Beschreibung
H&H Classic Auction @ The Imperial War Museum, Duxford/ Cambridgeshire
20th September, 2023 13:00
1927 Bentley 3/ 4½-Litre Tourer
Long-term family ownership with believed to wear an original Vanden Plas body
Estimate
£180, 000 - £220, 000
Registration No: YT 9483
Chassis No: ML1521
MOT: Exempt
In single family ownership for nearly sixty years
Desirable combination of 4½ Litre engine installed aboard a shortened (9' 9½" wheelbase) chassis
Believed original Vanden Plas Four Seat Tourer Body with Le Mans wings
Matching original Chassis, Front Axle and Rear Axle numbers
"It was not the means whereby the 3-Litre Bentley performed, but the manner in which it did it, that endeared the car to sportsmen who took pride in their driving. The engine was remarkably flexible, strong and reliable, the gear ratios were admirably chosen, the handling excellent and the quality unremittingly high. So, also, was the price, but an ever-growing reputation, augmented by striking racing victories, including the Le Mans 24 hours of 1924 and 1927, ensured its success" - 'Classic Sports Cars' by Cyril Posthumus and David Hodges.
A railway engineering apprentice turned aero engine designer, Walter Owen Bentley previewed his first creation, the immortal 3-Litre, at the October 1919 London Motor Show (though, he would not deem it production ready for another two years). Inspired by a 1914 Humber TT racer, the newcomer's ladder-frame chassis was equipped with all-round semi-elliptic leaf-sprung suspension and rear-wheel drum brakes (four-wheel brakes becoming the norm from 1924 onwards). The car's heart and most advanced feature was its 2996cc engine. A long-stroke four-cylinder (80mm x 149mm) that prioritized torque over top-end power, it boasted a five-bearing crankshaft, shaft-driven overhead camshaft, monobloc construction, twin ignition, four valves per cylinder and aluminium pistons. Developing between 65bhp and 88bhp, the unit was allied to a separate four-speed gate-change gearbox. Supplied in bare chassis guise only, albeit with a choice of wheelbase lengths and engine tune, the 3-Litre remained in production until 1929 by which time some 1, 621 are thought to have been made. As well as its two Le Mans victories, the Bentley enjoyed considerable success at Brooklands and even broke the 24-hour world record around Montlhery setting a 95mph average speed.
According to the Dr Clare Hay book, 'Bentley - The Vintage Years', chassis ML 1521 was delivered in September 1927 as a standard 10ft 10ins wheelbase chassis clothed with Gurney Nutting Weyman Saloon coachwork. First registered as 'YT 9483' (the same number plate it pleasingly retains today), the car was purchased by Mr Shotton in the late 1960's and was fully restored to its current configuration over the next seven years including the fitment of what is thought to be an original Vanden Plas Four Seater Tourer body.
