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27 May 2015
Bentley Car Club tours Midcoast, Owls Head Transportation Museum, Firefly Restorations
The North American Vintage Bentley Meet kicked off on May 18, 2014 at the Owls Head Transportation Museum. Around 30 vintage Bentley cars, ranging from 1921 to a more modern 2014 model, adorned the tarmac at the museum while club members toured the museum and eventually took turns in a driving skills test. This was the starting point for the club’s North American Tour...
 From left, Camilla Brauer, Sandra Massman and Darby Wathne talk at Marshal Point Light Sunday before resuming their tour of the area. (Photo by Chris Wolf) |
MIDCOAST — The North American
Vintage Bentley Meet kicked off May 18 at the Owls Head
Transportation Museum. Around 30 vintage Bentley cars,
ranging from 1921 to a more modern 2014 model, adorned
the tarmac at the museum while club members toured the
museum and eventually took turns in a driving skills
test. This was the starting point for the club’s
North American Tour and they were to continue to roam
around New England from here.
The members of the club began their visit at the Samoset
Resort in Rockport, and toured the area around Rockland,
Port Clyde and the Marshal Point Lighthouse before returning
to Owls Head and the museum. They then headed to Hope,
where they met with Andy Swift and toured his antique
fire engine restoration business, Firefly Restorations,
before hitting the road for a drive to Mount Desert
Island and a stop in Bar Harbor.
Vintage Bentley automobiles are some of the most prestigious
cars in the world. Bentley cars at the meet were brought
in from California, Arizona, Missouri, Texas and New
York. Though not driven to Owls Head, the cars were
shipped in and driven around the area.
| Click for larger view | ||
 Steve Brauer from St. Louis waves from his 1931 Bentley at the Samoset Resort. (Photo by Chris Wolf) |
 An antique Bentley parked outside Firefly Restorations in Hope Monday, May 19. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards) |
 A vintage Bentley awaits its turn at the driving skills test. (Photo by Chris Wolf) |
 Three Bentleys line up at OHTM. (Photo by Chris Wolf) |
 Bentleys at Marshal Point. (Photo by Chris Wolf) |
 Bentley cars on the tarmac at OHTM. (Photo by Chris Wolf) |
 Bentley club members inside Firefly Restorations in Hope May 19. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards) |
 The Bentley car club members gather with Andy Swift (seated) and his wife, Kathy, during their visit to Swift’s Firefly Restoration barn in Hope. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards) |
 Andy Swifts tells the Bently car club that one of the apparatus in his shop, the steam fire engine named Kearsarge 3, helped battle the Great Boston Fire of 1872 and save the Old South Meeting House, the church in the Downtown Crossing area of Boston that is famous as the organizing site |
John Lee of Brunswick said the cars
would drive all day at 60 mph on the highway and are
very comfortable. They are detailed in fine leather
and wood veneer to accentuate the meticulous detail
and the craftsmanship that went to each and every car.
A 1926 Bentley would cost as much as $5,000 at the time.
To put it in perspective, a new Ford Model A of the
same year would set you back $300.
Andy Parris, aftersales manager for Bentley, is based
out of Boston. He explained why two very new 2014 Bentleys
were at the vintage Bentley meet.
“Part of out DNA is based on heritage,” he
said. “Part of what we build is based off these
cars. What we have done, is try to look at the lines,
the features, and try to incorporate them into the modern
look. We like to bring in these cars to show how the
old mixes with the new. And a lot of the owners here
also experience the newer Bentleys. Heritage is a very
big part of our business.”
“These cars are very, very solid. They are fast,
nimble and quiet. And the heritage is here. The younger
drivers go more for the modern cars. A Bentley is something
you are born into. You have an understanding of it and
you grow with it. Many of the owners have been around
this brand for many, many years.”
From Owls Head and MDI, the Vintage Bentleys continued
their tour of the Northeast. The event was a rare opportunity
to see classic, vintage Bentley cars from all over the
United States and meet some of the friendly people who
own and drive them.
Posted here on May 27, 2015