1924 Bentley 3-Litre Red Label
77th Goodwood Members Meeting 2019, April 2019

Ready for Peking to Paris Rally, 2012

Maldon UK Aug 2010

In United Kingdom in 2008 / Owned by a BDC member

Chassis No. 629 returned to England in 1989. I bought it in March of 1995. The steering is a 4½ litre unit from FB3303 which makes for lighter steering. The slopers are subsequently numbered 5274 and 5275. The car is mentioned in Brian Smith's book on the Vanden Plas cars. I took it to New Zealand for the 2002 tour.

The engine was replaced in the 1970/80s with DE1217 (a big sump engine) It's orginal engine, No. 624, was offered for sale in the "Bentley Drivers Club Advertiser" in July 1982 for £1500 above the picture of the 6½ that Barry Cooney was advertising.

Regarding it's "milled top" slopers - See "Bentley Drivers Club Review", No. 113, Aug. 1974, page. Six lines down it says, "'The Motor' illustrated a drawing of the new S.U. slopers . . .". Then see "Bentley Drivers Club Review", No. 115, Feb. 1975, page 33, letter from Gordon Wilcockson. If you have Michael Hay's book Factory Cars' 1919 - 1931, 1998, Revised Edition, he states in chapter 8, page 144, second paragraph that "Some of the very early slopers had the usual two point mounting to the inlet maniford, but at 90 degrees i.e. with the bolts in line with the manifold rather than perpendicular. The tops of the barrels were circular, with milled tops, rather than the more usual pattern with near - triangular tops secured by four screws." On one occasion I was over at the Moss's place (Dick & Grahams) when a German came in and seeing my 3 Litre gave the remark that the carbs were wrong. To which Dick Moss said, "You are looking at the first pair of slopers fitted to a Bentley". To which the German replied, "I was told they were wrong. I've just throw a set in the bin." Dick said, "Get them out of the bin as soon as you get home". The result was that that Bentley was shipped over to the Moss's and I lent my 3 Litre to them so that they could copy the bits that were missing (linkages). Subsequently the German owner was so pleased with the way that they were set up that he let Graham Moss race it at the first "Classic LeMans". That was Herr Wager's Chassis No. 592.

I have tried to track down those Bentleys with the milled tops but have only come upon five in total. They are Chassis Nos.:

S16 - When owned by Brock-Jest
TT233 - Owned by Richard Gayner
TT332 - Owned by Paul Sydlowski in the U.S.
SP592 - When owned by Herbert Wager (now deceased)
SP629 - Owned by Laurence Jones

It is my understanding that G. Shepherd Cross was close to one of the directors of Bentleys. That is why he bought an unknown car (Chassis No. 10), as Bentleys were then. Subsequently, he lent them his new Bentley for the 1924 Motor Show and is the further reason why he let them fit these "new" carbs onto his car. I did track down a Shepherd Cross family member a couple of years ago and he told me that "That side of the Family moved to Hodesia" - - - trial went cold at that point.

The car took part in the 1983 Total Vintage Bentley tour (Entry No. 5) while in the ownership of Stewart Dodo.

After the death of Gordon Wilcockson the car spent from 1982 until 1989 in South Africa.

Chassis No. 629 was lent by G. E. Shepherd Cross to the company (Bentley Motors) for the 1924 Motor Show. This car is fitted with the early version of slopers — know as "milled tops".

"These pictures were taken in the 1960s whilst chassis No 629 was in the ownership of family friend Gordon Wilcockson."