"Hello, these pictures were taken in France, yesterday, in the city of Morez (Jura)."

"I have just noticed that you have down the bodywork as H J Mulliner where it should be the other one, a Mulliner of Northampton."

Found on STANLEY MANN RACING website on Jun 29, 2013

"Bentley 4½ Ltr Le Mans
Registration Number:
Chassis Number:
Engine Number:
Price: POA

1929 Bentley Le Mans available for sale shortly with perfect history. A much respected proper classic vintage Bentley now being finished by our boys in the workshop to Stanley's specification. So a top dog car and cracking value."

This car was purchased by Graham Brierley in 2013.

Apr 26 , 2013: Sold

Found on STANLEY MANN RACING website on Nov 30, 2012

"1929 Bentley 4½ Ltr Le Mans Spec MATCHING NUMBERS
Registration Number: EC 8504 Chassis Number: FB 3304 Engine Number: FB 3304
Price: £POA

ALL COMPONENTS TO THIS CAR ARE ORIGINAL SO SHE HAS THE MUCH DESIRED MATCHING NUMBERS.
A STUNNING RESTORATION ON THIS BENTLEY 4½LTR LE MANS SHOWS A FINE QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP RARELY SURPASSED.
FINISHED IN BRITISH RACING GREEN WITH MATCHING GREEN LEATHER
DRIVES EXTREMELY WELL AND WOULD MAKE A GREAT RALLY OR TOURING STEAD WITH EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE TO BOOT"

"Reg. EC 8504 - Chassis and engine FB3304 with the desirable 1929 model specification: "C" gearbox, plate clutch,self-wrapping brakes, vertical carbs, 3.3 differential. The Le Mans replica coachwork and fuel tank were built in the late 1979s for its fourth owner from new. This 78 year old car is with its fifth owner."

1929 Bentley 4½ Litre Mulliner Tourer

Reg. No. EC 8504. Chassis No. FB3304. Engine No. FB3304. Coachwork: Arthur Mulliner four-seater Touring Body. Colour: Dark green, black fabric, green leather upholstery and carpets.

Engine; four-cylinder in line 4398 c.c. bore and stroke 100mm x 140mm, C.R. 5.3:1, 110 b.h.p. at 3,500 r.p.m. Four tulip-shaped valves per cylinder, single overhead camshaft, five-bearing crankshaft. Twin sparking plugs per cylinder with twin M.L. magnetos. Two S.U. carburettors. Gearbox; four gears and reverse D type box right-hand gate change. Chassis; 10ft. 10in. channel section pressed steel. Suspension; semi-elliptic leaf springs with Bentley and Draper shock absorbers. Wheels; centre-lock Rudge Whitworth wire spoke 5.25 x 21 tyres. Dimensions; overall chassis length 14ft. 3 1/2in. Wheelbase 10ft. 10in., track 4ft 8in. Right-hand drive.

By 1926 the 3 litre Bentley was losing its competitive edge and although the 6½ litre was selling well, the Bentley enthusiast was looking for an improved big four-cylinder car. W.O. Bentley set about developing such a model using where possible existing 3 litre and 6½ litre components. The first series of 4½ litres wee launched in late 1927 following the success of the prototype car at Le Mans, when it broke the lap record prior to the White House Corner disaster. These early cars used the 10ft. 10in. 3-litre chassis and the engine was a larger version of the 3-litre using 6½-litre con. rods. The second series incorporated a new 4½-litre style radiator with lamp and trunion brackets which had a wider and bluffer profile than the previous hock bottle-shaped 3-litre. Eloquent road tests by the motor press of the day established the new 4½-litre as a very special Bentley and with its outright victory in the 1928 Le Mans 24 Hours race and subsequent Brooklands competition successes soon established itself as the worthy successor to the 3-litre. To many Bentley enthusiasts the big 4-cylinder 4½-litre with its familiar burbling exhaust, long-legged gait and whine of the straight-cut gears symbolises the very bast of W.O. Bentley creations. A standard Vanden Plas tourer was capable of a genuine 90 m.p.h. but if you ordered the 'Le Mans' camshafts and alternative axle ratios well over 100 m.p.h. was possible. During the four years of production of the 4½ received many details changes, the most significant being a change from a cone clutch to plate type, fitting of a servo to the front brakes and vertical SU carburetters in place of the early 'Slopers'. Like all Bentleys the 4½-litre was intended to be luxury saloon car as much as a sporting touring car.

This superb example of a 1928 4½-litre on offer today was purchased with that concept very much in mind. Chassis no. FB3304 was ordered by a Mr. F.C. Scott in late 1928 with three different styles, a Saloon, a Torpedo and a four-seater Tourer with central cross car and unusual small boot which is the body currently fitted. This body was built by Arthur Mulliner of Northampton, and one of only seven built by that coachbuilder on a 4½-litre Bentley. The present owner purchased the car in the late 1970s, the previous owner having had it for 18 years. The car has since had a painstaking restoration and now is in perfect condition. The rebuild which has taken many years has been to restore the car back to its original specification. The provenance of this car is that all reference numbers match even to the serial number stamped inside the bonnet. All instruments and ancillaries are original, the exception being the fitting of a removable electric fan, a battery condition meter and copper wire conduits used throughout. To list all the items that have received restoration would require many pages but the major items are as follows: chassis was rebuilt by Rubery Owen, annealed and re-riveted. Engine was rebuilt by Hoffman and Mountford, renewing all moving parts such as valves, springs, seats, camshaft, piston rings etc. The gearbox was rebuilt with new gears, shafts and bearings, fuel tank, shock absorbers, brakes, exhaust system, springs etc. all restored by Tony Townsend. All electrics rebuilt by D.H. Day, all instrumentation restored by Marks of Tunbridge Wells. The bodywork has been completely rebuilt and finished in dark green with black fabric. The interior has been retrimmed throughout and seats re-upholstered in green. An excellent hood and tonneau and all brightwork re-nickled. The car looks and performs as though it is new. This magnificent 4½-litre Bentley on offer must be one of the best W.O. Bentleys in the world and represents a rare opportunity to acquire a gilt edged investment plus own one of the world's most charismatic cars.

"I was wondering if it was possible for you to pass my contact details on to Graham Brierley, the current owner of EC 8504, please. My father was a previous
owner back in the 1970s, and I briefly was a co-owner after his death along with my siblings. However as we were all children at the time it was not practical for us to keep the car (which we all called Henry) and he was sold.