Lot 026: 1936 BENTLEY 4.25 LITRE SPORTS SALOON

At the dawn of the 1930s with the reverberations of 'Black Friday' (29/10/1929) being felt worldwide, competition between carmakers grew increasingly desperate. Thus, while WO Bentley sought to refine his 8 litre into the ultimate luxury carriage, Rolls-Royce responded by dabbling with a sports car concept. Their concerns as to the branding of 'Peregrine' (as the project was labelled internally) were alleviated by Bentley's collapse in 1931. Outflanking rivals D. Napier & Son, they acquired Bentley wholesale (including WO's services) for £125,257. With a department brief that "the new car must be as unlike the Rolls-Royce models as possible" Derby engineers set about preparing 'Peregrine' for flight. Built on a 'double-dropped' chassis carrying all round semi-elliptic leaf sprung suspension and assisted drum brakes, the new car used a tuned version of the Rolls-Royce 20/25's 3669cc OHV straight-six. Boasting twin SU carburettors, a wilder cam, strengthened con-rods and a higher compression ratio, this revamped unit developed around 120bhp (a fifty percent improvement) without compromising on refinement. Equipped with the 20/25's four-speed manual gearbox, high-geared worm and nut steering and hydraulic dampers, the resultant 'Silent Sportscar' - as the Bentley 3.5 litre soon became known - was unveiled during the August 1933 Ascot Races. Superseding the 3.5 in 1936, the new 4.25 (sourcing its re-worked powerplant from the contemporary RR 25/30hp) offered a welcome boost in performance. Fitted with handsome four-door Sports Saloon coachwork by Park Ward, chassis 'B-48-GA' was supplied new to Belfast dealer Agnew & Graham Ltd on 29th April 1936. Given the local registration number 'EZ 2686', the 4.25 litre was soon put to work as a demonstrator. A familiar sight to readers of the contemporary 'Bentley Motors - On the Road' magazine, pictures of it winning the Ulster Automobile Club's Coachwork Competition at Bangor and touring through Galway appeared in issues six and eight respectively. Thankfully, these same images have recently been preserved in a more stable format as part of Bernard L. King's wonderful compendium work 'Bentley Motors - On The Road' (published by Dalton Watson Fine Books). Returning to the mainland in late 1937, 'EZ 2686' is known to have passed through the hands of Leonard Tetley (Wendover, Bucks) and J.C.J. Clark (Bolney, Sussex) before disappearing into a large Essex-based collection for several decades. Treated to a refurbished starter motor, overhauled water pump and restored wiper blocks since entering the current ownership, the 4.25 litre showed excellent oil pressure upon inspection. Indeed, the vendor - who has had dozens of Derby Bentleys over the years - considers it to be one of the nicest driving examples he has encountered. As well as its original coachwork, engine and bonnet hinge plaque, 'EZ 2686' still sports the same Marchal centre spotlight that helped sway the Ulster concours judges all those years ago. Said to be eminently usable as is (provided you have a penchant for all things scruffy), this delightful Derby Bentley is offered for sale with MOT certificate valid until July 23rd 2007 and historic class (free) valid until August 31st 2007.