"When I purchased my 4½ litre it came with a differential from the 3 litre 197. I since had the differential replaced. A picture of the original case is attached. This is now for sale."

"Have not long purchased this car from Peter Cox in Adelaide.

Peter has owned this car since the early 80's

At that time he undertook a total restoration of mechanicals and the body was almost entirely replaced with fabric over wood in the Vanden Plas style, with an aluminium louvered bonnet.

The car now has 4-wheel brakes and twin SU carbies.

Based on earlier photos the windscreen and lights look to be original.

The engine number is a little later which would indicate replacement fairly early.

It is going well and we are on the point of replacing the magnetos..."

"I am submitting this on behalf of my mother-in-law. Her father was Frank Peter Ashton (Major). He owned (1948 to 1952) the car in Uxbridge Middlesex England. My mother-in-law Tina has some pictures and would love to share with the owner."

This car was purchased by Rod Hanson in 2012.

In Australia in 2006 / Owned by a BDC member

This car was owned by Frank Peter Ashton (Major) from 1948 to 1952.

Peter Cox 3 Litre: one of the earliest in the country
by Peter Cox

Chassis No 197 with engine 197 was purchased by PWHeaton in December 1922 and registered DK2408 on the 22nd of that year. It carried a four seater touring body by Queens as shown in the old photo.

Malcolm Abbott of Cornwall told me that his wife learnt to drive in this car and I include a photo taken in the early fifties. Note no running boards and different mudguards. I do not know who the owner was at this time.

The next thing I know about this car is that it was purchased by Mr Peter Shipside and at some time was fitted with a VDP replica body. Mr Shipside later brought the far to South Australia and resided in the Auburn area north of Adelaide. Later Mr E Suttel bought he car from whom I purchased it in 1990.

By now the car was very run down with the mudguards and running boards being a disgrace to the Bentley name. It was complete but needed a lot of TLC (and money) spent on it. To finance this purchase and the inevitable restoration I sold three cars in a space of two weeks. I very much doubt that I could do that today and get top dollar at the same time. I sold a 1935 Hooper bodied Rolls Royce 20/25 ( now regrettably in Germany), a 1951 Silver Dawn and a 14/40 Vauxhall tourer.

What I thought was going to be twelve month project of course took four years. The first thing that I did was to get VM Engineering to check the motor, which they did, giving it a valve grind and suggested the bottom end was okay. I then took the car home, lifted out the motor and gearbox and dismantled everything down to the last bolt and nail.

During that time I had a colleague overhaul the gearbox. I then took the bare chassis up to Des Higgins at Salisbury where he straightened it, welded up all the excess holes and painted it to look better than new. The springs were reset, the gaiters refitted and the lot was put back on the upside down chassis.

The front axle was then refitted after replacing the kingpins. Incidentally it was a genuine front wheel brake axle of genuine Bentley origin. Originally the early 3 litre cars only had rear wheel brakes. This was one bit of good luck.

I fitted new bearings in everything. I reassembled the diff and fitted it to the chassis, now the right side up, put the wheels back on and dropped in the motor, gearbox and new clutch discs. Now all I had to do was to rewire the car, have a new aluminium bonnet made, fashion new running boards and have new guards made.

The tail shaft was no good, so a new one was made with modern universal joints. But don't forget the body was still a heap of sticks. I reassembled the framework making new bits where necessary and ensuring all the joint were correctly fitted. I then covered the whole of the frame with marine ply. Previously the only parts covered (except by fabric) was the rear of the body behind the back seat and across the top in front of the windscreen.

I had been advised that the fabric on the body when purchased by me was as near to the original as modern fabrics would allow. My upholsterer warned me that he would not fit the fabric to the body work unless he was satisfied with my carpentry and jointing. I passed. He thus covered the body, then repaired and replaced some of the interior upholstery. A pair of aero-screens was added to the windscreen.

Now after a number of minor adjustments things seemed to the okay. The wheels were stripped, repainted and new tyres and tubes fitted.

However, returning from a National Rally in Victoria after competing in the Gymkhana on a very wet and slippery surface a con rod broke near the gudgeon pin. This I later learnt was a common problem with old original rods. Again though I was lucky. It did not go through the side of the block. I had a beautiful set of rods made in Adelaide and these were fitted to the motor with new pistons and rings. At this stage I was still within my budget.

Later probably due to over zealous machining, the camshaft delaminated and spoilt things. The bores were honed and a new shaft, also made in Adelaide, was fitted. A Victorian member assisted me by lending me his camshaft profile from which a new one could be made.

Strange as it may seem I have never had major problems like these two in any of the nearly hundred cars that I have owned. I expected too much of an old motor and paid the price. WO was not to blame! I should have fully reconditioned the motor the first time around. I love this car but will soon have to find a more youthful owner. It's not the car for an 80+ year old and his loving and long suffering wife.

PS Just after I had bought No.197, Peter Graham, one of our then members in Adelaide, provided me with a copy of a huge amount of the then recorded information on all of WO's models and their chassis drawings. Whilst it was most interesting general knowledge, it was also of great assistance in making, or having made, fitment to the chassis, eg running board brackets. Peter is now a member in WA.