This remarkably original Bentley 3-Litre was sold new in September 1922 to Oswald J Syme, the youngest son of David Syme, proprietor of Melbourne's The Age newspaper. The car arrived in Melbourne in crated form without a body. Mr A C Larsen, a garage mechanic of North Melbourne, was entrusted with assembling the Bentley, which he then drove in chassis form to Ballarat, Victoria for the fitting of the three-seat, 'cloverleaf' style of coachwork that the car retains to this day. At the time there were no coachbuilders of note in Melbourne, hence the trip to Ballarat. Within a few days of acquiring the car, Syme competed in the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria's 1,000-Mile Alpine Contest and the Australian Motorist report of the 1st December 1922 records that he obtained the fastest time in the Gap Hill Climb Section.

Around 1930 the car was presented to Miss Lucy Rowe, a sister-in-law of Syme, who kept it until 1936 when it was sold following complaints from Miss Rowe's nonagenarian mother about open motoring in Melbourne winters. At this time the Bentley was still in its original livery of yellow ochre with black wings. It had been fitted with a lower back axle ratio and was still looked after by Mr Larson. The new owner, a Mr Gatehouse, paid the princely sum of £95 for the car and kept it for 12 days before selling it on to a Mr Boadle. Mr Boadle kept the Bentley until the 9th July 1942 when it was purchased by the current custodian's father, a Mr W F Higgins, of Wangaratta. Mr Higgins researched the car in exhaustive detail, discovering all the registration numbers allocated from 1932 onwards. Specifications and various minor changes made by owners over the years are recorded in his copious notes also. For example: Miss Rowe found the clutch and brake pedals too short to reach with her feet, so 'D' plates were fitted by Mr Larson to bring them closer. These remained with the car until 1995.

W F Higgins was a founding member of the Bentley Drivers' Club of Australia in 1956 and its first president. Higgins lived and breathed Bentleys all his life and did a huge amount for the movement. He loved and cherished this particular Bentley, keeping a remarkably detailed record of all the work carried out on the car and the journeys undertaken, which is far too lengthy to reproduce here. (A copy of Mr Higgins' notes, which run to approximately 16 pages, will be supplied with the car).

The Bentley was repainted and re-trimmed in 1968, and has been well maintained throughout its 86 years and believed 700,000 miles of road use. In 1989 Mr Higgins passed away and entrusted the car to his two sons. The Bentley has remained in loving care and in 1992 was given to the since deceased John Cresswell who carried out any necessary refurbishment. However, it is by no means a 'woodsman's axe', the running gear and body being largely original.

It is a testament to the Higgins family that this early 3-Litre has remained preserved in such unmolested condition, and understandably they hope to see it find a loving home with a Bentley enthusiast. Offered for sale for the first time since 1942, chassis number '142' represents a possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire what is arguably the most historically significant Bentley in Australia, being the first to arrive in this country.

"Australian export"