Bentley 6.5 Litre 4-seater tourer, 1926 | € 575.000,--
Bentley 6 ½ Liter 4-Sitzer Tourer, Jahr 1926. Fahrgestellnummer WK2661, Motornummer FR263X. UK-Registrierung YR197X. Farbe Blau kombiniert mit einem mausgrauer Lederausstattung und mausgrauem Teppich. Schwarzes Verdeck und schwarzes Mohair-Tonneau-Cover. Im November 1926 wurde dieser beeindruckender Bentley 6 ½ Liter mit Chassis WK2661 an einen Major R. Creyke in Großbritannien geliefert. Das Auto war damals mit einer Limousine Karosserie vom Typ Weyman von H.J. Mulliner ausgestattet. Das Automobil blieb lange in England, bevor es von seinem neuen Besitzer nach Schweden gebracht wurde. In der 1960er Jahren wurde WK2661 versehen von einem 4-Sitzer-Tourer-Karosserie im Vanden Plas-Stil von R.C. Moss in england. WK2661 tauchte 1970 bei der Kensington Gardens Parade in London als Tourer wieder auf. Im Dezember 1993 wurde der WK2661 vom bekannten Londoner Händler Gregor Fisken in die Niederlande verkauft. Das Auto wurde 1994 in den Niederlanden zugelassen. Der niederländische Besitzer fuhr und genießte dieses beeindruckende Automobil zu Concours-Eleganzen und historische Rallyes bis hin zur Bentley International Tour of South Africa im Jahr 2001. Im Jahr 2007 wurde die Karosserie restauriert und in 2010 wurde der Motor für 50.000 € komplett überholt. Dabei entschied sich der Besitzer für den Einbau von zwei Vergasern, der die Leistung auf ca. 160 PS bei 3.500 U/min steigerte. Im Laufe der Jahre wurde der Bentley von van Laar Classic Cars in den Niederlanden gewartet, Servicerechnungen liegen vor. Im Jahr 2019 wurde WK2661 verkauft. Derzeit befindet sich der Bentley 6 ½ Liter WK2661 in einem wunderbaren und sehr guten Vintage-Zustand und das Auto fährt beeindruckend. Der Auspuffsound ist fantastisch und der Sechszylinder-Reihenmotor liefert viel Drehmoment. Die Mechanik fühlt sich felsenfest an und das Getriebe schaltet perfekt mit richtigem Zwischengas. Die Karosserie und das Interieur weisen eine wundervolle Patina auf (normale Gebrauchs- und Altersspuren von guter Nutzung und richtiger Pflege), die dem Vorkriegs-Look und -Feeling viel Charakter verleihen. Mechanisch ist der WK2661 ein super originaler Bentley 6 ½ Liter, die zwei Vergaser (statt Smith-Bentley BVS 50) und der eine Zündmagnet statt zwei Zündmagneten sind Modifikationen wie beim Speed Six. Zusätzlich ist der Motor mit einem modernen Ölfilterumbau ausgestattet. Zusammen mit dem Vanden Plas 4-Sitzer-Tourer-Karosserie ist der WK2661 eine wunderbare Maschine im Geiste der legendären Le Mans Speed Sixes. Von 1926 bis Ende 1928 wurden nur 284 Bentley 6 ½ Liter Chassis gebaut. Dieser Bentley 6 ½ Liter ist im Bentley Register gelistet. Dies ist eine seltene Gelegenheit, einen begehrten Bentley 6 ½ Liter zu erwerben. Das Auto kann in jedem Land der Welt verkauft und dort zugelassen werden.
Dieser Bentley ist zu verkaufen / ist im Verkauf bei Altena Classic Service.
Preis: € 575.000, -.
The famous Bentley make, erected by Mr. W.O. Bentley, existed as a independent firm for only twelve years (1919-1931) before the proud firm was taken over by the Rolls Royce motor company.
Those twelve exhilarating Bentley years were filled with racing successes and many victories. The Bentley name as manufacturer of large, heavy, powerful and rugged sportscars was imprinted in the human mind since the "roaring" twenties of the twentieth century.
Bentley motorcars won the famous 24 hours of Le Mans race in the years 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. The years they did not win the race they finished second or third.
Not only successes at Le Mans were counted but also many victories in the Brooklands 500 mile race.
Races were won with the 4.5 Litre "blower" but most successes were captured by the Speed Six model.
Technical data
Six cylinder engine
2 S.U. carburettors
cylinder capacity: 4257 cc.
capacity: approx. 160 bhp at 3500 rpm
top-speed: 85 - 92 mph / 140 - 150 km/h.
gearbox: 4-speed manual
brakes: servo assisted drum brakes all round
weight: approx. 2200 kg.
Bentley history 1919 - 1931
The famous Bentley make, erected by Mr. W.O. Bentley, existed as a independent firm for only twelve years (1919-1931) before the proud firm was taken over by the Rolls Royce motor company. Those twelve exhilarating Bentley years were filled with racing successes and many important victories. The Bentley name as manufacturer of large, heavy, powerful and rugged sports cars has been imprinted in the human mind since the "roaring" 1920ies.
Bentley motorcars won the famous 24 hours of Le Mans race in the years 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. The years they did not win the long distance reliability race for production cars they finished second or third. Not only successes at Le Mans were counted but also victories in other long distance events like the Brooklands 500 mile race. The racing successes were mainly due to the rugged built of the cars and the meticulous preparation of the cars. In every race they learned and had the cars improved on small but important details (Head lamp covers, mesh gauze on the petrol tank, quick filler caps for engine oil and radiator, driver adjustable brakes.)
3-Litre
The Bentley 3 Litre was W.O. Bentley’s first design. The car was presented in 1919 but the first cars were sold in 1921. The four cylinder cars of rugged construction where in a class of their own for they combined the size and comfort of the big tourers and saloons with the road holding, and speed of the smaller sports- and racing cars. The Bentley was a true owner-driver car for the sporting motorist and connoisseur. The Bentley car could be had in three different types which were designated with three different radiator badges*. Red badge: short chassis speed model, Blue badge: the early short and then long chassis type for bespoke bodywork, Green badge: very rare and used for about eighteen 100 mph. These Green badge car won at Le Mans in 1924 and 1927 (Old Number Seven.) The 3-Litre was built from 1919 until 1929.
*The Bentley radiator and the logo were designed by the genius motoring artist Gordon Crosby. The logo is a ‘badge’ and not a ‘label’ as stated by AFC Hilstead in his book ‘Those Bentley Days’ (published 1953).
6.5 Litre and Speed Six
Then in 1926 the 6.5 Litre and the Speed Six were presented, these six cylinder models were in the eyes of W.O. Bentley the best cars the Bentley firm ever built. The bigger capacity was needed for many a customer had built a bespoke heavy saloon body on their chassis and thus eliminating the sporting element the chassis had to offer. The Speed Six brought Bentley the most racing successes and Le Mans victories. In the year 1929 the Speed Six came home first with Bentley 4.5 Litres second, third and fourth! In 1930 the same Bentley Speed Six 'Old Number one' came home a victor followed by another Speed six in second position!
4.5 Litre
Next came the upgraded four cylinder Bentley 4.5 Litre in the year 1927. The 4.5 Litre featured four valves per cylinder and two spark plugs per cylinder engine. Most of these cars were given open tourer and saloon bodywork and only nine short chassis were built.
4.5 Litre Supercharged (Blower)
The 4.5 Litre Blower was built in the ‘Barnato’ period. Financed by the Hon. Dorothy Paget Tim Birkin successfully experimented at Brooklands with his blower Bentley and even achieved the Brooklands lap record with his Blower Bentley. As Woolf Barnato was now in charge of the Bentley firm, and W.O. now only responsible for the development of the Bentley cars, Birkin convinced Barnato to enter a separate team of Blower Bentleys for the 1930 Le Mans race. This was against W.O. Bentley’s ideas for he was of the opinion that the supercharger would only add trouble to a perfectly good and reliable machine. The 1930 Le Mans race proved W.O. right as none of the blown cars finished and Barnato and Kidston won on a Speed Six model.
The supercharged 4.5 Litre engines were real "gas-guzzlers", the naturally aspirated 4.5 Litre engine used one litre of petrol every 5.6 kilometres, the supercharged engine used one litre for just 3.5 kilometres, a very large petrol tank was fitted additionally.
Another problem was that spark plugs in the supercharged engine wore out very quickly resulting in loss of power. Bentley engineer Nobby Clarke stated one day: "The blower eats spark plugs like a donkey eats hay". Only 55 Bentley 4.5 Litre ‘blower’ cars have been built by the firm of which 26 carried the Van den Plas open tourer bodywork.
8-litre
In 1931 the most impressive Bentley model ever saw the light of day; the 8-Litre. This car can be regarded as a real ‘super car’. Only 100 of these big cars have been built.
4- Litre
Also in 1931 a down scaled 8-Litre was introduced, the 4-Litre. The car was designed to sell more cars to improve the cumbersome financial situation at Bentley’s. The 1929 Wall Street crash affecting the firm immensely. The 4-Litre featured the chassis, transmission and brakes of the 8-litre. The newly constructed 120 bhp ‘Ricardo’ engine proved underpowered for the chassis and as a result the 4-litre never became the success Bentley hoped for. Only 50 chassis were built.
1931 Rolls Royce take over
In 1931 business prospects looked very black and the firm went into receivership. Napier & Son were negotiating with Bentley's receiver to take over the company. Then another interested party arrived at the scene named British Central Equitable Trust. They outbid Napiers in a sealed bid auction. The Trust later was found to be a front for Rolls-Royce Limited. Rolls Royce had cleverly defeated the threat of a firm that could become a very unwelcome competitor.
From 1933 all Bentley cars were based upon their Rolls Royce counterparts and production was then moved from Cricklewood to Derby. Purists tend to name the Rolls Royce produced cars – Rolls Royce Bentley’s. Rolls Royce took good care of the Bentley ‘marque’. Many magnificent automobiles were built with a distinctively different character than the Rolls Royce models.
© Marc Vorgers