1922 Bentley 3-Litre Tourer

Footnotes

With characteristic humility 'W O' was constantly amazed by the enthusiasm of later generations for the products of Bentley Motors Limited, and it is testimony to the soundness of his engineering design skills that so many of his products have survived. From the humblest of beginnings in a mews garage off Baker Street, London in 1919 the Bentley rapidly achieved fame as an exciting fast touring car, well able to compete with the best of European and American sports cars in the tough world of motor sport in the 1920s. Bentley's domination at Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930 is legendary, and one can only admire the Herculean efforts of such giants as Woolf Barnato, Jack Dunfee, Tim Birkin and Sammy Davis, consistently wrestling the British Racing Green sports cars to victory.

W O Bentley proudly unveiled the new 3-litre car bearing his name on Stand 126 at the 1919 Olympia Motor Exhibition, the prototype engine having fired up for the first time just a few weeks earlier. Bentley's four-cylinder 'fixed head' engine incorporated a single overhead camshaft, four-valves per cylinder and a bore/stroke of 80x149mm. Twin ML magnetos provided the ignition and power was transmitted via a four-speed gearbox with right-hand change. The pressed-steel chassis started off with a wheelbase of 9' 9½", then adopted dimensions of 10' 10" ('Standard Long') in 1923, the shorter frame being reserved for the TT Replica and subsequent Speed Model. Rear wheel brakes only were employed up to 1924 when four-wheel Perrot-type brakes were introduced.

In only mildly developed form, this was the model that was to become a legend in motor racing history and which, with its leather-strapped bonnet, classical radiator design and British Racing Green livery, has become the archetypal Vintage sports car.

Early success in the 1922 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, when Bentleys finished second, fourth, and fifth to take the Team Prize, led to the introduction of the TT Replica (later known as the Speed Model) on the existing 9' 9½" wheelbase, short standard chassis. Identified by the Red Label on its radiator, the Speed Model differed by having twin SU 'sloper' carburettors, a higher compression ratio, different camshaft and the close-ratio A-type gearbox, the latter being standard equipment prior to 1927 when the C-type 'box was adopted. These engine changes increased maximum power from the standard 70 to 80bhp and raised top speed to an impressive 90mph. Other enhancements included the larger (11-gallon) fuel tank and (usually) Andre Hartford shock absorbers. Bentley made approximately 1,600 3-Litre models, the majority of which was bodied by Vanden Plas with either open tourer or saloon coachwork.

Dr Clare Hay's authoritative work, Bentley, The Vintage Years, records the fact that '35' (with engine number '33') was completed in January 1922 on the standard 9' 9½" wheelbase chassis with coupé coachwork by the Wilton Carriage Company. The registration is recorded as 'XK 3010' and the first owner as one H A Baldwin. As its chassis number suggests, this is the 35th production car completed (and only the 40th Bentley ever made, taking into account the few experimental cars). Its engine is rather special, incorporating a Speed Model-type camshaft, lighter pistons, and the famous Smiths five-jet carburettor, which 'W O' believed gave better performance than the twin SUs more commonly employed.

Copies of the factory records on file list extensive maintenance and improvements made at the Cricklewood factory, and as well as listing successive owners up to the early 1930s. It appears that the car was under warranty from new until 1927, this six-year period indicating the car's quality and Bentley's confidence in its products.

'35' reappeared in the mid-1950s, complete but minus its body, in the ownership of George Strathdee, a well-known member of the Bentley Drivers' Club. It was Strathdee who fitted the car's current Harrison tourer body, which had been removed from chassis '90' (since destroyed).

In the 1990s the Bentley underwent a complete restoration (chassis, engine, axle, bodywork, etc) to the highest standard. In 2007 the car left the UK for the very first time when it was acquired by the immediately preceding owner, a French Bentley enthusiast, who would keep it for the next 15 years.

Now more than a century old, this magnificent early Bentley is presented in full working order and complete with all its accessories. It is eligible for numerous prestigious Historic events, most notably the Le Mans Classic, and would be a welcome entrant at any Concours d'Élégance or capable companion on any long-distance tour or rally. The Bentley is currently registered on a French 'carte grise de collection' and comes with an export certificate.