4,398cc SOHC Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
4 Overhead Valves Per Cylinder
110bhp at 3,500rpm
4-Speed C-Type Manual Gearbox
Front and Rear Leaf Spring Suspension
4-Wheel Drum Brakes with Servo Assist

*Well-known and documented example accompanied by detailed Clare Hay Report 

*Retaining original coachwork, engine, drivetrain and suspension
*Thoroughly maintained by marque expert Steve Babinsky
*Colorado Grand and California Mille Participant

THE BENTLEY 4 ½ LITER

W.O. Bentley proudly debuted the new 3-liter car bearing his name on Stand 126 at the 1919 Olympia Motor Exhibition, the prototype engine having fired up for the first time just a few weeks earlier. In only mildly developed form, this was the model which was to become a legend in motor racing history and which, with its leather-strapped bonnet, classical radiator design and British Racing Green livery has become the archetypal vintage sports car.

Early success in the 1922 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, when Bentleys finished second, fourth and fifth to take the Team Prize, led to the introduction of the TT Replica (later known as the Speed Model). However, by the middle of the decade the 3-Liter's competitiveness was on the wane and this, together with the fact that too many customers had been tempted to fit unsuitably heavy coachwork to the excellent 3-liter chassis rather than accept the expense and complexity of Bentley's 6½-liter 'Silent Six', led to the introduction of the '4½'.

The new 4½-liter model effectively employed the chassis, transmission and brakes of the 3-liter, combined with an engine that was in essence two-thirds of the six-cylinder 6½-liter unit. Thus the new four-cylinder motor retained the six's 100x140mm bore/stroke and Bentley's familiar four-valves-per-cylinder fixed-'head architecture, but reverted to the front-end vertical camshaft drive of the 3-liter. Bentley Motors lost no time in race-proving its new car. The new model also retained that "bloody thump", as noted Bentley owner Walter Foden referred to it, a characteristic that enables one to clearly identify a 4-cylinder Bentley from many miles away. Bentley Motors wasted no time in proving the new car in competition. It is believed that the first prototype engine went into the 3-liter chassis of the 1927 Le Mans practice car. Subsequently this same engine was fitted to the first production 4½-liter chassis for that year's Grand Prix d'Endurance at the Circuit de la Sarthe. The original 4½-liter car, nicknamed by the team 'Old Mother Gun' and driven by Frank Clement and Leslie Callingham, promptly set the fastest race lap of 73.41mph before being eliminated in the infamous 'White House Crash' multiple pile-up. The new engine quickly proved its worth, and it managed an outright win at Le Mans in 1928.

The 4½-liter was produced for four years, all but nine of the 665 cars made being built on the 3-liter's 'Long Standard', 10' 10"-wheelbase chassis. Purchasers of the 4½-liter model were, in common with those of all vintage-period Bentleys, free to specify their preferences from a very considerable range of mechanical and electrical equipment, in addition to whatever body style and coachbuilder might be required. The most iconic of course were the cars fitted with tourer bodies by Vanden Plas, which provided 669 bodies from 1922 to 1931. Bentley's relationship with Vanden Plas began in 1922, and by 1924, the company bodied 84 Bentleys alone. In 1925, Vanden Plas leased a portion of their premises to Bentley for the latter's service department, securing their role as the coachbuilder of choice for Bentley.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

Reaching 90 years of age, this British sportscar looks today much as it would have done when completed by the dream team of W.O. Bentley's Cricklewood Works and Vanden Plas' coachbuilding house. Of course, it was that partnership that provided the juice for the campaigns at Le Mans throughout the 1920s and garnered no fewer than 4 outright wins. Each were built in this guise of the most potent Bentley to date, clad in lightweight open bodywork. It was a recipe for success, and provided Bentley and the famous Bentley Boys, the likes of Henry 'Tim' Birkin, Woolf Barnato, Clement Watney, and so on, with numerous other wins around the UK and Europe, at Brooklands and beyond. Back in the day, it would have been every boy's wish to pilot one of these fabled machines, and that desire has perpetuated the brand through 99 years of existence.

Few marques have had as many coachwork and engine replacements as the early Bentleys. Many closed bodies were replaced by sporting, open tourers, both in-period and after the war, and few original bodies have survived intact, making FB3317 all the more desirable. Besides originality, proper maintenance is vital, and the value of a vintage Bentley is not diminished if it has sensible updates, thoughtful maintenance, and supporting documentation. Consequently, after 90 years, this example is a rare find.

Archived by Bentley Motors and Vanden Plas, and subsequently by clubs like the Bentley Drivers' Club and Rolls-Royce Owners' Club, early Bentleys can often be accurately documented. The ownership history of FB3317 is admirably complete, starting with its first owner in 1929, F.W. Howarth, of The Danes, Higher Crumpshall, Manchester. Clearly a Bentley enthusiast, he first owned a 1925 3-Liter Arnold Saloon, then a 1928 4½-Liter J. Gurney-Nutting Saloon, and a 1930 4½-Liter Supercharged Vanden Plas Coupé.

He was followed by B.C. Garnham, of London, in 1933 and G. Forbes, of Essex, in 1936. Following a presumed wartime slumber, the car re-emerged in 1946 with a succession of known owners, most notably Captain Geoffrey Hunt, who brought FB3317 to the New World in 1956. At some point, presumably before its export to America, the original chassis frame was replaced by AD3671. This practice was not uncommon at the time; presumably, AD3671 was in better condition than FB3317, which is known to have been repaired multiple times in the 1930s. It is further known that Captain Hunt installed the Marchal headlamps, which remain with the car to this day, whilst the dating of the current cycle wings is unknown.

In 1966, owner W. A. Boone restored the car, and he won many concours events with it. The rebuild is recorded in number 100 of the Bentley Drivers' Club's Review from May 1971, and Boone notes that the wooden body frame was restored by Don Carpenter, of Wizard Works in Kenosha, Wisconsin; since the body was extensively restored at this time, it is possible that the wings were replaced then as well. In any case, to this day, the body retains the hallmarks of the Vanden Plas craftsmen.

Boone and FB3317 participated in club tours and events, including RROC Spring and Fall Tours in the U.S.; Vintage Racing at Laguna Seca, California, and Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin; a Bentley Drivers' Club Tour of England, covering 1,200 miles; and the SCCA Michigan Miglia, which covered 1,000 miles in three days. Awards include the NIRCCA Grand Award for Excellence and an RROC First in Class for "Vintage Bentley" in 1970; the AACA's "S. F. Edge Award for the outstanding restoration of the year of a foreign-made automobile in a national event" in 1972; the BDC, "Best Overseas Car" at Kensington Gardens, London, in 1974; and 100 points in the "Senior Foreign" class at the Indianapolis National Grand Classic in 1976.

Published references include seven in the Bentley Drivers' Club Review between 1974 and 1982 and five in the RROC Flying Lady between 1971 and 1979. In addition, FB3317 is mentioned in Vanden Plas Coachbuilders, by Brian Smith, and All the Pre-War Bentleys - As New, by Stanley Sedgwick. Perhaps the most astute observations have been made by Clare Hay, author of many archival Bentley reference volumes, including Bentley: The Vintage Years; Bentley Factory Cars, Bentley Speed Six; and Bentley Eight Liter. Hay inspected the car thoroughly in early-2013 to examine the original components and map out for the first time where and why repairs, replacement of parts, and sensible upgrades were performed.

In the incredibly detailed report, every component of the car is examined, photographed, and recorded. Aside from the replacement chassis, Hay notes that the engine, the desirable close-ratio C-Type gearbox, number 6442, the steering box, and the front and rear axles remain original to the car, as do the correct-type Bentley & Draper shock absorbers. The front brakes are the original 1929 type, although it is noted that the finned brake drums are a later update and are considered superior to the original units. The fuel system is correct, including the matched pair of SU HVG5 carburetors and Ki-Gass cold starting pump, as is the matched pair of ML ER4 magnetos. The car even retains its original leather trays between the chassis and the sump flange, which are almost always missing, as well as the quick release radiator cap, which was originally fitted to racing cars and ordered by F.W. Howarth from Bentley in April 1930.

FB3317 has retained its complete identity throughout its entire life and has participated on rallies such as the Colorado Grand and California Mille. It has been cared after and maintained by expert restorer Steve Babinsky and recently received $16,000 worth of work in 2018. Offered from a prominent East Coast based collection of some of the best sports and racing cars made, this Bentley is ready to be enjoyed and would be welcomed in clubs, like the Bentley Owners' Club Ltd., and invited to the finest events round the globe. Unlike many cars from the 1920s, a Bentley is thrilling to drive, and one is an essential part of a pre-war collection.