4256cc OHV 6 Cylinder Inline
4 Speed Manual Synchro on 3rd and 4th
Front Engined Rear Wheel Drive
Servo Assisted Mechanical Drum Brakes
125 bhp
Exterior Velvet Green Interior Tan w/ Green Piping
Bentley was founded by Walter Owen Bentley in 1919 and very quickly built a reputation for incredibly well made, solid, high-performance automobiles that dominated large sections of auto racing at the time with multiple first place wins at Le Mans and other races. Unfortunately, with the worldwide economic collapse of the Great Depression, demand for these expensive high-performance luxury cars fell leading to Bentley Motors Ltd. voluntarily going into receivership, where it was bought by Rolls Royce in 1931. Rolls Royce had a similar reputation for quality but not for building sporting cars and the Bentley name gave them an entry into the owner-driven market. Prewar, these Bentleys are commonly referred to as the “Derby” Bentleys after the town in England where the factory was located. The first Rolls Royce “Derby” Bentley was a 3 ½ Litre on a chassis identical to the Rolls Royce20/25. Although the engine was basically the same between the two, the Bentley received higher compression and better performance through the use of two SU carburetors as opposed to the single downdraft fitted to the Rolls Royce.
By 1936, the cars were getting heavier so the engine was upgraded to 4 ¼ liters, creating a very capable car that lived up to Rolls Royce’s advertising name of “The Silent Sports Car”. This example was bodied by Thrupp and Maberly with extensive restoration work expertly carried out by the previous owners, Tom and Abby Campi in Maryland in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The car has extensive records of ownership going back to when it was new and has spent much of its life in the United States. I purchased the car with the intention of it serving as a long distance touring car and flew out to Maryland to test drive the car, I was happy to find that it was in perfect working order with nothing needing immediate attention. I have since driven the car on several long tours, including one ten-day 1200 mile tour through Oregon and northern California. Aside from maintenance, all I’ve done to the car is fit a non-original electric overdrive taking some of the stress of high speed driving off the engine. A sorted example like this one is a very reliable, enjoyable car to drive.
