Description
French registration document
Park Ward saloon (B204LS)
Rare aluminium pillarless coachwork
Old restoration to be continued
In the 1920s, Bentley extended its fame and solidified its reputation by winning one of the sport's most prestigious and demanding events of the time: the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. The British firm recorded no fewer than five victories between 1924 and 1930 (four of them consecutively from 1927 to 1930). Despite these successes, Walter-Owen Bentley found himself in serious financial difficulties and was compelled to transfer the company bearing his name to his lifelong rival, Rolls-Royce. While the new Bentleys made in Derby (the Rolls-Royce factory where production was relocated) retain a touch of sportiness, they were now designed to be elegant and comfortable. They are, in a sense, Rolls-Royce bis. The “new” 3½ Litre was produced until 1936, before being replaced by the famed 4¼ Litre, in line with W.-O. Bentley’s own maxim: There’s no replacement for displacement. In the mid-1930s, the expansion of road networks on the old continent allowed Europe’s wealthy to travel rapidly between their properties. To satisfy this discerning clientele, Bentley introduced the 4¼ litre, capable of cruising at over 150 km/ h in complete comfort, and nearly 200 km/ h in Continental form (compression ratio and fuel system revised). After purchasing a chassis, the customer had the car bodied at a workshop of their choice among the plethora of specialists on the market. The Bentley Derby 4¼ Litre was produced in 1, 234 examples between 1936 and 1939, replaced in 1940 by the Mk V. Like most 4¼ Litre cars, ours was bodied by Park Ward. It features a very elegant pillarless saloon body with doors that open on opposite sides.
