Long-garaged Bentley tops Bonhams Beaulieu sale, while Maseratis shine in Chantilly
Kurt Ernst Sep 10th, 2015

What price originality and long-term, single-family ownership? In the case of this 1929 Bentley 4½-litre sports saloon sold at Bonhams’s recent Beaulieu auction, the answer was 695,600 pounds ($1.07 million), more than double the car’s pre-auction estimate, and enough to grab first place in the British sale’s top-10 list.

Delivered new in February of 1930, the Bentley 4½-litre sold at Beaulieu was built upon the “Long Standard” 130.5-inch wheelbase, as were all but nine of the 4½–litre models constructed over a four-year period. Its first owner of record was N.H. Player, of Sonning-on-Thames, who elected to have H.J. Mulliner construct a saloon (sedan) body. Player kept the car for roughly a year, before selling it to Bristol resident Orlando Ford in 1931.

Ford sold the car within the year, and its third owner was G.T.S. Bevan of Witham, Essex. The car must have been agreeable to Bevan, as he retained possession until 1935, when it was sold to E.J. Harwood of Epsom, the grandfather of its consignor. Harwood used the car extensively throughout the 1930s and in the postwar years, even fitting it with a hitch to tow a travel trailer for family vacations. In 1951, Harwood joined the Bentley Drivers Club, and retained his membership (and ownership of the Bentley 4½-litre sports saloon) until 2005.

Concerned with the cost of keeping the car on the road, Harwood parked the car in his garage in 1985, where it remained until dragged out into the light by Harwood’s grandson. Though praised for its originality by Bentley marque experts, the decades of inactivity had taken their toll on the car, which crossed the block with a seized, but reportedly not frost-damaged engine. Even this wasn’t significant enough to impact the selling price, proving once again that original cars, regardless of condition, can often be the most desirable (and expensive).

"I see the auction result has made it into today's press (September 8, 2015). £615k + Premium! Must have been bidding on the vintage spider in the back seat, as I personally believe someone overpaid by +/-£350k!"

PB3527 Sold for £695,900 (US$ 1,056,138) on September 5, 2015 by Bonhams auction.

5 Sep 2015
Beaulieu, National Motor Museum

In family ownership since 1935, recent discovery, matching numbers example

1929 Bentley 4½-Litre Sports Saloon
Coachwork by H J Mulliner
Registration no. RX 6108
Chassis no. PB3527
Engine no. PB3526

In England in 2003 / Owned by a BDC member

"Attached is a copy of a newspaper clipping outlining the recent unearthing of chassis PB3527 after many years storage. The car looks to be in lovely original condition and I hope it will eventually be carefully re-commissioned and preserved in its current patinated condition."

Chassis No: PB3527
Engine No: PB3526
Registration No: RX 6108
Coachbuilder: H J Mulliner Saloon"