one slow-running well-jet. This jet carrier
is secured to the base of the carburetter, the four
power-jets projecting into the port block choke or ports.
The port block, cylindrical in form, projects into the
body of the carburetter proper, its flanged base being
secured to the carburetter base, forming the joint cover
of the slow-running annulus machined in the carburetter
base fed by the slow-running tube and the fifth, or
well, jet. Mounted on a cylindrical bronze guide, a
streamlined air valve slides over the machined cylindrical
extension of the port block. This air valve is suction-operated
by the depression in the induction pipe, and governs
the mixture supply and strength according to engine
demands by opening and closing the port openings in
the port block leading from the chokes in the base of
the port block.
As these chokes or ports are of varying sizes, the jets
are of necessity of various sizes, and it is of paramount
importance that the correct size jet is fitted to the
correctly numbered jet orifice in the jet platform.
The jet sizes are: Well, 40/45; No. I, 50/65; No. 2,
140; No. 3, 120/130; No. 4, 85/115.
A starting device or strangler and a mixture control
is incorporated in the design and consists of a cam-operated
sleeve sliding over the well jet which, in the "
full rich " position, closes the air supply to
the well jet, and in the " full weak " position,
opens a series of holes in the base of the port block.
This carburetter is very reliable and, apart from choked
jets, the only troubles likely to occur are : (a) air
valve inclined to stick or become sluggish in action,
and (b) slow-running annulus choked or orifice masked
by new joint.
The steering-box, of the orthodox semi-reversible worm
and segment type, was of entirely new design incorporating
a meshing arrangement consisting of an eccentrically
- machined, slotted - sleeve bearing for the segment
shaft. After removing the securing tab and slackening
off the sleeve pinch-bolt, the rotation of this sleeve
moved the segment into or out of mesh, according to
the direction of rotation. End float was adjusted by
the method common to all Bentley chassis, viz., the
steel sleeve with inclined slots secured by two pinch-bolts
at the base of the box casting.
As in the 3-litre, the brakes were fully mechanically
operated, but the front brakes were " push-rod"
operated in order to utilize the considerable self-energisation
developed by the torsional effect of the brakes on the
front axle assembly. The method was a phase in the development
of the " reversed action " front brakes used
so effectively at Le Mans.
The first 6 1/2-litre chassis (WB 2551) took the road
in March, 1926. In frontal appearance it differed slightly
from later models by reason of the absence of the casing
carrying the engine-speed dynamo driven from the crankshaft,
as the dynamo was camshaft-driven at the rear end of
the engine.
One of the first modifications was the introduction
of the long-range E.R.6 magneto to cope with the extra
flexibility demanded from the engine by town- running
conditions.
Clutch judder evidenced itself in those cars used chiefly
for town work and at first the use of first engagement
cork inserts was tried effectively, until the advent
of the spring-loaded pressure plate at chassis No. DH
2204 in February, 1927.
The drain on batteries resulting from starting an engine
of this capacity coupled with the difficulty in keeping
batteries in a fully-charged condition on cars used
solely for town work led to the fitting of Ki-gass injectors
to all chassis and the development of the five-brush,
crankshaft-driven dynamo referred to earlier. The first
chassis with the re-designed radiator allowing for this
dynamo, the casing of which was secured to the front
engine-bearer, appeared at the 1927 Motor Show. The
radiator with its fuller profile and deeper (100 mm.
section) matrix greatly enhanced the frontal aspect
and was to remain a distinguishing feature throughout
the 6 1/2-litre's career.
Other modifications incorporated in the 1927 Show model,
and introduced as standard from chassis No. KD 2121,
included a torsional camshaft damper to replace the
damping effect of the camshaft-driven dynamo ; coil
ignition for the first time as a standard fitment to
Bent-leys ; the enclosed-joint, balanced propeller shaft
(soon to become known as the Hardy-Spicer shaft) in
place of the open shaft and plunging joint used hitherto;
and Dewandre servo brakes. These chassis had an enthusiastic
reception from discerning motorists and development
work proceeded apace. A magneto anti-vibrator was added
at chassis No. MD 2649 and single-pole wiring at chassis
No. FA 2514. At the same time the camshaft oilbath was
introduced to prevent" rocker roller pick-up,"
a modification which proved to be the most effective
as yet produced to overcome this spasmodic trouble.
About this time (September, 1928) rumours were afoot
that there was every possibility that a "Speed
Model" of this chassis had been scheduled for development
and early production. Much development work was, in
fact, proceeding behind the scenes and culminated in
the production of an entirely new type of chassis to
be known as the " Speed Six." The first of
these chassis to be laid down was chassis No. WT 2265
and the principal alterations in design were as follows:
High-compression pistons, giving 5.3 to 1 compression-ratio.
Twin S.U. carburetters. BM 7032 camshaft. 0.019 in.
tappet clearance.
"C"-type gearbox with indirect ratios -3rd,
1.357 to 1; 2nd, 1.823 to 1; 1st and reverse, 3.364
to 1.
3.84 to 1 rear axle ratio.
(BM 7055 camshaft with 0.006 in. tappet clearance was
available as an alternative to BM 7032 for use with
closed coachwork.)
The radiator was redesigned-the sides were parallel
whereas the "standard" 6 1/2-litre radiator
had a pronounced taper inwards at the bottom-and the
"winged-B" had a green label.
From a commercial standpoint the "Speed Six"
development had to include exploration of the probabilities
and possibilities of this car superseding the now hard-pressed
4 1/2-litre in the competition field. Intensive development
work was carried out unobtrusively. Air flow tests were
made, the cylinder block was redesigned, port areas
were altered, and brake endurance tests were carried
out.
Eventually the first Le Mans-type "Speed Six"
chassis No. LB 2332, took the road and as its preliminary
try-out ran in the "Double-Twelve" race at
Brooklands in May, 1929. Although ill-luck dogged the
chassis premiere, the dynamo coupling disintegrating
when victory seemed assured, the general performance
exceeded all expectations.
The brief specification of the first " Le Mans
Speed Six " chassis was as follows:
Engine — Hour-glass pistons, 5.8 to 1 compression-ratio.
BM 7032 camshaft. Single-port cylinder block. Flat type
inlet valves. Five-gallon sump. Large capacity oil pump.
Increased oil feed to main and big-end bearings. Heavy-section,
direct-metalled connecting rods. "Mintex"
crankshaft torsional damper. Twin S.U. carburetters,
Type HVG5. Straight-toothed metal reduction gears.
Clutch — Single plate. Steel pressure plate.
Reinforced clutch stop.
Gearbox — "D" type. Indirect ratios
- 3rd, 1.33 to 1; 2nd, 1.63 to 1; 1st and reverse, 2.64
to 1.
Rear axle — Straight-toothed bevels. (16/48=3
to 1 ratio.)
Brakes — Standard.
General — Wheelbase lift. 6 in. 32-in. by
6 in. road-racing tyres. 45-gallon petrol tank. Autopulse
petrol feed. Duplex fuel lines. Smith five-brush dynamo.
4LSA starter motor. Lucas lamps. Young 84-amp. hour-capacity
battery.
The "Speed Six" entered the lists of competition
in 1929 and immediately combined with its four-cylinder
stable companions to set England's star higher in the
firmament of international motor racing than ever before
or, alas, since.
On May 10th, the car which was afterwards to be dubbed
"Old No. 1" came to the starting line for
the " Double-Twelve" at Brooklands. It was
driven by "Babe" Barnato and J. D. Benjafield,
bore the number 2 and, after an excellent performance
during which several laps in the region of 92 m.p.h.
were completed, retired owing to a fracture in the dynamo-drive.
The 24-hour race at Le Mans that year needs little recapitulation
to any enthusiast, for Bentleys filled the first four
places and nobody else had a look in. No. 1 "Speed
Six" more than made amends for her failure in the
"Double-Twelve" by winning the race, in the
experienced hands of Woolf Barnato and "Tim"
Birkin. She averaged 73.63 m.p.h., covered 1,767 miles
in the process and, just for good measure, gained the
Rudge Cup as well. It was the first occasion upon which
the winner of the Grand Prix d'Endurance had also carried
off this cup.
It is most interesting to read the contemporary report
of Mr. Clarke on this chassis:
(a) During practic: Slight steering-instability
reported and rectified by balancing the practice wheels
and adjusting shock-dampers. Oil pressure-60 lbs.
(b) During race: Brake adjustment-used up at
the 20th hour.
(c) After race: (strip report)
Engine: Nothing to report. Exhaust valves and
valve springs changed as a precautionary measure only.
Clutch; Nothing to report. Clutch-stop locating
ears fractured.
Gearbox: Nothing to report. Main-shaft, first
motion shaft and journal bearings changed as a precautionary
measure.
Rear axle: Crown-wheel and pinion -slight signs
of pitting, otherwise O.K. Pinion thrust-race disintegrated.
Otherwise O.K.
Brakes: Relined: Two rear drums changed as a
precautionary measure (local hot spot).
Frame: Small fracture through front engine bearer
engine securing bolt hole. Signs of fracture where front
wing stay palms connected to neutral section of frame
channel due to 'fidgeting.'
Truly a remarkable strip report after a gruelling race
of this calibre.
On the 29th of the same month, "Old No. 1"
was back again at Brooklands for the Six-Hour Race,
still driven by " Babe," but this time with
Jack Dunfee as co-driver. It bore the number 3 and again
won, averaging 75.88 m.p.h. for the race.
On July 13th, Glen Kidston took the big Bentley over
to Phoenix Park for the Irish Grand Prix and came in
2nd behind Ivanovski's Alfa-Romeo. Its speed was 79.80
m.p.h.
The T.T. that August broke, temporarily, the big car's
run of success, for, in company with Glen Kidston, it
ran out of road at Bradshaw's Brae and was too badly
damaged to continue. Its race number, incidentally,
was 73.
The final event in "Old No. 1's" 1929 season
was the classic 500-Mile Race at Brooklands. It had
a special two-seater body with a short, stubby tail,
was driven by Sammy Davis and Clive Dunfee, and came
2nd, averaging 109.40 m.p.h.
Following the racing successes of 1929, the cars at
the 1929 Show incorporated the following modifications
(in the KR-series chassis):
Single-port cylinder block. 5.3 to 1 compression-ratio.
BM 7055 camshaft. Bosch magnetos. Shell-type connecting-rods.
38.4 to 1 rear axle ratio. Electron steering box and
rear axle casing.
At chassis No. LR 2783 the three-quarter engine speed
magneto and coil ignition became standard.
Le Mans in 1930 was to see the final appearance of the
"works" team of Bent-leys and the cars were,
for all practical purposes, identical mechanically with
those of the previous year with the following exceptions:
Engine — 6.1 to 1 compression-ratio. Three-quarter
engine speed magneto and coil ignition. Shell-type connecting-rods.
Clutch — Reinforced clutch stop.
Rear axle — 15/47 gears=3.13 to 1.
In this last season of the Bentley team the " Big
Sixes " acquitted themselves gloriously indeed.
Two of them were entered for the "Double-Twelve"
on May 9th and 10th, being numbered 2 (Barnato and Clement)
and 3 (Davis and C. Dunfee). In shocking weather conditions
these Bentleys came in 1st and 2nd, respectively, at
86.68 m.p.h. and 85.68 m.p.h. No. 3 gained its place
despite a certain amount of trouble with a seized crankshaft-damper
and some (probably consequent) valve-spring breakage.
Three of the big Bentleys went to the line for the last
Le Mans of all in June, 1930. They were numbered 2,
3 and 4, being driven by Clement and Watney, "Sammy"
Davis and Clive Dunfee, "Babe" Barnato and
Glen Kidston,' and these last two roared past the chequered
flag, 24 hours later, having won the race without in
any way extending their car, at an average of 75.87
m.p.h. This was "Babe's" third consecutive
win at Le Mans. Clement and Watney were 2nd, at 73.33
m.p.h., whilst Dunfee shortly after taking over No.
3 from Davis, had the misfortune to charge the sandbags
on his first bend, sustaining damage which enforced
retirement.
The team, nevertheless, again won the Rudge Cup, in
addition to the entire race.
Such was the way of the closing of the greatest chapter
which any single marque has ever added to the
annals of British motor racing history-and the departure
of the Bentley Team from racing left a gap which has
not since been filled.
Altogether 544 6 1/2-litre Bentleys were made, of which
171 were "Speed Sixes" and, of these, more
than 70 are on the roads to-day in the hands of Bentley
Drivers' Club members, including two of the team cars.
GF 8507 (chassis No. HM 2868) is owned by J. D. Percy
and is in its original form and beautifully kept. It
was this car in which "Babe" Barnato won Le
Mans for the third time and, fittingly, it led his funeral
cortege bearing floral tributes, driven by "Babe's"
chauffeur. GF 8511 has recently come to light in the
north of England and the ravages of time are being removed.
MT 3464, the "Old No. 1's" winner of Le Mans
in 1929, 2nd in the 1929 "500," and 1st in
that year's Six-Hour Race, continued her wonderful career
until 1931 when she took that fated plunge over the
top of the banking at Brooklands killing Clive Dunfee.
The engine of this car was used for a time in the Barnato-Hassan
before the 8-litre was installed, and other bits were
used in a special 8-litre road car built for "Babe"
Barnato. Its identity has thus been lost.
The modified "Speed Six" used in post-war
competition motoring sport with signal success by Pierre
Marechal is one of the very few short-chassis cars (11
ft. wheelbase) and is thought to have been a spare car
for the "works" team.
So concludes the story of truly one of the giants of
the road, which never fails to impress wherever it appears.
The majesty of the "Speed Six" will continue
for many years to dwarf motor cars of younger vintage,
and the rear view, if not as imposing as the front end,
will frequently impinge itself upon the vision of the
driver of many a modern car who thought that he himself
wasn't exactly hanging about.</s> | 2,039 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
The first 4 1/2-litre car to be produced
was the famous old No. 1 "team" chassis, ST
3001, immortalised in motoring history as a participant
in the epic crash at White House Corner on the Sarthe
Circuit in the course of the Grand Prix d'Endurance
at Le Mans in 1927. It will be remembered that hopes
of a runaway victory, on this occasion, were dashed
to the ground by the unfortunate triple crash involving
the entire Bentley team. Continued...</s> | 2,040 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
When the article
dealing with the 3-litre Bentley, contributed by the
Bentley Drivers Club, appeared in the February, 1947,
issue of this journal, it was visualised that it would
be followed by another article similar in character
covering the development of its big brother, the 4 1/2
litre. Much research has resulted in the compilation
of the following information, which may be regarded
as authoritative.
The principal reasons for the entry of the world-famous
4 1/2-Iitre Bentley into the motoring world of 192T
were twofold:
1. An ever-increasing demand by the "Bentley-minded"
motoring public for just that extra reserve of everything
which they had come to value so highly when driving
the three-litre.
2. It was considered that the ever-increasing pressure
experienced in the field of International Competition
would extend the three-litre beyond its capacity and
render it less capable of dealing with its opponents
; or that, in attempting to do so the great reserve
and reliability for which the marque was even at that
time world-renowned, would of necessity be sacrificed.
The first 4 1/2-litre car to be produced was the famous
old No. 1 "team" chassis, ST 3001, immortalised
in motoring history as a participant in the epic crash
at White House Corner on the Sarthe Circuit in the course
of the Grand Prix d'Endurance at Le Mans in 1927. It
will be remembered that hopes of a runaway victory,
on this occasion, were dashed to the ground by the unfortunate
triple crash involving the entire Bentley team.
Incidentally, some confusion has arisen due to the similarity
of the radiator of this particular 4 1/2 to that of
the standard three-litre and, indeed, the radiator-shell
from trunnions to filler-cap was, for all practical
purposes, identical in shape and contour to its predecessor.
The difference was to be found in the overall length
of the shell, the design of the mounting, and the capacity
of the matrix. The first nine chassis produced had radiators
the filler-caps of which were smaller in diameter than
those later standardised, although nearly all of them
were subsequently modified.
Development of the 41-litre followed the development
of the new six-cylinder 6 1/2 litre model, the latter
then being in full production, and as might be expected,
the two chassis have many features in common, with the
result that such components as pistons, connecting-rods,
valve-rockers, valves, valve-stem collars, valve-springs,
etc were interchangeable.
A noteworthy point, is that pistons which gave a 4.4
: 1 compression ratio as employed in the 61-litre resulted
in a compression ratio of 4.8 : 1. if fitted to a 4
1/2-litre. This increase was due to a difference of
8 mm. in the dimension combustion head to cylinder foot
of the two cylinder-blocks concerned (6 1/2 litre :
270 mm., 4 1/2-litre : 262 mm.). A word of timely advice
to enthusiasts with plans for machining large quantities
of metal from the block in search of extra horses. A
reduction of 3 mm., i.e., a dimension of 259 mm., is
the absolute safety limit to which the mean height of
the dimension combustion head to cylinder foot should
be reduced. The effect of this reduction is that the
cylinder foot thickness is reduced to an average thickness
of 9 nun., below which it is inadvisable to go.
From a general design point of view, the 41-litre was
similar in character to the 3-litre. Valve gear, magneto
and water pump drive, also were basically the same,
in dimensional detail.
A brief specification of standard 4 1/2-Iitre chassis
may, prove of interest:
Bore 100 mm. Stroke 140 mm. Cu. cap. 4398.24-c.e. Direct
metalled con. rods type G.5. Twin S.U. sloping carburetters.
Duralumin rockers. Belt-driven fan. Rear axle ratio
3.53:1. Wheelbase 10 ft. 10 ins. Hobson " Telegauge
" petrol level indicator. Calculated road speed
at 3,500 r.p.m. with 3.53 axle and 5.25 by 21 ins. tyres
92 m.p.h. B.H.B. pistons. Compression ratio 4.8 : 1.
Ball-end tappet adjusters. Cone clutch. Well-base rims
; 16 gallon petrol tank. Smith double-pole lighting
and starting system. " C " type gearbox. Tyres
5.25 by 21 ins. Low-geared worm and worm wheel steering.
Autovac fuel feed.
Incidentally, although the 30ft. 10 ins. wheelbase was
adopted as standard, eight chassis were built with a
wheelbase of 9 ft. 9i ins., these being to special order.
The first modification of any importance made to the
chassis was the incorporation of thermostatic water
temperature control in the late autumn of 1927 (at chassis
No. SL 3071). This was followed by the change over from
the rigid spoke type steering wheel to the spring wheel
which had proved so effective under rigorous competitions
(at chassis No. RN 3035).
1927 saw the 4 1/2-litre Bentley entering international
competition in no uncertain manner. "Old Number1"
was entered, as previously mentioned, at Le Mans in
1927 and shortly before the crash gained, the lap record
at 73.40 m.p.h.
It was driven on that occasion by (lenient and Callingham.
It appeared again at the Grand Prix de Paris on August
19th and despite extremely bad weather conditions, won
the race at 52.50 m.p.h.. handled on this occasion by
Clement and Duller.
The winter of 1927-28 saw the adoption of the Ki-gass
injector and the long range type E.R.4 M.L. magneto
as standard equipment. These two improvements considerably
reduced the bogey of difficult starting and the consequent
drain on batteries, usually experienced with large bore
engines. These changes in specification became standard
at the end of February, 1928 (at chassis No. HF 3192).
In an endeavour to reduce the lubrication problems of
owner-drivers and, at the same time, to reduce the wear
and tear experienced with the "plunging joint"
type of cardan or propellor shaft with its blocks and
slippers, much development work - the direct result
of high speed track experience-resulted in the adoption
of the enclosed type, balanced splined propellor shaft
as standard for all models. All chassis from No. NT
3133 were fitted with the Hardy Spicer propellor shafts.
The next real step in the development of the 4 1/2-litre
chassis was the design, development, and production
of the now famous "D" type close ratio gearbox.
Up to this time all chassis had been fitted with the
"C" type general purpose gearbox.
In view of the popularity of the close ratio "Aj"
type box as fitted to the 3-litre speed model and the
absolute necessity for these ratios in competition work,
an altogether new design of gearbox made its appearance
This, of course, was the "D" type and although
completely re-designed to cope with the increased torque
of the 4 1/2-litre engine, it retained the well-tried
indirects of the "A" type box, whilst eliminating
those danger points which had given trouble from time
to time in the form of rapid wear in gears, main shaft
keys, speedometer drives, etc.
It is a noteworthy tribute to the foresight and skill
of the designers of the first truly sporting car to
be produced after the 1914-18 war that the ratios calculated
to be correct for the first 3-litres were re-introduced
in 1928.
In the "D"-type gearbox the 7 pitch gear superseded
the 7/9 stub-toothed gear of its prototype-the "A"
type box : 5 pitch gears may be found on a few "A
" type boxes and 5 pitch gears were also used in
the Birkin Blower 4 1/2-litres. These special purpose
gears were few in number, the standard 7 pitch gear
being used in the majority of cars for competition work
and for all standard chassis incorporating this box.
Other features of the " D " type box were
a ribbed casing of sturdy construction, multi-splined
main and lay shafts of reduced overall length to avoid
distortion under maximum loads, a speedometer drive
re-designed and located similarly to the "C"
type box, on the near side of the casing, and an external
oil filler.
The whole design proved itself in practice to be most
reliable and, for a "crash type" or non-synchromesh
box, retained its silence in operation under competition
conditions for extremely long-periods, being absolutely
trouble-free as a unit throughout its history. Chassis
No. HF 3196 inaugurated the "D" type gearbox
as a standard unit for all 4 1/2-litre chassis.
Around this period several minor alterations in design
were introduced, amongst which were the adoption of
the .44 carbon steel brake drums in place of the hitherto
standard low carbon steel units, in an endeavour to
increase the wear-resisting properties of the drum against
the loads imposed upon them by braking from high speeds.
Gudgeon-pins of the floating type were superseded by
cirelip-secured pins, but in view of the trouble experienced
with scored cylinder-bores by reason of the clips coming
adrift, an early return was made to the original design
of floating type pins. Incidentally, the whole secret
of success with the type of gudgeon-pin that employs
the conical aluminium alloy pad method of location-apart
from the use of the correct alloy for the pad-lies in
the maintenance of point-contact with the cylinder wall
by the conical pad. As soon as the area of contact with
the cylinder wall exceeds for all practical purposes
"point-contact", there is a tendency for the
pad to rotate in the gudgeon-pin bore with disastrous
results to the cylinder walls-as many amateurs experienced
to their cost. It is, therefore, of paramount importance
in design that the angle of the conical buffer or rubbing
pad is such that it precludes the possibility of the
outer edges of the cone coming into contact with the
cylinder walls, until the wear-factor on the tip of
the cone is such that replacement of the pad becomes
essential. Further points worthy of note, if readers
fit replacements, are:
1. A small air-release hole should he drilled in one
pad to prevent pressure-generation in the tubular gudgeon-pin
and a consequent forcing from position of the pad.
2. The bore of the gudgeon-pin should be most carefully
finished to ensure the correct interference lit between
pad diameter and gudgeon-pin bore.
3. The interference fit should not be excessive if distortion
and local swelling of the ends of the gudgeon-pins is
to be avoided.
4. The length of the plain portion of the pad should
not be less than I5 mm. for this diameter gudgeon-pin.
Le Mans 1928 heralded the reappearance of the old veteran
chassis No. ST 3001. victim of the White House crash
in the previous year, this time driven by Itarnato and
Rubin, hut supported by two new 4 1/2-litre chassis
Nos. KM 3077 and KM 3088. These were fitted with distinctive
Vanden Plas bodies designed to conform to the stringent
Le Mans body regulations in force at the time. They
were easily recognisable by the position of the tank
and spare wheel carrier at the rear of the body and
were to become international celebrities during the
course of their racing careers. It was No. KM 3077 in
which Tim Birkin. in partnership with the veteran Jean
Chassagne. experienced the burst tyre episode which
relegated them to the fifth place in this event ; there
was nevertheless a degree of consolation in the fact
that they broke the lap record with the creditable speed
of 79.73 m.p.h.
KM 3088, driven by Clement and Benjafield, retired through
a water leak. It is not generally known, however, that
the chassis frame was broken and this, if not the direct
cause, was a contributory factor in the elimination
of the car from the race because of a split or displaced
hose joint.
ST 3001 won the race at an average speed of 69.11 m.p.h.
This ear, too, had a broken frame and covered the last
lap without water, a hose having pulled off! Heavier
frames were incorporated the following year.
A brief specification of these cars will accordingly
be of interest and was as follows:
Compression ratio 6.1:1, Hour-glass pistons. 3m.m. removed
from foot of block. BM-3480 camshaft. .019 tappet clearance.
Twin S.U. carburetters, Cone clutches in two chassis,
plate-clutch in KM 3088. Close ratio gearboxes. Direct-metalled,
heavy-section con-rods: rear axle ratio. 3.3:1. Straight-tooth
gears. 31 ins. by 5.35 Dunlop road racing covers and
tubes. Road-speed at 3.500 r.p.m. with 3.3 : 1 rear
end ratio and 31 ins. by 5.35 tyres. 100 m.p.h.
The following important changes in design received their
baptism of fire during the 1928 racing season:
(a) The self-energising front-brake shoes, commonly
known as "servo-shoes."
(b) The single-plate clutch.
(c) The vertical type S.U. carburetter. Type
HV G.5.
These units were the outcome of development over a considerable
period. carried out in order to cope with the exacting
conditions of international competition.
It was during the 1928 season, too, that the reinforced
H-section front axle-beam was introduced. The sectional
thickness between spring-pad and swivel-pin eye. in
this axle, was increased in order to counteract the
increased brake-torque occasioned by the new servo-shoes.
These re-designed axles did not. however, become standardised
until May 1028. at chassis No. KM 3092.
Three 4 1/2-litre Bentleys were entered for the Six
Hours Race at Brooklands on May 18th that year. Their
race-numbers were 4, 5 and 6 and they took eighth, third
ami sixth places respectively, carrying off the Team
Prize in the process. No. 4 (Old No. 1) was driven by
Barnato and Clement and. despite some brake trouble,
finished at 70.29 m.p.h.. No. 5 by Tim Birkin (72.27
m.p.h.) and No. 6 by Benjafield and Rubin (71.26 m.p.h.).
Some aspects of Le Mans 1928 have already been discussed
and it will additionally be recalled that Barnato and
Rubin brought "Old No. 1" over the line in
first place at 4 p.m. on June 18th.
Up to this period the compression ratio of the standard
engine had been set at 4.8 : 1 but. with the introduction
of the BM 3622 piston at engine No. KM 3081 this was
raised to 5.3 : 1. By employing a 13 S.W.G. compression
plate, however, this ratio could he reduced to 5 : 1
thus providing readily available alternative ratios.
The plate clutch, servo-type front brakes and vertical
S.U's were not standardised until the advent of the
XR series chassis at No. XR 3332 during the autumn of
1928.
The policy of regarding the race-track as the most suitable
test-bench possible was pursued with greater intensity
than ever and two 4 1/2s in the hands of Tim Birkin
and H. Cook, finished 5th and 7th in the T.T. on August
23rd. Birkin appeared again with a 4 1/2 in the Georges
Boillot Cup in September and finished 5th, after beating
all records for the race with a speed of 73.16 m.p.h.
He even took one to Nurburg, a course to which it was
by no means suited, and yet managed to achieve 8th place
after a drive which drew much applause and favourable
comment from those present.
Another modification introduced about this time, was
the use of stainless steel in place of aluminium sheet
for the cylinder water-jacket plate. This modification,
coupled with the use of a corrosion-resisting aluminium
alloy for the water pump body, reduced to a very great
extent the sludge content of the radiator matrix, which
consisted, for the greater part, of the products of
decomposed aluminium. The hitherto prevalent bogey of
the perforated water-jacket plate was thus eliminated.
In the early autumn of 1928, it was evident that the
demand would persist for a 4 1/2-litre chassis fitted
with closed coachwork and it was therefore necessary
to revert to the "C" type or general purpose
gearbox and to fit an "anti-boom" type double
silencer to these chassis. Another feature was also
inaugurated with the installation of a single-pole wiring
layout and this was duly standardised in time for the
Motor Show.
Early in 1929, the magnesium alloy known as "Electron"
made its debut and replaced, at intervals through the
year, components formerly manufactured with the standard
aluminium alloys.
Throughout the spring of 1929 various minor modifications
were standardised, culminating in the preparation for
Le Mans, wherein heavier section frames made their initial
appearance.
This preparation followed very much the same line as
in the previous year. The engines used flat-topped inlet
valves in conjunction with stronger valve-springs.
The remainder of the specification was substantially
the same as for 1928.
Flat type inlet valves. Five-gallon sump. Large capacity
oil pump. Increased oil feed to main and big-end bearings.
Heavy-section, direct-metalled connecting rods. "Mintex"
crankshaft torsional damper. Twin S.U. carburetters,
Type HVG5. Straight-toothed metal reduction gears.
Clutch — Single plate. Steel pressure plate.
Reinforced clutch stop.
Gearbox — " D " type. Indirect
ratios- 3rd, 1.33 to 1 ; 2nd, 1.63 to 1 ; 1st and reverse,
2.64 to 1.
Rear axle — Straight-toothed bevels. (16/48=3
to 1 ratio.)
Brakes — Standard.
General — Wheelbase 11ft. 6 in. 32-in. by
6 in. road-racing tyres. 45-gallon petrol tank. Autopulse
petrol feed. Duplex fuel lines. Smith five-brush dynamo.
4LSA starter motor. Lucas lamps. Young 84-amp. hour-capacity
battery.
The "Speed Six" entered the lists of competition
in 1929 and immediately combined with its four-cylinder
stable companions to set England's star higher in the
firmament of international motor racing than ever before
or, alas, since.
On May 10th, the car which was afterwards to be dubbed
"Old No. 1" came to the starting line for
the "Double-Twelve" at Brooklands. It was
driven by "Babe" Barnato and J. D. Benjafield,
bore the number 2 and, after an excellent performance
during which several laps in the region of 92 m.p.h.
were completed, retired owing to a fracture in the dynamo-drive.
The 24-hour race at Le Mans that year needs little recapitulation
to any enthusiast, for Bentleys filled the first four
places and nobody else had a look in. No. 1 "Speed
Six" more than made amends for her failure in the
"Double-Twelve" by winning the race, in the
experienced hands of Woolf Barnato and "Tim"
Birkin. She averaged 73.63 m.p.h., covered 1,767 miles
in the process and, just for good measure, gained the
Rudge Cup as well. It was the first occasion upon which
the winner of the Grand Prix d'Endurance had also carried
off this cup.
It is most interesting to read the contemporary report
of Mr. Clarke on this chassis:
(a) During practice: Slight steering-instability
reported and rectified by balancing the practice wheels
and adjusting shock-dampers. Oil pressure-60 lbs.
(b) During race: Brake adjustment-used up at
the 20th hour.
(c) After race: (strip report)
Engine: Nothing to report. Exhaust valves and
valve springs changed as a precautionary measure only.
Clutch: Nothing to report. Clutch-stop locating
ears fractured.
Gearbox: Nothing to report. Main-shaft, first
motion shaft and journal bearings changed as a precautionary
measure.
Rear axle: Crown-wheel and pinion -slight signs
of pitting, otherwise O.K. Pinion thrust-race disintegrated.
Otherwise O.K.
Brakes: Relined: Two rear drums changed as a
precautionary measure (local hot spot).
Frame: Small fracture through front engine bearer
engine securing bolt hole. Signs of fracture where front
wing stay palms connected to neutral section of frame
channel due to 'fidgeting.'
Truly a remarkable strip report after a gruelling race
of this calibre.
On the 29th of the same month, "Old No. 1"
was back again at Brooklands for the Six-Hour Race,
still driven by "Babe," but this time with
Jack Dunfee as co-driver. It bore the number 3 and again
won, averaging 75.88 m.p.h. for the race.
On July 13th, Glen Kidston took the big Bentley over
to Phoenix Park for the Irish Grand Prix and came in
2nd behind Ivanovski's Alfa-Romeo. Its speed was 79.80
m.p.h.
The T.T. that August broke, temporarily, the big car's
run of success, for, in company with Glen Kidston, it
ran out of road at Bradshaw's Brae and was too badly
damaged to continue. Its race number, incidentally,
was 73.
The final event in " Old No. l's " 1929 season
was the classic 500-Mile Race at Brooklands. It had
a special two-seater body with a short, stubby tail,
was driven by Sammy Davis and Clive Dunfee, and came
2nd, averaging 109.40 m.p.h.
Following the racing successes of 1929, the cars at
the 1929 Show incorporated the following modifications
(in the KR-series chassis) :
Single-port cylinder block. 5.3 to 1 compression-ratio.
BM 7055 camshaft. Bosch magnetos. Shell-type connecting-rods.
38.4 to 1 rear axle ratio. Electron steering box and
rear axle casing.
At chassis No. LR 2783 the three-quarter engine speed
magneto and coil ignition became standard.
Le Mans in 1930 was to see the final appearance of the
" works " team of Bent-leys and the cars were,
for all practical purposes, identical mechanically with
those of the previous year with the following exceptions
:
Engine — 6.1 to 1 compression-ratio. Three-quarter
engine speed magneto and coil ignition. Shell-type connecting-rods.
Clutch — Reinforced clutch stop.
Rear axle — 15/47 gears=3.13 to 1.
In this last season of the Bentley team the "Big
Sixes" acquitted themselves gloriously indeed.
Two of them were entered for the "Double-Twelve"
on May 9th and 10th, being numbered 2 (Barnato and Clement)
and 3 (Davis and C. Dunfee). In shocking weather conditions
these Bentleys came in 1st and 2nd, respectively, at
86.68 m.p.h. and 85.68 m.p.h. No. 3 gained its place
despite a certain amount of trouble with a seized crankshaft-damper
and some (probably consequent) valve-spring breakage.
Three of the big Bentleys went to the line for the last
Le Mans of all in June, 1930. They were numbered 2,
3 and 4, being driven by Clement and Watney, "Sammy"
Davis and Clive Dunfee, "Babe" Barnato and
Glen Kidston,' and these last two roared past the chequered
flag, 24 hours later, having won the race without in
any way extending their car, at an average of 75.87
m.p.h. This was "Babe's" third consecutive
win at Le Mans. Clement and Watney were 2nd, at 73.33
m.p.h., whilst Dunfee shortly after taking over No.
3 from Davis, had the misfortune to charge the sandbags
on his first bend, sustaining damage which enforced
retirement.
The team, nevertheless, again won the Rudge Cup, in
addition to the entire race.
Such was the way of the closing of the greatest chapter
which any single marque has ever added to the
annals of British motor racing history-and the departure
of the Bentley Team from racing left a gap which has
not since been filled.
Altogether 544 6J-litre Bentleys were made, of which
171 were "Speed Sixes" and, of these, more
than 70 are on the roads to-day in the hands of Bentley
Drivers' Club members, including two of the team cars.
GF 8507 (chassis No. HM 2868) is owned by J. D. Percy
and is in its original form and beautifully kept. It
was this car in which "Babe" Barnato won Le
Mans for the third time and, fittingly, it led his funeral
cortege bearing floral tributes, driven by " Babe's"
chauffeur. GF 8511 has recently come to light in the
north of England and the ravages of time are being removed.
MT 3464, the "Old No. 1" winner of Le Mans
in 1929, 2nd in the 1929 "500" and 1st in
that year's Six-Hour Race, continued her wonderful career
until 1931 when she took that fated plunge over the
top of the banking at Brooklands killing Clive Dunfee.
The engine of this car was used for a time in the Barnato-Hassan
before the 8-litre was installed, and other bits were
used in a special 8-litre road car built for "Babe"
Barnato. Its identity has thus been lost.
The modified "Speed Six" used in post-war
competition motoring sport with signal success by Pierre
Marechal is one of the very few short-chassis cars (11
ft. wheelbase) and is thought to have been a spare car
for the "works" team.
So concludes the story of truly one of the giants of
the road, which never fails to impress wherever it appears.
The majesty of the " Speed Six " will continue
for many years to dwarf motor cars of younger vintage,
and the rear view, if not as imposing as the front end,
will frequently impinge itself upon the vision of the
driver of many a modern car who thought that he himself
wasn't exactly hanging about.</s> | 2,041 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
With a performance to satisfy the most
critical speedman, coupled with a degree of flexibility
unusual in a sports car, the 1926 three-litre speed
model Bentley shows a distinct improvement over the
very fine sports automobiles that have hitherto left
the Cricklewood works. Not only is the new car faster
by some 10 m.p.h. than the 1925 type, but acceleration
has been improved, while the brakes are still more efficient
than of yore. Continued...</s> | 2,042 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
With a performance
to satisfy the most critical speedman, coupled with
a degree of flexibility unusual in a sports car, the
1926 three-litre speed model Bentley shows a distinct
improvement over the very fine sports automobiles that
have hitherto left the Cricklewood works. Not only is
the new car faster by some 10 m.p.h. than the 1925 type,
but acceleration has been improved, while the brakes
are still more efficient than of yore.
It will be recalled that the Bentley engine is of the
four-cylinder type, of 80 mm. bore and 149 mm. stroke.
Four valves are provided per cylinder, all operated
from one overhead camshaft. The chief points of difference
between next year's and this year's models are that
the compression ratio has been raised, the piston crown
is now of a different shape a redesigned camshaft is
used, whilst slight modifications have been carried
out in the valve gear in order to get lighter parts
without any sacrifice of strength or reliability.
That the improved performance is solely attributable
to the greater power obtained from the engine is proved
by the fact that the car tested had exactly the same
gear ratios, and weighed within a few pounds, the same
as the previous model tried.
Commencing with some speed tests at Brooklands, we very
soon found that the speed of the vehicle had been increased.
Some half-a-dozen laps "all out" were indulged
in so as to warm up the engine to the most efficient
temperature. The day was so cold, however, that it was
not until the greater part of the radiator had been
blanked off by tying a handkerchief across the front
that the most efficient temperature was reached; it
was interesting to observe that the speed increased
by some 6 m.p.h. so soon as the water in the cooling
system became hot enough. Unfortunately, a fairly strong
wind blowing against the car militated against the attainment
of its maximum speed down the Railway Straight. Nevertheless,
the half-mile was covered in 20.8 secs., equivalent
to 86.54 m.p.h. Once in the shelter of the Byfleet Banking,
however, a genuine 90 m.p.h. was reached and held. It
should be mentioned that the car was in full touring
trim with wings, windscreen, etc. A complete lap was
accomplished in 1 min. 58 4/5 secs., equivalent to an
average speed of 83.84 m.p.h. over the 2 3/4 miles.
The test hill was afterwards climbed in 3 1/3 secs.,
equivalent to 18.19 m.p.h.
These tests were quite sufficient to show that the maximum
speed of the 1926 model has been appreciably increased,
but in order to convince ourselves that; the increased
speed was not offset by any disadvantages or attained
at a sacrifice of any of the flexibility or slow-running
which have always been characteristics of the car, we
continued our test over a couple of days under ordinary
touring conditions.
Even if one leaves the question of the high compression
ratio and the high gear out of consideration, the Bentley
may be described as docile in traffic. With the ignition
fully retarded it will crawl on its top gear of 3.78
to 1 at as low a speed as 7 m.p.h. However, the enthusiastic
driver would invariably change down before the speed
dropped as low as this. Third gear is only 5.03 to 1
and second gear 6.18 to 1, so that if, in traffic, one
is brought almost to a standstill behind a slow-moving
vehicle, a quicker get-away is assured by a drop straight
from top to second gear.
The combination of a well-designed gearbox and very
close ratios enables perfectly silent changes to be
made up or down, with none of those irritating pauses
in neutral which mark gear changes or the average touring
car. Indeed, changing from second to third at low speeds,
the lever is slipped through the gate as quickly as
it is possible to do so, while one can attain the maximum
speed on third gear-76 m.p.h. - and change straight
into top without waiting.
Even without making the best use of the gearbox really
high average speeds can he maintained without violating
any of the written or unwritten rules of the road. It
would perhaps, be unwise to give any figures, but we
can safely say that it is perfectly easy to average
40 m.p.h. or more from London to, say Bournemouth without
ever driving fast through inhabited areas, while, including
the inevitable reductions to half speed necessary when
meeting or overtaking other traffic, the. driver would
he able to cover the distance of 12 miles in 13 minutes,
assuming, of course that a reasonably straight road
were used.
Although the engine is in all respects a standard 1926
power unit, the particular car we tried had been driven
in the 24-hour race at Le Mans last June. The suspension
was therefore stiffened by the binding of the springs
with cord, while the Hartford shock absorbers were tightened
to such a degree that the faster one went the more comfortable
was the car. At 83 m.p.h., for instance, with four up,
the comfort was all that could be desired, while the
car held the road so steadily that it was not in the
least tiring to drive at this speed. Dropping to a relatively
modest 65 m.p.h., one had the impression that this was
the car's comfortable cruising speed. At 40 m.p.h.,
the accelerator pedal was scarcely depressed, while
the car burbled along in an irreproachable manner.
It is of course, essential that such speed capabilities
should be associated with the provision of very efficient
four-wheel brakes. Those on the Bentley, made under
the Bentley-Perrot patents, are not only amongst the
smoothest and safest we have tested, but are distinctly
more powerful than on the 1925 model. At 30 m.p.h.,
for example it is possible to bring the car to a complete
standstill in 24 ft., well under two car-lengths. From
10 m.p.h. the car can be stopped in a bonnet length
- 3 ft. 6 ins. From 20 m.p.h. it can be brought to a
standstill in less than its own length, while from the
higher speeds of 40 m.p.h., 50 m.p.h., 60 m.p.h. and
70 m.p.h. it can be stopped in 51, 77, 143 and 223 foot
respectively.
Now it is a very cruel thing suddenly to depress the
accelerator pedal of a car as highly geared as the Bentley
speed model when it is only crawling at 10 m.p.h. on
top gear. Nevertheless, in order to bring rhe acceleration
test into line with those of ordinary touring cars we
have tried, we measured the acceleration from 10 m.p.h.
on top gear. It will be observed that 30 m.p.h. was
readied in 12 secs., 40 m.p.h. in 18 2/6 secs., and
50 m.p.h. in 25 1/3 secs. It took only 38 2/5 secs.
to attain 70 m.p.h., while 80 m.p.h. was reached in
52 4/5 secs.
The control of the car is light and easy at all speeds,
and steering is accurate to the proverbial hair's breadth.
Starting is normally very easy, although on the car
we tried the battery was somewhat below par owing to
the car having been left standing with the lights switched
on for long periods after dark.
In a word, the speed model Bentley can he described
as a thoroughbred from radiator to tail lamp. It has
that reserve of power and speed which enables it to
be driven for 99 per cent of its life well within its
capabilities, thus assuring long life and reliability
of all working parts. Its instant responsiveness to
a touch of the accelerator or brake pedal, its very
high speeds on the indirect gears and the entire absence
of mechanical noises of any description make the handling
of it. sheer joy to the enthusiastic motorist. At the
same time it calls for no special skill in driving.
The makers are Bentley Motors Ltd., Oxgate Lane and
Edgware Road, Cricklewood, N.W.2. with showrooms at
3, Hanover Court, Hanover Street, London, W.1.</s> | 2,043 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
In 1930 Captain Wolf Barnato, swashbuckling
sportsman, Chairman of Bentley Motors, and one of the
inimitable "Bentley Boys", during a bucolic
evening on his yacht in Cannes wagered £200 he
could beat Le Train Blue from Cannes to London driving
his Bentley Speed Six. Over 700 miles of, at the time,
French circuitous roads, Barnato arrived at the Conservative
Club in St James, four minutes before the train arrived
at Calais, covering this distance at an average speed
of 43.43 mph. Read more about this story and how Bentley
re-enacted the race 75 years later here. Continued...</s> | 2,044 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Route Nationale
373 running from Troyes to Château-Thierry, east
of Paris, is a little used D-road flanked by autoroutes
that render it largely clear of heavy traffic. This
perfect French road is long and straight, undulating
over gentle rural hills. Visibility is good and the
tree-lined ribbon of tarmac spearing north towards Calais
is fast and open in true trans-continental style.
With the rev counter hovering at just on 3000rpm, we
are steaming along at near 80mph in a Speed Six Bentley.
The car feels as lusty as a locomotive, the big six-litre,
straight six totally relaxed and right in the 'sweet
spot'. What makes this whole experience sublime is the
fact that this Bentley goes like a train.
Back in 1930 Captain Woolf Barnato wagered £200
he could beat Le Train Bleu from Cannes to London in
his Bentley. Seventy-five years on history is repeated
as Bentley itself re-enacts this epic dash is 76 years
old and has been hauling along at this pace for over
200 miles, with the relaxed insouciance worthy of a
much younger machine. But then this is the famous Blue
Train Bentley, the very car that raced Le Train Bleu
from Cannes to London in 1930, when it was driven by
Bentley Boy and chairman of Bentley Motors, Captain
Woolf Barnato.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the legendary Blue
Train race, Bentley Motors decided to re-enact the run.
A few fortunate individuals met at the Carlton Intercontinental
Hotel on the beach front in Cannes and the proceedings
began with a powerful Barnato cocktail, consisting of
Orange Curaçao, Angostura Bitters, Dark Rum and
Champagne. Naturally the cocktails were served in the
Woolf Barnato suite, as this was the hotel where the
race originated. A slap-up supper followed at Restaurant
Felix next door and then a nightcap in the Carlton bar.
This 'Bentley Boy' lark is great fun.
In 1930, during a dinner party on board a yacht moored
near Cannes, Woolf Barnato was holding forth about his
great racing exploits. Heir to an extraordinary fortune
made from the Kimberley diamond mines in South Africa,
Woolf Barnato was the epitome of a Bentley Boy. He was
a swashbuckling sportsman and bon vivant who led the
Surrey cricket team, rode to hounds and remains the
only racing driver whose three out of three starts-to-wins
ratio at Le Mans has never been beaten. In addition
he had been chairman of Bentley Motors since 1926 with
an enviable collection of WO's finest at his beck and
call.
Barnato was an integral part of the fast set, renowned
for its love of life and exuberant pursuits. Champagne,
fast cars, great parties and exotic, glamorous women
were enjoyed by men such as aviator Glen Kidston, Sir
Henry 'Tim' Birkin, steeplechase rider George Duller,
'Sammy' Davis and Australian-born dentist Dr Dudley
Benjafield.
Despite all its attractions the energetic Barnato was
becoming bored with the easy life in France. Fortunate
then that over dinner a guest began questioning whether
it was possible to beat the famously rapid Blue Train
by road from St Raphael to Calais. Realising this could
be an effective demonstration of the power and reliability
of Bentley cars, Barnato wagered £200 that he
could not only arrive in Calais before the train, but
he would be at his London club before the train pulled
into the French port.
The wager was accepted and the next day at 5.45pm, as
Le Train Bleu left the main railway station at Cannes,
Barnato and his relief-driver, amateur golfer Dale Bourne,
set off in the Bentley Speed Six.
Being an experienced gambler and canny operator Barnato
knew that the train had to stop in Marseille, which
would give him a lead. He also wired ahead and arranged
for fuel stops to be ready and waiting en route, so
he could execute fast and efficient Le Mans-style fuel
stops. As the train raced across the countryside Barnato
and Bourne did battle with the French Routes Nationales,
which in 1930 bore no resemblance to today's smooth,
high-speed autoroutes.
But Barnato did not have it all his own way. During
the 185 miles from Cannes to Lyon, the men endured heavy
rain which slowed them considerably. At about 4am near
Auxerre the team lost time searching for the refuelling
rendezvous. Then they encountered thick fog near Paris,
followed by a tyre blowout, forcing Barnato to use his
only spare.
Some 570 miles later at 10.30am the Bentley reached
Calais and boarded a small packet steamer. Arriving
at Dover they made the final 80-mile dash to London.
After driving almost 700 miles, it was 3.20pm when Barnato
parked the dusty Speed Six outside the Conservative
Club in London's St James', just four minutes before
Le Train Bleu arrived at the station in Calais. The
bet was won!
The French Motor Manufacturers' Association attempted
to fine Bentley Motors the equivalent of £160
for racing on public roads, but Barnato countered that
he had been racing as a private individual and not as
chairman of Bentley. All the hoo-ha and publicity was
just what he wanted. More recently artist Terence Cuneo
depicted the fabulously rakish two-door coupé-bodied
Gurney Nutting Bentley duelling with Le Train Bleu and
so a Bentley legend was cemented.
But things are seldom as they seem, especially over
a 75-year period. In 1997 Seattle-based cellular telephone
magnate and car collector Bruce McCaw acquired the gorgeous
Gurney Nutting Blue Train Bentley to add to his important
collection of automobiles. The car won many a concours
and is regarded as one of the most special Bentleys
ever, particularly as it is thought to have been Barnato's
personal car. But recently Bentley historian Michael
Hay uncovered evidence that McCaw's Bentley was not
actually completed until after the date of the race
in March 1930. It seems that Barnato probably raced
the Blue Train in his rather plainer Mulliner-bodied
four-door Speed Six and not the racier-looking coupé.
Being a Bentley enthusiast and a man of considerable
means, McCaw decided the only thing he could do was
trace the Mulliner-bodied Bentley too. He eventually
discovered the chassis with its engine, but the bodywork
fitted to another chassis, and had Richard Moss of RC
Moss Ltd reunite all three components. The fully restored
Mulliner Speed Six was then shown, alongside the Gurney
Nutting Speed Six, at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
in August 2003. Bruce McCaw now has the Blue Train Bentley
and the Not The Blue Train Bentley in his collection.
A flourish that Captain Woolf Barnato would have undoubtedly
found amusing.
Seventy-five years later a posse consisting of the two
vintage Blue Train cars, along with the Bentley Motors
41/2-litre 'Blower' and three modern Bentley Arnages,
motors from the Carlton Hotel into the hills north of
Grasse. The plan is to follow Barnato's exact route
but split the journey over two days, making it a rather
more comfortable expedition.
The roads are twisting and tight and must have been
a real challenge at night in 1930 when they were nothing
more than loose dirt. To start with I am in the back
of the open Blower, enjoying the sight of the Mulliner
and Gurney Nutting close behind.
Moustachioed Bentley man Richard Charlesworth is at
the wheel and doing a superb job swapping gears in the
non-synchro 'box and twirling the Blower up through
the mountains with gusto. The weather is cold and wet
and I understand why Barnato elected to conduct his
race in a closed car.
The first stop is at Sisteron, a gateway to the Alps
and a regular stop for the Monte Carlo Rally. Scotch
and Pastis are on offer, but we sensibly stick to the
apple juice and snacks. After being frozen in the Blower
I have the opportunity to drive in the Gurney Nutting
with Dr Ulrich Eichhorn, member of the Board for Engineering
at Bentley. The car is a quintessential road-racer of
the 1930s. Its Speed Six engine and chassis are pure
Le Mans Bentley. The coachwork seems coiled for action:
chopped and channelled, with a narrow and pared girth,
dominant radiator, long bonnet with vents everywhere
and rakishly cut-down fabric bodywork ending abruptly
with a substantial rear-mounted trunk. The Gurney Nutting
announces one thing: speed.
Eichhorn is a true Bentley devotee and has a classic
S2 of his own. He clearly relishes the challenge of
driving this sporting Speed Six hard. The Gurney Nutting's
cockpit is totally functional. The windows are low and
the cabin is tight. The dashboard is covered with an
array of huge Jaeger instruments and gauges and there
is just one small seat in the rear, mounted side-saddle.
The engine starts with a lazy spin and the large exhaust
emits a deep boom; Eichhorn selects first gear and the
long-legged Bentley moves off on a veritable Table Mountain
of torque. Gears change with a light graunch if the
timing is about right, and a loud gnash if not. But
my driver knows what he is doing and soon we are storming
along at 80mph.
The speedo and rev counter are both chronometric so
they buzz away frenetically, accompanied by the whine
of the gearbox. Given a smooth surface the car rides
surprisingly well on its 7x21-inch tyres, but it can
become a bit harsh over transverse ridges and rough
surfaces, probably due to the overly firm dampers. The
lusty great engine is consistently content and will
eagerly push this car to over 90mph with little provocation.
The Gurney Nutting is restful but eager, sharp but refined.
It's a bit like bowling along in a huge Chippendale
cabinet at ludicrous speed.
We overnight at the magnificent Château de Chailly,
west of Dijon, and start the evening with a wine tasting
in the caves. Being in the heart of Burgundy we are
treated to some first-rate growths, including a 1995
Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru, a '95 Auxey Duresses Grand
Vin Bourgogne and '99 Meursault Blagny. As our host
explains, Pinot Noir is a capricious wine and grows
best in Burgundy. I have to agree with him.
After supper, Ulrich Eichhorn gives a moving speech
about how he had a model of the Gurney Nutting Bentley
as a boy and how it has always been his favourite car.
As the man now in charge of Bentley engineering, you
can rest assured that this Anglophile will continue
to imbue future models with the unique characteristics
that have made Bentleys so special for the last 85 years.
Naturally I am keen to sample the new Blue Train Series
Arnage the next morning. The large, Mulliner bespoke
Arnage has real presence and is subtly distinguished
by its 19-inch seven-spoke alloy wheels, chrome radiator
shell with slatted vents, and extra air vents behind
the trailing edge of the front wheelarches below the
unique Blue Train badging. This Blue Train Bentley carries
the black winged 'B', a distinguishing mark of the most
powerful Crewe models.
The 450bhp engine proves to be creamily smooth and emits
a lovely V8 woofle from its quadruple exhaust tailpipes.
The 6.75-litre motor features twin turbochargers, producing
an astonishing 645lb ft of torque. One of its most endearing
features is the rev counter, on which the red paint
is applied at just 4500rpm. The Arnage belies its ample
size and formal mien, going from 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds
and on to 168mph. On the French Routes Nationales the
Arnage is indecently fast but pliant and cosseting and
responsive enough to really hustle along. And it never
appears to be trying at all hard.
Selecting Sports mode, the gearbox sharpens its act
and the suspension firms-up to evoke more performance
and greater roadholding. All the while this sports car
level of performance is enjoyed within one of the most
opulent and beautifully appointed interiors. Mulliner's
meticulous craftsmanship is evident in the veneer waistrails,
the elegant dashboard and the heavily hewn fixtures
and fittings. The leather-covered armchairs are supremely
comfortable and the journey is akin to travelling in
a private jet without any of the noise.
I leave the enigmatic Mulliner Blue Train Bentley to
last. On the final 100-mile run down into Calais, with
Bentley man Frank Meakin behind the wheel, I elect to
sit in the back of the four-door and enjoy the scenery
whizzing by. The green leather seat is tremendously
comfortable and the legroom can only be described as
luxurious. The door tops are capped in beautifully crossbanded
veneer in Art Deco style. Being upright and Edwardian,
the view out along the bonnet is panoramic and the Mulliner
powers along at 80mph, keenly keeping pace with the
more sporting-looking Gurney Nutting. The car feels
wonderfully tight and well built, and the ride is serene.
The fabric Weymann coachwork is quiet, with no squeaks
or rattles, and although it looks stately it is very
light, possibly lighter than the cut-down Gurney Nutting.
Boarding the vintage-feeling ferry I am acutely aware
of the sense of occasion and the importance of what
I have just been privileged to experience. The Mulliner
is the car that Captain Woolf Barnato actually drove
as fast as he could in an incredible overnight dash
from Cannes to Calais and on to London, at an average
speed of 43.43mph. And all this 75 years ago. On the
fast roads through France and the traffic-snarled entry
into London, the Mulliner powers on gamely without missing
a beat after 700 miles.
As I enjoy a final drink upstairs in Morton's Club,
looking out over Berkeley Square from the balcony, I
can see the two Blue Train Bentleys parked below, romantically
illuminated by the street lamps. But the one that tugs
at my heartstrings is the rather plain-Jane Mulliner
and not her more attractive Gurney Nutting sister.</s> | 2,045 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
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... 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. Continued...</s> | 2,046 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
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> | 2,047 |
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A smile spread across Bill Hardy's
face as he talked about buying one of the most coveted
of all vintage cars. The year was 1943. There was a
wartime ban on non-essential private motoring in Britain,
so the supercharged Bentley had been languishing in
an orchard. It had been listed at £1720 —
an enormous price for a car — when new in 1930.
Mr. Hardy bought it for £140. Continued...</s> | 2,048 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
A smile spread
across Bill Hardy's face as he talked about buying one
of the most coveted of all vintage cars. The year was
1943. There was a wartime ban on non-essential private
motoring in Britain, so the supercharged Bentley had
been languishing in an orchard. It had been listed at
£1720 - an enormous price for a car - when new
in 1930. Mr Hardy bought it for £140.
Bentleys built before Rolls-Royce acquired the company
in 1931 epitomise the Bulldog Drummond school of British
engineering. They attracted Ettore Bugatti's famous
remark, "The world's fastest trucks," and
won the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour race in 1924,1927,1928,
1929 and 1930.
The prospect of getting behind the wheel of Mr. Hardy's
car kept me awake at night. The mind's eye sees these
barrel-chested heavyweights cruising along the almost
deserted roads of pre-war England, crewed by characters
straight from PG Wodehouse. It pictures them being raced
by such swashbuckling 'Bentley Boys' as Woolf 'Babe'
Barnato, the diamond millionaire, and fearless Sir Henry
Birkin, whose friends and fans called him Tim.
But cars have changed almost beyond recognition since
the 'blower' was regarded with the awe now reserved
for the likes of the Jaguar XJ220 and McLaren Fl. I
was concerned about factors that a modern motorist takes
for granted, notably brakes and gears. I recalled what
a friend with a sense of humour said about his vintage
Bentley, "Three things happen when you push the
brake pedal. First, the nose weaves from left to right
a few times. Second, you smell a faint whiff of brake
lining. Third, you may detect a slight reduction
in speed."
Getting behind the wheel was an achievement in itself,
because there is nothing so wimpish as a driver's door.
You either slide in the passenger's side, or risk a
technique similar to that adopted when mounting a horse.
Points are lost for getting the gear lever up your trouser
leg. We're talking about the right leg, because the
lever is on the 'wrong' side of the cockpit.
The wheel looks big enough to have come from a Great
Western Railway steam locomotive, and the leverage it
provides is welcome when almost two tons is moving at
very low speeds. Getting a vintage Bentley in and out
of tight parking slots is a practical lesson in the
upper torso's musculature. Enough dials and switches
to delight Heath Robinson are scattered across the dashboard,
but there is no sign of an ignition key. Sparking life
into the four-cylinder, 4.4-litre engine depends on
flicking two magneto switches, retarding the ignition
and adjusting the mixture control before pressing the
starter button. An exhaust pipe big enough to be mistaken
for part of the Channel Tunnel plays basso profundo
music.
The blower Bentley's image conceals the fact that Walter
Owen Bentley opposed the idea of increasing power by
supercharging the engine that produced 130bhp when tuned
for Le Mans. Tim Birkin's enthusiasm for such a major
modification was endorsed by Woolf Barnato, who was
Bentley Motors' chairman as well as one of the team's
star drivers. The huge Amherst Villiers supercharger
boosted power to 175bhp at 3500rpm.
Birkin's car failed to go the distance at Le Mans in
1930, but hoisted the lap record to 89.69mph during
a Boy's Own Paper duel with Rudolf Caracciola's
supercharged Mercedes. Birkin later lapped Brooklands
at 137.96mph in a single-seater blower that is still
raced.
The swashbuckling baronet's team accounted for five
of the cars. Fifty were bought by wealthy enthusiasts.
Brave men have wept and contemplated suicide while failing
to master a vintage Bentley's gearbox. Getting it right
involves the almost forgotten art of double de-clutching.
Slot the lever into first, engage the clutch - no problem
- and the Bentley moves off like any other car. The
view down the long, louvred, leather-strapped bonnet
is inspirational, even at a walking pace, but it is
important to remember that the accelerator is where
you expect the brake to be. Another prayer wings its
way to heaven as I floor the clutch, move the gear lever
into neutral, release the clutch, then floor it again
and ease into second. Miracle of miracles! I can hear
Birkin applauding in Valhalla.
Confidence grew as the Bentley accelerated and the steering
lightened. Second to third? Perfect! But my attempt
to change from third to top produced noises like the
Anvil Chorus, leaving me with what the cognoscenti
call a box full of neutrals. All you can do, apart from
swear and apologise, is stop the car and start all over
again.
But I was soon confident enough to hum Land Of Hope
And Glory and The British Grenadiers as the Bentley
thundered along roads so quiet we could have been time-warped
back to 1930. The difference between vintage and modern
brakes had to be taken into account, of course, and
there is no way that a 64-year-old veteran's handling
or ride will match up to what is taken for granted in
even a run-of-the-mill 1994 runabout. To expect that
is to label yourself a fool.
Modern cars insulate you from the outside world, but
a vintage Bentley feels and sounds and even smells fast
with its bellowing engine, howling gears and hot oil.
And it can keep pace with today's traffic. The supercharger
provides strong mid-range acceleration and The Autocar
reported a top speed of 97.82mph when its issue of September
19th 1930 featured a report subtitled 'The Appeal of
Immense Power, Linked with Great Docility'. The test
car, GH 6951, was destined to be bought by Bill Hardy.
The vintage Bentley's peerless character is complemented
by a tremendous appetite for hard work. I know an owner
who took his blower to America for an 8000-mile tour
that included races on both sides of the continent.
Above all, these magnificent old motors are tangible
and indomitable links with the days when Britannia ruled
the waves and waived the rules.
Sotheby's sold Bill Hardy's beloved behemoth for £386,500
a few weeks after I drove it. That works out at about
£2 profit per mile covered since 1943. But the
fun factor is impossible to quantify. And fun is what
these cars are all about.</s> | 2,049 |
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David Wickers has owned his three-litre
Bentley for nearly 30 years and has spent the last ten
restoring it. Wickers got his 1926 three-litre Speed
Model open tourer in 1960 for just £200. In those
days, however, that was still a hefty sum for a 24-year-old
to find. He sold a vintage 20-horsepower Rolls-Royce
to raise the deposit and paid off the balance by hire-purchase
installments. Continued...</s> | 2,050 |
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For £165
a month you can take out a loan that will make a two-litre
Ford Sierra or Mazda 626 yours in ten years' time. The
car won't be worth much then, and you'll have spent
nearly half of your £20,000 outlay on interest
charges.
Or, you could follow David Wickers' example and channel
the money into the restoration of a vintage Bentley.
Then you'll end up with a car at the upper end of the
classic market that looks like new, is glorious fun
to drive, and would fetch more than £100,000 if
you decided to sell it.
There is, of course, a catch in this financial illustration.
To benefit from it, you need to have bought your Bentley
cheaply, years before the classic boom started.
David Wickers got his 1926 three-litre Speed Model open
tourer in 1960 for just £200. In those days, however,
that was still a hefty sum for a 24-year-old to find.
He sold a vintage 20-horsepower Rolls-Royce to raise
the deposit and paid off the balance by hire-purchase
installments. Then, after driving the car for some years,
David realized that the Bentley needed major attention
if he was to continue to enjoy the old warrior's immense
torque and 90 mph top speed.
Thus began a restoration that was to absorb ten years
and an awful lot of money and patience. But David now
has the car back on the road and is delighted that his
determination to see the project to completion never
wavered.
"Driving it again is like stepping back in time
- it feels just like the same car," he says.
A finance broker in Exeter, Devon, David is obviously
well aware of the fact that the Bentley represents a
blue-chip investment. But he hasn't devoted a decade
of spare time to the car for that reason. How could
he have forecast today's price levels when he bought
the Bentley 29 years ago, or even when he began the
restoration in the late seventies?
"I've never bought a car for its investment potential,"
he insists. "I just love driving old cars and the
challenge of maintaining and running them."
He hasn't even worked out the total bill for the Bentley's
restoration. "I've never added everything up. It
feels like £20,000, but it could be less,"
he says. "Even if the facilities had been available
for the car to be restored in two years, I couldn't
have afforded the expenditure. I just took it steadily
and plodded on, and in that way I kept the bills reasonably
under control."
What his experience proves is that even expensive cars
can be tackled by enthusiasts with only basic mechanical
ability, who have to farm out all the major jobs. "You
don't have to be very skilled at restoring cars to be
better than me," he admits. You do, however, need
unfaltering persistence and a willingness to handle
mundane chores like stripping and cleaning. A nose for
local, inexpensive sources for some of the work also
helps.
Once he had decided on a full restoration, David settled
on a widely accepted policy: inspect every component,
assess its condition, and replace it if it is beyond
salvation. He also wanted to return the car to its original
appearance, although finding out exactly how it looked
when it was first registered on 26 June 1926 proved
impossible. Numerous original parts, including the windscreen
and the wings, had already disappeared by the time he
acquired the car in 1960, when it was painted in several
shades of green.
David actually met the Bentley's original owner, one
Mervyn Rollason, in the late sixties. Mr. Rollason,
from Warwickshire, said it had been his first car and
a twenty-first birthday present. But he had crashed
it in Italy during his first year of ownership, and
the vehicle had had to be shipped back to England for
repair. Meanwhile, Mr. Rollason bought himself a 4½-litre
Bentley; he was on his seventh Bentley, the only make
of car he had ever owned, when David talked with him.
At that time, however, there were no plans to restore
the three-litre car, so David didn't ask about its original
appearance. When he did start the project, he had lost
contact with the former owner; but in any case the car's
registration document revealed that it had been painted
blue. Only when the restoration was well under way did
confusion arise: David bought a book on the history
of Vanden Plas, the coachbuilders, which revealed that
the car had been finished in blue and grey. But which
parts were painted in which colour remained a mystery.
One of the first jobs was to repair the car's wooden
frame, much of which had been attacked by woodworm and
rats. Here a local craftsman came in handy: David found
a young joiner who had never worked with cars, but was
able to replace sections of the frame that had degenerated
beyond rescue. The original wood still makes up more
than 60 percent of the frame, but the discarded sections
were used as patterns for new pieces.
David decided on a simple polished finish for much of
the aluminum bodywork, but this plan had to be abandoned
after stripping of the old paint exposed an assortment
of filler and scratches. He eventually compromised with
a light, non-metallic silver paint on the bonnet to
make it look as much as possible like polished alloy,
but admits that the similarity is not as close as he
would like.
The body paneling from the scuttle to the rear of the
car had oxidized and needed replacing. Here David was
lucky in finding a retired panel beater who relished
the chance to get involved with such a rare challenge
as a vintage Bentley. He provided excellent, inexpensive
craftsmanship, and also advised against David's idea
of having fabric-covered bodywork, a popular choice
in the pre-war period. In the event of an accident,
the fabric would have to be stripped from the underlying
metal before repairs could be made.
The panel beater also made the windscreen and the wings.
The windscreen style is based on a photograph of a 1925
works Le Mans Bentley, while Le Mans cars also provided
inspiration for the blade-type front and rear wings.
David knows that his car - chassis number RT 1550, engine
number RT 1530, body number 1278 - was originally fitted
by Vanden Plas with prominent valences on the inside
of the wings. But he felt the valences were too bulky
and preferred the racier look of the simple blade wings.
These have been made in steel to withstand the pounding
they take on the road.
As an illustration of the problems that can arise during
a wheels-up restoration, the panel beater had to sketch
out on the floor of his workshop the Bentley's tyre
size to obtain the proper wing radius and then make
an allowance for the wheel's bounce height. But the
springs that were ordered for the car have given a ride
height that is too great by about two inches. Fortunately,
this flaw isn't really noticeable unless it's pointed
out to an observer; and anyway, David is hoping that
the springs will eventually settle down to give the
correct relationship between the various components.
A crash at some stage in the car's past - possibly the
one in Italy - had left damage to the chassis and front
axle. A bend in the chassis near the steering box mounting
had been strengthened with a welded-on plate, but an
engineering company in Sussex removed this and straightened
the original pressed-steel members. The front axle was
straightened, and new kingpins and bushes fitted by
the Rolls-Royce/Bentley specialists, Hoffman of Henley-on-Thames,
Oxfordshire.
The engine is an impressive, three-foot high construction
with the extraordinarily long-stroke dimensions that
were fashionable when W. O. Bentley designed his famous
three-litre unit in 1919. The bore and stroke are 80mm
x 149 mm (conrod length is more than 11½ inches!),
and peak revs occur at only 3300 rpm. But there is an
overhead camshaft driven by bevel gears and a vertical
shaft, four valves per cylinder, and twin-spark ignition
provided by two ML magnetos. David's car has a compression
ratio of 5.6:1 - it was as low as 4.3:1 in some earlier
Bentleys - and twin SU carburettors. Output is rated
at 85 bhp.
The five-bearing, forged-steel crankshaft was reground
and the bearings remetalled. New parts were obtained
including piston rings, rockers, valves, valve springs
and guides; but replacement pistons were not available
at that time, and David reluctantly kept the originals.
The engine components were then given to Martin Morris,
a vintage car enthusiast in Devon, best known for his
racing performances in ERAs, for reassembly.
Martin decided that as a safety measure the renovated
crank should be crack-tested, and was told that it had
failed. This meant that David had to buy another crank
and have that reground, a process that must have tested
his dedication to the project.
"You have to be pretty stoic about the expense
when you have to pay to get the same job done twice
during a restoration," he says. "I should
have had the original crack-tested in the first place,
but you don't always think of these things."
Some Bentley owners lighten their cars' flywheels, but
David has left his standard. He also retained the original
cone clutch, simply relining it with Ferodo material,
rather than modifying the car by installing a modern
multi-plate clutch. Fortunately, the components in the
four-speed gearbox required no attention.
Many parts required during the restoration were supplied
by D. H. Day in Wroughton, Wilts, the type of firm without
which the classic movement would founder. From his 25-page
catalogue, proprietor Donald Day offers a vast array
of chassis and engine components for the "W. O."
Bentleys made prior to the company's takeover by Rolls-Royce
in 1931. You can spend as little as 16p on an SU carburettor
float chamber plug washer, or £2850 on a nitrided-steel
crankshaft for an eight-litre, six-cylinder engine.
For David Wickers' car he provided a stream of parts
including a crown wheel and pinion, lynch pins, tie
rods, spring gaiters and bushes, a brass cover for the
starter motor and alloy support brackets for the body.
David particularly remembers Day's response to his telephone
plea for the alloy brackets. "I made those 11 years
ago, and you're my first customer!" Day responded.
Final assembly of the car was undertaken by Fred Gudgeon,
in Ringwood, Hants, an acquaintance David had made through
their common interest in Morgan cars and three-wheelers.
Gudgeon rebuilt the Andre friction shock absorbers and
the rear axle, set up the steering mechanism correctly,
and made running boards and wing irons to accept the
new wings.
Mating the body to the chassis was tricky because there
were areas where the body did not quite fit by perhaps
a quarter or half an inch. Gudgeon's solution was to
prepare some thin splines of ash wood of the correct
shape, Araldite them to the body, and then bolt the
body to the chassis. When the components were separated
a week later, the Araldite had acted as a filler and
made good the inaccuracies between the body, the spline
and the chassis.
There is a network of car craftsmen in the Hampshire-Dorset
area that can handle a variety of jobs, so while the
Bentley was with Fred Gudgeon he sent out parts for
nickel-plating and the upholstery for attention. The
upholsterer, Ken Day of Wimborne, handled the seats
(in Connolly leather), the interior trim, the hood and
its bag, and the tonneau cover, while new Wilton carpets
now line the car's floor. Fettling the Bentley, incidentally,
proved a turning point in Fred Gudgeon's life. The job
persuaded him to use his background in the engineering
industry to become a fulltime restorer. Now his workshop
is full of historic vehicles from Bullnose Morrises
to Aston Martins and motorcycles.
Ironically, after the leisurely pace of the actual restoration,
the car's bedding-in process became a frantic hurry
when David decided to drive it to a Bentley Club function
in Brittany only two weeks after collecting it from
Hampshire. "A universal joint broke up, the autovac
was playing up, there was a noisy tappet and the brakes
needed adjusting," he remembers.
But the problems were solved in time -a UJ from a Jaguar
V12 was fitted into the Bentley housing, and thus is
undetectable from original - and a successful trip to
France was made with three passengers. David has now
completed 2000 miles in a car that is surprisingly practical
in modern traffic, even though it has a central throttle
pedal.
"I've seen an Alvis with a central throttle turn
over when the driver hit the wrong pedal in a panic
stop, but it doesn't bother me at all," he says.
Of the 3051 Bentleys made, 1636 were three-litre models.
The Bentley club believes that less than 700 survive.
Three-litre cars were used by the 'Bentley Boys,' the
factory's colourful team of drivers, to win two of the
five Le Mans victories the marque recorded from 1924-30.
The Speed Model was distinguished by its twin SU sloper
carburettors, sporting camshaft, and 9-foot, 9-inch
chassis; a longer or shorter chassis could be ordered.
David's car is also known as a Red Label model, due
to the backing colour beneath the Bentley emblem on
the radiator shell.
It cruises at 60-65 mph and lugs high gears magnificently
up Devon's innumerable hills. The 400mm drum brakes
stop the 3200-lb car reasonably well, but high pedal
pressure is needed. Bentley had started fitting four-wheel
brakes only two years before this Speed Model was made.
Sitting behind that immense bonnet, you watch the road
reeling in over the winged-B radiator mascot and feel
a gentle thrumming from the big four-cylinder engine.
An exhaust system made by Donald Day provides a civilized
note, but from the smiles and waves the Bentley arouses
by its progress, you feel that the public wouldn't be
offended even if it did rattle their window panes. The
ride is fairly harsh, but David is still experimenting
with damper settings, and reckons the whole car will
continue to improve until 5000 miles of running-in have
been completed.
Meanwhile, this gorgeous reminder of aristocratic motoring
in the twenties returns 20-25 mpg, and under a Bentley
Drivers Club limited-mileage, agreed-value scheme costs
only £250 a year to insure. Many Ford and Mazda
drivers probably pay more.</s> | 2,051 |
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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> | 2,052 |
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Any restoration fan who likes sports
cars has a special feeling reserved for the three litre
Bentley of the 1920s. Probably no car (although this
statement will bring a lot of comment) has ever excited
a nation as did the Bentleys of the 20s. Once, when
the marque won the race at Le Mans, the drivers were
hailed as conquering heroes in England and the celebration
lasted for weeks. Continued...</s> | 2,053 |
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Almost invariably the history of a
great automobile involves the story of an individual
who desires to produce a car with a unique characteristic
or feature. Henry Ford's Model T was the manifestation
of his dream to build a true people's car. Henry's Royce's
dedication to perfection in the smallest component of
a motorcar was a major factor in the development of
the mystique of the Rolls-Royce. And then there was
W.O. Bentley, whose company existed for just twelve
years (1919 to 1931), yet within this short span produced
automobiles whose stamina, speed and excellence, combined
with the exploits of the drivers who raced them, created
a legend based more on fact than myth. Continued...</s> | 2,054 |
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In the earliest years of the Classic
Era, that brief time before standard and semi-custom
coachwork became de rigueur, nearly all automobiles
combined the works of a chassis manufacturer with that
of an independent coachbuilder. They were what we could
call the two cars in every classic; that which
was seen, and that which was most often not — the
rolling chassis.
The Classic Unseen
Automotive manufacturing as an industry had seen little
more than three decades when W.O. Bentley introduced
his first car in 1919. The premier model of this new
marque, the 3 Litre chassis, went into series production
the following year.
To automotive engineers such as Bentley, the motorcar
was that which was found beneath the outer body. Bow
a chassis was clothed was strictly a matter of
taste, but how it ran was a matter of fact. For
Bentley, it was methodic, consistent, and reliable fact.
Enough so that, from the start, Bentley Motors, Ltd.
guaranteed each of its 3 Litre chassis for five years!
Continued...</s> | 2,055 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Sixteen valves, overhead camshaft and
dual ignition. Sound like the latest hi-tech engine
from BMW or Honda? Well you're wrong. These characteristics
describe the three-litre four-cylinder used in W.O.
Bentley's first production car the 1920s — the
legendary 3-Litre… Continued...</s> | 2,056 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
One of the
first people to specialise in selling, restoring and
racing just on emarque, Stanley Mann has seen the Bentley
business changes enormously. Gordon Cruickshank talks
to him about Crinklewood cars, and W.O. Bentley's view
of history.
Only those who possess determination and a good map
will find their way to the secluded rural base from
where Stanley Mann runs his operation. With every junction
the road diminishes until high hedges are brushing the
door mirrors on both sides. One final turn into a narrow
gate shows a dainty sign reading 'The Fruit Farm'. No
business name, no Bentley logo; like the best reataurants,
this is one of those places to where the cognossenti
will find their way, no matter what.
You can's be involved with old cars without knowing
of Stanley Mann. Purveyor, restorer amd racer of WO
Bentleys fro several decades, Mann has been at the centre
of just about every British Bentley meet, racing either
one of his own cars, something from his stock-in-trade,
or a car belonging to one of his clients. Over the years
his firm has handled a significant proportion of the
world's vintage Bentleys, either in sales, restoration
or simple maintenance, and the boss is obviously still
enraptured by them.</s> | 2,057 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
As we walk into the sales building
to see the double line of Bentleys shimmering between
elaborate cast-iron lamp standards, an operatic aria
rolls out from the speakers. Stanley beams and flings
his arms wide: "All this and Jussi Bjorling too!"
He revels in being here, and in telling you the story
of each car. For they all have histories, and Stanley
knows them all. "That's Eddie Hall's Jarvis-bodied
in the 1960s, you wouldn't do that to it now. Look at
this 6½ — I've built it twice so far."
By now some of these cars must regard The Fruit Farm
as thier home between owners.</s> | 2,058 |
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