1949 Bentley Speed 8

"Fools! They've missed a zero from the guide price." I hear you say. Well we haven't, read on and we'll explain. Most of you reading this will be aware of the exploits of the Bentley Boys and of the cars they raced. Now getting very hard to find, and with a price tag that reflects this, ownership of original cars is restricted to only the very privileged. Allow us to introduce a vehicle that can turn as many heads, is easier to drive, own & maintain, and could be snapped up here for around a tenth of the price. Interested? You should be! After the Second World War Bentley launched the Mark VI as a steel bodied, luxury sports saloon but with chassis' continuing to be supplied to many coachbuilders who offered a variety of saloons, coupes and convertibles. Coachbuilders often favoured the use of aluminium as steel available then was often of very poor quality due to the government's strict post-war controls. It was this poor quality steel that has rendered many a Mark VI beyond restoration, a fact not missed by a gentleman from South Wales, Mr Perris Edwards. Realising that the chassis and many of the mechanical components were very hardy and beautifully engineered, an idea came to Perris which has, after years of development, resulted in the vehicle you see here today.

From this idea Racing Green Engineering was established. Perris together with his son-in-law, Nigel Holmes set about creating a coach building business to build new Bentleys akin to the Mulliner's and Gurney Nutting's of the day. The concept was simple, use the chassis and some of the mechanical components of the rapidly deteriorating Mark VI steel bodied cars, completely recondition the usable parts as new, and combine them with new coach-built aluminium bodies in the pre-war style. The first car was built in the early nineties, and the factory in Llanelli, South Wales has now built over 100 vehicles with varying body styles. With a full order book the lead time for a car to be built is now measured in years. We are delighted to be able to offer a high spec vehicle that was only completed earlier this year and has covered less than 200 miles since build.

Chassis B10 EY was supplied new on the 22nd February 1949 by Charles Attwood & Son Ltd of Stafford St. Wolverhampton to Mr. Godfrey F. Bate of William Bate Ltd. and bearing the registration number DDH 555. Fitted with a Bentley Motors standard-steel body the car was later imported to New Zealand in 1964 where it stayed until it's repatriation in 2011. A prime candidate for the "Racing Green treatment" the current owner sent the car to the factory to commence work. The gearbox, chassis, suspension and rear axle were stripped and reconditioned as new with the classic "Speed 8" body style being chosen for the coachwork. Again, I hear your cry -"don't you mean Speed 6?" The engine selected for this car is a 5.7 litre B80 period Bentley straight 8 power-plant (hence Speed 8) and together with a new high ratio rear axle permits speeds over 90 mph. The fully rebuilt 4-speed manual transmission has synchromesh on all gears other than first and reverse and with its outside gear change provides a period but surprisingly comfortable drive. Aside from the high ratio axle other bespoke options for this vehicle include painted cast tail lamps, patinated instrument dials, Flying B mascot on the radiator cap, extended gear change, upgraded klaxons, fishtail exhaust and even heated seats! The vehicle has a full tonneau as well as a retractable hood and the side screens can be fitted as Brooklands aero screens by folding the windscreen frame forward if desired.

Although very much at home pottering down English country lanes, many of Racing Green cars have successfully competed in gruelling rallies such as the Peking to Paris without breakdown, a testament to the build quality and resultant reliability of these vehicles. The factory keenly support the vehicles and carry a large inventory of spares which are available through service centres in several countries. So skip the waiting list and jump straight into a high spec "as new" car for a very reasonable price. It is worthy of mention that the DVLA has reissued the original registration mark to the car, a "historic" tax disc and it has a current MOT test (although actually unnecessary being pre-1960). Also the fact that the car is built on a Forties chassis rather than one from the early fifties can be quite advantageous for those considering entering rallies. A superb contender for period rallies across the world, and a real nod to Woolf Barnato, Henry Birkin and the famous Bentley Boys.