1925 Bentley 4½-Litre Le Mans Replica Tourer

Chassis No. 911

100 bhp, 4,398 cc OHC inline four-cylinder engine, four-speed manual gearbox, solid front axle and live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel mechanical drum brakes. Wheelbase: 117.5"

- Faithful recreation of “Old Mother Gun”, the famed 1928 Le Mans winner
- Wonderful vintage racer or fast open-road tourer; 5,500-hour restoration
- Some £30,000 invested since acquisition by current owner in 2010

Developed from the brilliant 3-litre, W.O. Bentley’s more powerful 4½-litre débuted in 1925 and enhanced both the marque’s carriage-trade business and built upon the racing success of its progenitor in one stroke. Of all Bentleys of the era, however, the 4½-litre, nicknamed “Old Mother Gun”, remains the most famous today. Crashed at Le Mans in 1927, it was repaired and then captured Bentley’s third Le Mans title in 1928, with Woolf Barnato and Bernard Rubin co-driving.

“Mother Gun” enjoyed an epic career and survives today. This faithful and handsome recreation is built on chassis 911, originally a 3-litre Bentley with Freestone and Webb drophead coupé bodywork, which was delivered new to Melbourne, Australia in January 1925. When eventually acquired by the prior owner in 2003 as a restoration project, it was running, but the original body was beyond repair. Rather than attempt a full restoration to original form, the decision was made to perform an exacting conversion to the Le Mans specification of “Old Mother Gun” instead.

The car was completely dismantled and the chassis shortened by 2½ inches. It was fitted with fixed pillar struts, and the springs were re-tempered, reset and refitted with correct mountings and full-length gaiters. The brakes were rebuilt with finned drums, and period-correct 20-inch wire wheels with 5.25/50 tyres were installed.

The engine was built upon a blower-specification block from the late Russ “Rusty” Turner. Added to this were a Reece camshaft, Phoenix crankshaft, connecting rods, high-compression pistons, needle-bearing rockers and boxes and a high-performance oil pump. A lightened flywheel, heavy-duty clutch and fully-rebuilt gearbox drive a new balanced propshaft and a 3.53:1 differential with new four-star crown wheel and pinion. The fuel tank is by Gavin Spencer.

Replica coachwork in the Vanden Plas Le Mans style was expertly framed by Rod Wariner and panelled in aluminium by Vintage & Classic. All trim details are correct, including Vanden Plas sill plates. James Pearce furnished the seats in Muirhead leather, and the hood and tonneau covers, both full and half-length, are made to the original pattern. Accessories include both full and aero windscreens, as well as Air Ministry switches, pre-war Lucas P100 angle-mounted headlamps with stone guards, right-angle-drive Klaxon horn and two forward Klaxonettes, plus full instrumentation with dash-mounted air pump.

The car is accompanied by a full photographic record of the 5,500-hour restoration. On its maiden outing, it was honoured with a concours win and has continued to delight its keepers and all onlookers. Since acquisition by the current owner, a further £30,000 was invested, including such new items as the alternator and starter motor, the cross-shaft assembly and new windscreen, as well as the addition of new racing pistons and engine tuning for additional power. A correct and painstaking representation of the 1928 Le Mans victor, this car is perfect for vintage racing, concours participation or pure motoring pleasure.

Estimate:
€325.000-€445.000

Monaco, Friday, May 11, 2012 - Saturday, May 12, 2012
Auction Results: Lot was sold at a price of €408.800

1925 Bentley Le Mans Replica Tourer 4½ Litre

1925 Bentley 3/4 1/2 Litre Le Mans Replica Tourer
Number 911, a 3-Litre Bentley with drophead coupé body by Freestone and Webb, was delivered new to Melbourne, Australia in January of 1925. Its intermediate history is unknown, but when it was purchased in 2003 as a restoration project, it was in severely deteriorated condition. It was running, but the coachbuilt body was beyond repair and the chassis and engine were very tired. The owner decided that rather than embark on the task of full restoration he would make a conversion to the Le Mans specification of “Old Mother Gun” instead.

Sold for €250,567 on October 27th 2010, Battersea, London.

Bentley 3 - 4½ lt Le Mans style Tourer 1925

Chassis nbr. 911; Engine nbr. RT 909; 6-cylinder 4,5 litre engine; 4-speed gearbox; fully restored to "Old Mother Gun" Le Mans race car specifications; photo documentation of restoration; eligible for all major events world wide

3 Litre Bentley, chassis number 911 was delivered new to Melbourne, Australia in January 1925. At which time it carried a drop head coupe body by Freestone and Webb. However, its modern history is far more interesting.

The car was bought, in original but dilapidated condition, in 2003 as a restoration project by an enthusiast in Sydney, Australia. At that time it was still running, but the body was beyond repair and the chassis and engine described as “on their last legs”. With this in mind the decision to convert it to Le Mans specification made complete sense.

The car was completely dismantled and the original long chassis rebuilt to the 9 foot 9½ inch Le Mans specification. This entailed fitting fixed pillar struts as on the famous team car “Old Mother Gun”. It also received a full under panel. The springs were retempered and reset, before refitting with the correct mountings and full-length gaiters. The brakes were totally rebuilt with finned drums, and period correct 20inch wire wheels with 5.25/50 inch tyres were fitted.

The engine was rebuilt centred upon a blower specification block from the late Russ “Rusty” Turner. A Reece camshaft, Phoenix crankshaft, conrods, high compression pistons, needle roller rockers and boxes and a high performance oil pump were fitted. A lightweight flywheel and high performance clutch transmit the power to a gearbox that has been fully rebuilt to “BS” standards. The prop shaft is new and fully balanced; the 3.53 differential is fitted with a new 4-star crown wheel and pinion. The fuel tank, as on Mother Gun is by Gavin Spencer. The original 3-Litre engine comes crated with the car.

The replica Vanden Plas Le Mans style coachwork features a frame by marque expert Rod Wariner, with aluminium panelling by Vintage & Classic. All trim details are correct and in period, including Vanden Plas sill plates. The “Team Car” seats by James Pearce are upholstered in Muirhead leather. Full and half-length Le Mans style tonneau covers and hood are to original pattern.

The windscreen and aero screens as well as all the minor trim details are to the same exacting specifications as Mother Gun. These include Air ministry switches, fuel tank and headlight stone guards, pre-war Lucas P100 angle mounted headlights, full instrumentation, right angle drive Klaxon and two front Klaxonettes and dash board air pump. A full photographic record of this work, some 5,500 hours, comes with the car.

The quality of the restoration can best be judged by the fact that the car won a Concours d’Elegance on its maiden outing. In fact there could be no better way to enjoy the Eifel Klassik, the Mille Miglia or any similar vintage event, than from the seats of this superbly detailed, fast and fully useable vintage Bentley.

In Australia in 2006 / Owned by a BDC member

Chassis No: 911
Engine No: RT 909
Reg: Club reg (Vic) (N.T.)

W. O. Bentley proudly debuted the new 3-litre car bearing his name on Stand 126 at the 1919 Olympia Motor Exhibition, the prototype engine having fired up for the first time just a few weeks earlier. In only mildly developed form, this was the model which was to become a legend in motor racing history and which, with its leather-strapped bonnet, classical radiator design and British Racing Green livery has become the archetypal vintage sportscar. Early success in the 1922 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, when Bentleys finished second, fourth and fifth to take the Team Prize, led to the introduction of the TT Replica (later known as the Speed Model). However, by the middle of the decade the 3-Litre's competitiveness was on the wane and this, together with the fact that too many customers had been tempted to fit unsuitably heavy coachwork to the excellent 3-Litre chassis rather than accept the expense and complexity of Bentley's 6½-litre 'Silent Six', led to the introduction of the '4½'.

The new 4½-Litre model effectively employed the chassis, transmission and brakes of the 3-Litre, combined with an engine that was in essence two-thirds of the six-cylinder 6½-litre unit. Thus the new four-cylinder motor retained the six's 100x140mm bore/stroke and Bentley's familiar four-valves per-cylinder fixed-'head architecture, but reverted to the front-end vertical camshaft drive of the 3-Litre. Bentley Motors lost no time in race-proving its new car. It is believed that the first prototype engine went into the 3-Litre chassis of the 1927 Le Mans practice car. Subsequently this same engine was fitted to the first production 4½-Litre chassis for that year's Grand Prix d'Endurance at the Sarthe circuit.

The original 4½-Litre car, nicknamed by the team 'Old Mother Gun' and driven by Frank Clement and Leslie Callingham, promptly set the fastest race lap of 73.41mph before being eliminated in the infamous ‘White House Crash' multiple pile-up. Driven by Woolf Barnato and Bernard Rubin, 'Old Mother Gun' (race number '4') won the famous French endurance classic the following year and finished 2nd in 1929 carrying race number '9', its drivers on that occasion being Glen Kidston and Clive 'Jack' Dunfee. The 4½-Litre was produced for four years, all but nine of the 665 cars made being built on the 3-Litre's 'Long Standard', 10' 10"-wheelbase chassis. Purchasers of the 4½-Litre model were, in common with those of all vintage-period Bentleys, free to specify their preferences from a very considerable range of mechanical and electrical equipment, in addition to whatever body style and coachbuilder might be required. Records indicate that 3-Litre chassis number '911' was delivered new in Melbourne, Australia in January 1925, although it is not known who its first owner was. The car was built on the long wheelbase chassis and fitted with drophead coupé coachwork by Freestone & Webb of North London, one of the finest of all British coachbuilders and a firm associated with quality marques from its earliest days, particularly Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz. A file of ownership history will accompany the car at time of auction.

The current owner purchased the car in Sydney, Australia in 2003 and commenced the process of conversion/restoration almost immediately. The decision to convert '911' to ‘Le Mans Team Car' specification, rather than merely restore it, was made on the basis that, although it ran, the car was on its last legs and the body decayed beyond repair.

The heart of any car is its engine, and that of '911' has been built around a 4.5-litre block remanufactured by the late Russ 'Rusty' Turner to ‘Blower' block specification. The engine incorporates a Phoenix crankshaft and conrods; high compression pistons; Reece camshaft; new Phoenix needle-roller rockers and boxes; and high performance oil pump. Power is transmitted via a special lightweight flywheel and high performance clutch to the gearbox - fully rebuilt to 'BS' specification - and thence via a new, fully balanced prop shaft to a 3.53:1 differential fitted with a new '4 star' crown wheel & pinion.

The chassis has been rebuilt to 9' 9.5" wheelbase, with full fixed pillar struts as per ‘Mother Gun' and the ‘Blower' cars, and is fitted with a full underpanel. Protected by the correct full gaiters, the road springs have been reset, and the brakes rebuilt and fitted with new finned drums. The chassis rolls on 20"-diameter wheels shod with 5.25/50" tyres. Framed by Rod Warriner and panelled in aluminium by Vintage & Classic, the body is to Vanden Plas ‘Le Mans' specification, while the attention to detail - Vanden Plas sill plates and correct trim, for example - is most impressive. The interior is trimmed in Muirhead hide, with ‘Team Car' seats by James Pearce, full and half tonneau covers and hood to Le Mans specification. The fuel tank is as per ‘Mother Gun' by Gavin Spencer.

All fittings, such as the windscreen detail; Aero screens; fuel tank with stone guards; quick-release filler caps; outside oil filler, battery and tool boxes; racing numbers; pre-war Lucas P100 headlamps (mounted at angle) complete with stone guards and stays; instrumentation including galvanometer and Air Ministry switches; right-angle drive Klaxon; two front Klaxonettes and dashboard air pump, conform to the specification of ‘Old Mother Gun'. A photographic record of the restoration will be offered with the car when sold, together with the original 3-Litre engine that is boxed up. Completed circa three months ago having consumed a Herculean 5,500 man-hours of effort, ‘911' exhibits quite breathtaking attention to detail and authenticity. The car is unused since completion apart from a solitary Concours d'Elegance competition which it won outright There simply could not be a better example.

 

Bentley 3 Litre Chassis with 4.5 Litre Engine

Body copy of Le Mans Style (Mother Gun). Fabulous jewel style restoration to the highest standards.