1936 Bentley 4¼-Litre Coupé

• The sole two-door coupé bodied on the Derby Bentley chassis by James Young
• First owned by the High Sheriff of Nottingham
• Restored during previous ownership
• Present ownership since 2002
• Extensively rallied both at home and on the Continent

The 'Derby' Bentley was, of course, an exclusively coachbuilt automobile, and as befitted its sporting nature was almost always fitted with owner-driver saloon or drophead coupé coachwork, the 'standard' designs being the work of Park Ward. Of the 2,442 examples manufactured (including the subsequent 4¼-Litre model) almost 50% were bodied by Park Ward. That offered here, though, boasts fixed-head coupé coachwork by James Young, now regarded as one of the finest coachbuilders of the inter-war period. One of the handful of British coachbuilding firms still active after WW2, the Bromley-based carriage-maker had bodied its first automobile in 1908, affiliating itself with a succession of quality marques throughout the 1920s and '30s before being acquired by Jack Barclay in 1937.

'B135GP' is understood to be the sole two-door coupé by James Young on the Derby Bentley chassis out of 70 cars bodied in total (35 3½-Litre, 35 4¼-Litre). First registered as 'NV 8000' on 19th September 1936, this car was modelled on the 1935 3½-Litre open tourer designed by and built for Prince Bira by James Young, who felt that Bira's design could be improved markedly by utilising the existing closed roof.

'NV 8000' was ordered at the 1936 Earl's Court Motor Show by Alan Timpson, High Sheriff of Northampton, who owned the Bentley until after WW2. The car then passed to a Mr Richards of Hampshire, subsequently passing to Rev. G Calthrop of Lincolnshire and then in 1965 to Mr Richard Arnison Lowe of Surrey, who owned it until 2002. While the Bentley was in his care Mr Lowe undertook an extensive restoration (interior excluded).

In April 2002 the car was purchased by the current owner, who had the interior restored to the original specification by M&K Upholstery of Aylesford, Kent. Since 2002 the Bentley has been regularly maintained/serviced by Messrs Ingram, Classic Motivation of Sutton Valence, Maidstone, Kent. During that time, as well as routine servicing, Classic Motivation overhauled the steering system including the steering box, etc; fitted a modern overdrive; and carried out sundry other improvements.

This car has been extensively rallied both at home and on the Continent by the current owner, including on the popular Bill Boddy Derby Bentley Rally. Extensive records are available, including a diary record of Mr Lowe's 1960s restoration and, most notably, the car's original Bentley handbook.