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24 December 2013

The 1930s adventures of 4½-litre Reg JB 1850

"Reading of other's experiences with vintage cars has filled me with nostalgia for one of my own of long ago — surely one of the most entertaining high performance cars ever made — a supercharged 4½-litre Bentley. I shall always remember my first sight of the 'blower'. I had an ordinary 4½-litre at the time and had driven up to H. M. Bentley's in Hanover Street to discuss some modification — and there in the showroom stood the perfect car, a 4½ with a shining black open four-seater body with screen folded flat and two aeroscreens in position: I had to have it and a deal was struck. 'H.M.' had had the engine stripped and new bearings fitted as well as everything else possible done and I started off with a virtually new car and drove it 75,000 miles with only normal decoking and brake relining having to be done in the course of them." — Owner of JB 1850 in the 1930s

The 1930s adventures of 4½-litre Reg JB 1850
Memories of a super-charged 4½-litre Bentley in a variety of countries
Motor Sport, January 1948

Reading of other's experiences with vintage cars has filled me with nostalgia for one of my own of long ago — surely one of the most entertaining high performance cars ever made — a supercharged 4½-litre Bentley.

"I shall always remember my first sight of the 'blower'. I had an ordinary 4½-litre at the time and had driven up to H. M. Bentley's in Hanover Street to discuss some modification — and there in the showroom stood the perfect car, a 4½ with a shining black open four-seater body with screen folded flat and two aeroscreens in position: I had to have it and a deal was struck. 'H.M.' had had the engine stripped and new bearings fitted as well as everything else possible done and I started off with a virtually new car and drove it 75,000 miles with only normal decoking and brake relining having to be done in the course of them." — Owner of JB 1850 in the 1930s    Continued...

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Originally published in Motor Sport - January 1948. Reprinted in May 2000.
Posted here on Dec 24, 2013