Description
This elegant Bentley 4¼ Litre has been thoroughly overhauled in recent years and maintained regardless of cost, making it the ideal choice for casual enjoyment or for vintage car events.
After Bentley had gone into receivership in 1931, Rolls-Royce bought the company from under the nose of rival Napier and moved production from Cricklewood to Derby. The first model to be launched in this new ‘Derby Bentley’ era was the 3½ Litre. Its engine was based on the six-cylinder Rolls-Royce 20/ 25 unit, and chassis development continued through the 1930s, early modifications including a strengthening crossmember at the front end and variable dampers.
Performance was improved in 1936 with the introduction of the 4¼ Litre, production of which continued until the outbreak of war in 1939. With transport infrastructure across Europe rapidly being modernised during that period, manufacturers had to ensure their cars could withstand sustained high-speed running. Bentley’s answer was the introduction in 1938 of the M-series ‘overdrive’ cars, which featured revised gear ratios and a longer final-drive ratio. A new Marles steering box was among the other refinements, plus 17in wheels rather than 18in.
Having been fitted with very handsome Park Ward saloon coachwork, this particular M-series 4¼ Litre – chassis number B67MX – was registered on 8 June 1939 and delivered to Alan Goodliffe, who served in the RAF during World War Two. By 1952, the Bentley was owned by John Dale and Co Ltd of Southgate (a metallurgical specialist manufacturing frames for Lancaster bombers), and later Robert Carr who was a prominent MP and Secretary of State for Employment and Home Secretary.
During the 1970s, it was acquired by Pasquale Bertinetti, who was originally from Italy but had moved to Dorset. Bertinetti kept the Bentley until 1988, when it was bought by Roberto Rosso, whose family ran a company in Turin that made kitchen and bathroom equipment. The Bentley remained in Italy after passing to Roberto’s son in 2006.
Having been used only sparingly, it was then bought by a UK-based enthusiast who imported it from Italy and reunited it with its original registration number: FLK 967. He immediately entrusted it to A&S Engineering with instructions to make it reliable enough for touring use, and it subsequently took part in the 2017 ERA Blue Train Challenge starting in Northern France at Deauville, with a five day event finishing over a 1, 500km’s away in Cannes. Its next event was the Bentley Drivers Club 2018 tour from Monaco to Brescia.
More recent work has included an overhaul of the clutch and a new flywheel in 2020, as well as the front seats being rebuilt two years later – all of the work being catalogued in the comprehensive history file. The bodywork and interior carry a beautiful patina and the car retains two distinctive features that are thought to have been fitted from new: a heater, and a quick-action lever to operate the driver’s window. This car has its own dedicated entry on pages 248-249 of the book on the desirable final 200 Derby Bentleys – “Bentley – The Last of the Silent Sports Cars 1938-9” – a copy of which comes with the car.
This well-sorted Derby Bentley Complete with Brantz navigational equipment is ready to tackle a current vintage car rally – it would have been the ultimate long-distance cruiser of the late 1930s, it is now being offered for sale as a stylish and refined post-vintage thoroughbred.
The car is currently with Rally Preparation Services sister Company, the RPS storage facility and available for inspection.
All viewings and test drives welcomed by appointment at Rally Preparation Services.
All enquiries please contact us on using the button below or telephone +44(0)the details below
