Articles

BOOK REVIEW BY ROBERT McLELLAN

Bentley: Four Cylinder Models, In Detail
3-Litre, 4½-Litre & 4½-Litre Supercharged, 1921-1930
Author: James Taylor, 2012, 176 pages, over 150 color photos, 150 black and white photos and drawings and images. Publisher: Herridage & Sons Ltd

Bentley: Six Cylinder Models, In Detail
6�-Litre, Speed Six, 8-Litre & 4-Litre, 1926-1931
Author: James Taylor, 2012, 175 pages, over 175 color photos, 115 black and white photos and drawings and images. Publisher: Herridage & Sons Ltd

If you are a hard-core Vintage Bentley enthusiast, the first question is, "Will I learn anything new in these books or are they just a rehash of previous Bentley books?" Having read everything Bentley that I have been able to lay my hand on since my youth in the 1950s, I have good news. James Taylor notes in the introduction that he recognizes the abundance of previously printed Vintage Bentley literature over the last 80 years and the current crop of books available.

This is an effort to entertain and inform enthusiasts who have not read all of the expensive and difficult to find out-of-print books. For those of us who have forgotten much of what we have read years ago, he approaches the readers with a detailed analysis of the specific cars and models. That approach works. His goal of mixing old content with new content and pin pointing, as the title states "In Detail" specific cars and models will capture and hold the reader's attention.

The word "detail" should not be misconstrued to mean "technical". These are not restoration manuals but a through look at the cars inside and out with historical, statistical, design, engineering and racing information discussed along with photos. It is clear that Taylor is a knowledgeable Vintage Bentley enthusiast and that writing comes as second nature to him. It is a formidable task to present what we may remember in a light that makes it worthy of review and more interesting than before. But he accomplishes exactly that. As I read the two volumes, I developed the eerie feeling that I wish I had written these books because he is writing the books that I would have written had I had his time and talent. The format, style, content and photos are all excellent and presented in a quality manner.

The "Four-Cylinder Models" volume will take you from his formative years when WO was influenced by his education in locomotives, managing / sale / racing as a DFP dealer and an aero engineer in the Royal Navy, to the last 4½ litre built. An impressive strength of the books is that Taylor does not bounce from one car to another but documents individual cars and models thoroughly. For example, six pages and 14 color photos are devoted to EXP 2. This approach is repeated over and over again in both volumes. Highly commendable! The "Six-Cylinder Models" is the companion to the first volume and in every way continues the theme from the development of 6½ Litre through the 8 Litre as finances plunged Bentley into a desperate effort to continue with the disastrous 4 Litre and into receivership. But along the way, the 6 cylinder cars were grand tourers and winners at the track.

Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to James Taylor for his kind words regarding this web site and that he found the work that our contributors have put into the web site useful.

Click here for our web site's reference list of additional Bentley publications.

Order these books here: Bentley: Four Cylinder Models, In Detail :: Bentley: Six Cylinder Models, In Detail