Lot 505: 1934 Bentley 3.5-Liter Tourer

Launched in 1933, the first of what would become know as the ‘Derby Bentleys’ continued the marque’s sporting associations but in a manner even more refined than before. Even W O Bentley himself acknowledged that the 3.5-Liter model was the finest ever to bear his name. Based on the contemporary Rolls-Royce 20/25hp, the 3.5-Liter Bentley was slightly shorter in the wheelbase and employed a tuned (115bhp) twin-SU-carburetor version of the former’s overhead-valve six. Add to this already remarkable package an all-synchromesh four-speed gearbox and servo assisted brakes, and the result was a vehicle offering the driver effortless sportscar performance in almost absolute silence. ‘The Silent Sports Car’, as it was swiftly dubbed, had few peers as a tireless long-distance tourer, combining as it did traditional Rolls-Royce refinement with Bentley performance and handling.

The Derby Bentley was, of course, an exclusively coachbuilt automobile. Of the 2,442 manufactured (including the subsequent 4.25-Liter model) almost 50 ere bodied by Park Ward in a limited number of styles. Most of the other great British coachbuilding firms offered designs, many of them unique, on the Derby Bentley chassis. ‘B90CR’ was originally bodied as a sedan by F W Plaxton of Scarborough, the well-known seaside resort on the North Yorkshire coast. Founded in 1919 and still in existence today, Plaxton is best known for its motor coach bodies but was active in the car body trade during the 1920s and 1930s. The car has since been re-bodied as a four-seat tourer, in a style somewhat reminiscent of the Vanden Plas-bodied Le Mans-winning Bentleys of the 1920s, and was acquired by the vendor in November 1987. The body is constructed in the traditional manner - aluminum panels on an ash frame - and was repainted in British Racing Green in 1999; a new clutch, wiring and turn signals being fitted at the same time. Representing the opportunity to enjoy vintage-style, fresh air motoring at a relatively modest price, this unique Derby Bentley is offered with owner’s handbook and Certificate of Title.