{"id":6268,"date":"2020-05-03T09:11:46","date_gmt":"2020-05-03T09:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/?p=6268"},"modified":"2024-09-12T10:20:52","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T09:20:52","slug":"1931-bentley-not-your-average-first-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1931-bentley-not-your-average-first-car\/","title":{"rendered":"1931 Bentley &#8211; Not Your Average First Car"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Photography supplied by <a href=\"https:\/\/riikophoto.com\/\">Riikophoto<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First cars are usually a bit, you know, rubbish. Unless you have extremely generous parents or extended family, your first car is the result of scrimping and saving. And even after all that effort, the cost of insurance will quash any motoring aspirations down to the level of a battered Nissan Micra. In fact, it would be safe to say that the landscape of insurance and the associated premiums for young drivers are what limit them so heavily. A small, slow, unappealing runaround can still run to a four-figure premium. However, the battles faced by today\u2019s new driver are a very modern thing. Back in the day, things were different, as evidenced by this magnificent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/car\/C1199246\">1931 Bentley<\/a>. Yes, some sixty years ago, this was someone\u2019s first car. The modern-day seventeen year-old can only dream of such a thing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6274 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ceb0c173-96cf-41d2-929e-eefa2a9c4f98-2000x1333.jpg\" alt=\"Bentley, Bentley coupe, Bentley Boys, Bentley Blower, Blower, Fiskens, pre-war Bentley, vintage car, classic car, Fiskens, car and classic, carandclassic.co.uk, motoring, automotive, coachbuilt car\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ceb0c173-96cf-41d2-929e-eefa2a9c4f98.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ceb0c173-96cf-41d2-929e-eefa2a9c4f98-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ceb0c173-96cf-41d2-929e-eefa2a9c4f98-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ceb0c173-96cf-41d2-929e-eefa2a9c4f98-765x510.jpg 765w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ceb0c173-96cf-41d2-929e-eefa2a9c4f98-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ceb0c173-96cf-41d2-929e-eefa2a9c4f98-1800x1200.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 4\u00bd litre was created as a response to Bentley\u2019s decreasing success at race events, most notably Le Mans. Bentley had the 3.0, but by the late \u201820s it was a dated, slow engine that lacked any potential for development. As such, Bentley had created the six-cylinder 6\u00bd litre model. However, while fast, it was also a cumbersome machine and, thanks to its massive weight, it was hard on the driveline and especially the tyres. Enter stage left, the \u2018Bentley Boys\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u2018Bentley Boys\u2019 were a group of customers held in high regard by W. O. Bentley himself. This group of gentlemen prided themselves on their cars, but in a more in-depth manner than the average customer. The \u2018boys\u2019 were indeed owners, but they were also the same people who raced the cars, and none were shy on the spanners. As a collective, they were an invaluable resource for Bentley, who listened to the plans to return his cars to the podium.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6273 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/c14f8098-c7c4-401f-a1cb-7ed786a3fbe6-2000x1333.jpg\" alt=\"Bentley, Bentley coupe, Bentley Boys, Bentley Blower, Blower, Fiskens, pre-war Bentley, vintage car, classic car, Fiskens, car and classic, carandclassic.co.uk, motoring, automotive, coachbuilt car\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/c14f8098-c7c4-401f-a1cb-7ed786a3fbe6.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/c14f8098-c7c4-401f-a1cb-7ed786a3fbe6-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/c14f8098-c7c4-401f-a1cb-7ed786a3fbe6-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/c14f8098-c7c4-401f-a1cb-7ed786a3fbe6-765x510.jpg 765w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/c14f8098-c7c4-401f-a1cb-7ed786a3fbe6-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/c14f8098-c7c4-401f-a1cb-7ed786a3fbe6-1800x1200.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The resulting car to come out of the collaboration with the Bentley Boys was the 4\u00bd litre. It was still a big machine, as it used the chassis of the 3.0, but with input from the boys, it was more nimble and agile. The biggest change was of course the engine. The inline-four, which boasted a capacity of 4,398cc, was a brutish engine, featuring a single overhead cam and a pair of SU carbs that, combined, delivered 100bhp at 3,500rpm. This was an increase of some 30bhp over that of the old 2,996cc engine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Later cars would be fitted with a stronger, \u2018heavy\u2019 crank. Why? Because this engine would go on to create what we now know as the supercharged, competition-built \u2018Blower\u2019 Bentley with 175bhp. However, the cars built without the supercharger were still fitted with the stronger crank. The speculation is that in doing so, the 4\u00bd litre was only ever a Rootes supercharger and some inlet housing away from being a \u2018Blower\u2019 model.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-6276\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/facf36d6-6ba6-4983-a4da-71d8bb7cb889-2000x1333.jpg\" alt=\"Bentley, Bentley coupe, Bentley Boys, Bentley Blower, Blower, Fiskens, pre-war Bentley, vintage car, classic car, Fiskens, car and classic, carandclassic.co.uk, motoring, automotive, coachbuilt car\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/facf36d6-6ba6-4983-a4da-71d8bb7cb889.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/facf36d6-6ba6-4983-a4da-71d8bb7cb889-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/facf36d6-6ba6-4983-a4da-71d8bb7cb889-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/facf36d6-6ba6-4983-a4da-71d8bb7cb889-765x510.jpg 765w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/facf36d6-6ba6-4983-a4da-71d8bb7cb889-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/facf36d6-6ba6-4983-a4da-71d8bb7cb889-1800x1200.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In competition guise, the new model enjoyed moderate success, much to the chagrin of Ettore Bugatti, who described the big Bentley as \u2018the world\u2019s fastest lorry\u2019. The car won Le Mans in \u201828 and did the legwork for further victories in \u201829 and \u201830. However, while the 4\u00bd litre was a wonderfully reliable engine, the Rootes supercharger was not, and regularly let the big car down. The car often took drivers to the podium, but the gold trophy was just out of reach. However, the car was still a success, and it was reflected in sales with over 600 naturally-aspirated 4\u00bd litre cars being built and sold. However, few were like the one pictured here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coachbuilding was the norm for cars of this period, with customers buying just an engine and chassis from Bentley before having the body built by an external business. Mulliner, for example, would happily body one\u2019s Bentley. In fact, they did for many. It\u2019s a well-known name. Maythorn &amp; Son of Biggleswade, however, was not. Which, looking at the Sportsman body it built for this car, is something of a shame.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-6270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/9a8a9dfe-36a5-40b0-b9db-2a9f598ee67c-2000x1333.jpg\" alt=\"Bentley, Bentley coupe, Bentley Boys, Bentley Blower, Blower, Fiskens, pre-war Bentley, vintage car, classic car, Fiskens, car and classic, carandclassic.co.uk, motoring, automotive, coachbuilt car\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/9a8a9dfe-36a5-40b0-b9db-2a9f598ee67c.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/9a8a9dfe-36a5-40b0-b9db-2a9f598ee67c-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/9a8a9dfe-36a5-40b0-b9db-2a9f598ee67c-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/9a8a9dfe-36a5-40b0-b9db-2a9f598ee67c-765x510.jpg 765w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/9a8a9dfe-36a5-40b0-b9db-2a9f598ee67c-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/9a8a9dfe-36a5-40b0-b9db-2a9f598ee67c-1800x1200.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John Maythorn started his business in 1842, though this was a time when stagecoaches were falling out of fashion. Maythorn wasn\u2019t put off, and instead found work building coaches for gentry and commercial customers. His work was second to none, and by 1852, when the company was known as Maythorn &amp; Son, it was nationally known for quality. Not only that, Maythorn was keen to apply his skills widely, and as such was known as a builder of every type of horse-drawn carriage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was his son, Frederick, who made the move into building bodies for cars. The skills were, as other companies were demonstrating, highly transferable, so why not? He expanded the business to accommodate this function, and soon started building bodies for the likes of Laniker, Talbot and Fiat &#8211; all of which were displayed at the 1919 Motor Show at London Olympia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-6275\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/e8b7cad4-bfdc-49f4-8ab4-575c405ec823-2000x1333.jpg\" alt=\"Bentley, Bentley coupe, Bentley Boys, Bentley Blower, Blower, Fiskens, pre-war Bentley, vintage car, classic car, Fiskens, car and classic, carandclassic.co.uk, motoring, automotive, coachbuilt car\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/e8b7cad4-bfdc-49f4-8ab4-575c405ec823.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/e8b7cad4-bfdc-49f4-8ab4-575c405ec823-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/e8b7cad4-bfdc-49f4-8ab4-575c405ec823-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/e8b7cad4-bfdc-49f4-8ab4-575c405ec823-765x510.jpg 765w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/e8b7cad4-bfdc-49f4-8ab4-575c405ec823-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/e8b7cad4-bfdc-49f4-8ab4-575c405ec823-1800x1200.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the company was never as well known for cars as it was carriages, it was still a well-regarded name. Rolls Royce, Delage, Mercedes, Minerva, Hispano Suiza and Lanchester were all at some point fitted with Maythorn bodies. And of course, so were a number of Bentleys. The work was so impressive, that Maythorn &amp; Son became a subsidiary of Hoopers. However, this wasn\u2019t enough to secure the company\u2019s future. The advance of pressed steel, notably from the likes of The Pressed Steel Company (that would go on to become part of BMC) spelled the end for Hoopers, which closed in \u201859.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The car here, with its glorious Sportsmans body was a car of lasts. It was one of the final cars to be built by Bentley before it was bought by Rolls Royce, and it was one of the final cars to be bodied by Maythorn &amp; Sons while it was still recognised as being its own entity. Few were built, and it\u2019s speculated that this could be the only surviving car.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-6271\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/95956f76-4228-4d40-8c2e-e546696d8a98-2000x1333.jpg\" alt=\"Bentley, Bentley coupe, Bentley Boys, Bentley Blower, Blower, Fiskens, pre-war Bentley, vintage car, classic car, Fiskens, car and classic, carandclassic.co.uk, motoring, automotive, coachbuilt car\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/95956f76-4228-4d40-8c2e-e546696d8a98.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/95956f76-4228-4d40-8c2e-e546696d8a98-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/95956f76-4228-4d40-8c2e-e546696d8a98-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/95956f76-4228-4d40-8c2e-e546696d8a98-765x510.jpg 765w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/95956f76-4228-4d40-8c2e-e546696d8a98-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/95956f76-4228-4d40-8c2e-e546696d8a98-1800x1200.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And survived it has. After being built, this Bentley lived the high end life you\u2019d expect, before falling out of favour against more modern offerings. The classic downfall of many a large, luxury car. The car did well to survive the destruction of World War 2, with many of its peers being scrapped for their metal. However, despite its tenacity, in 1956 it was just an old car. Coachbuilt and luxurious though it was, it wasn\u2019t overly desirable. Enter stage left Mike Harrison.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mike, who had not long passed his driving test, needed some wheels. A small Austin or something of that ilk would have been advisable. But Mike didn\u2019t want \u2018advisable\u2019, he wanted something a bit more special. A 1931 Bentley 4\u00bd litre definitely fit the bill, especially at \u00a3150! That\u2019s about \u00a33,100 in today\u2019s money. A cheap car.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And Mike would go on to drive the car for a further sixty years, come rain or shine. It was used \u2018most days\u2019 and as such, represents the rarest of the Bentleys. This car has been used, it\u2019s been enjoyed, and it wears its years with pride. Mike made an obvious and impressive effort to preserve and look after the car, but not to such an extent that it ended up being a machine that lived in a garage under a soft sheet. No, this is a working car. The cracked leather, the imperfect coverings on the doors, the slight dullness to some of the brightwork &#8211; it\u2019s a sign of life, of use. Not many cars of this ilk can boast that. Even fewer could be pressed into regular use. This one could though, and that is what makes it perfect.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-6269\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2a482c56-6757-4d08-8733-a4aed45d5756-2000x1333.jpg\" alt=\"Bentley, Bentley coupe, Bentley Boys, Bentley Blower, Blower, Fiskens, pre-war Bentley, vintage car, classic car, Fiskens, car and classic, carandclassic.co.uk, motoring, automotive, coachbuilt car\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2a482c56-6757-4d08-8733-a4aed45d5756.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2a482c56-6757-4d08-8733-a4aed45d5756-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2a482c56-6757-4d08-8733-a4aed45d5756-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2a482c56-6757-4d08-8733-a4aed45d5756-765x510.jpg 765w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2a482c56-6757-4d08-8733-a4aed45d5756-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2a482c56-6757-4d08-8733-a4aed45d5756-1800x1200.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Big, imposing and shed in impossible amounts of black detail, this is a mean, tough old machine. It carries with it an imposing sense of purpose, even today. It\u2019s not a delicate antique, it\u2019s a car that begs to be driven. Its life with Mike Harrison wasn\u2019t its life complete. It was an early chapter. There are many miles left in this Bentley. And how many of us can say that about our first car?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to pick up from where Mike Harrison left off, this magnificent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/car\/C1199246\">1931 Bentley<\/a> is currently for sale with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/user\/ccts4489\/\">Fiskens<\/a>. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photography supplied by Riikophoto First cars are usually a bit, you know, rubbish. Unless you have extremely generous parents or extended family, your first car is the result of scrimping&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":6272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[2],"tags":[15,181,893,1942,1941,1943,963,13,11,169,1944,14,1945,739],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.10 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>1931 Bentley - Not Your Average First Car - Car &amp; Classic Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What was your first car? A Mini, maybe a Fiesta or some other small hatchback? Whatever it was, it probably wasn\u2019t a 1931 Bentley 4 \u00bd litre\u2026\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1931-bentley-not-your-average-first-car\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"1931 Bentley - Not Your Average First Car - Car &amp; Classic Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What was your first car? A Mini, maybe a Fiesta or some other small hatchback? 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