An interesting choice. The one seen in 'A's chance encounter was a replica, a 4.5 litre touring car retrofitted as a 'Blower' (supercharged) Bentley, the one you picture is the real thing, number four of the prototype blowers 'Tim' (Sir Henry Ralph Stanley) Birkin (4th Baronet) built in 1929, and something of a motorsport and Bentley legend.
UR 6571 would be worth significantly more than a million bucks, if Ralph Lauren ever chooses to sell. The fourth blower built, and was one of the first two to race at Le Mans, driven by Dr Dudley 'Benji' Benjafield, and Giulio Ramponi. Sadly, it failed to finish, and a 6.5 litre works-team Bentley won. Birkin then drove this heavy touring car, stripped of mudguards and anything else he could unbolt, in the french Grand Prix Pau, against lighter, more streamlined, single-seat grand prix cars. The Bentley was designed as a four seat, long distance tourer, and its opponents were lightweights, built for nothing but racing. Birkin threw the car pictured here around the track, passing every other car but one, causing Ettore Bugatti's famously exasperated outburst, where he yelled that the bentley was the world's fastest truck. The one in the picture was that car. The fastest truck in the world. So famous that the scale-model firm 'Airfix' based their kit upon it. http://www.rocketfin.com/mcc/images/bentley_blower_3.jpg
Given that the Birkin's first blower recently sold for $7.8 million, in single seater form, I'd expect this one, with its history, to make significantly more than a 'lesser' blower might.
A post stolen from a young lady!
ReplyDeleteI did steal it. I'm sure that was mentioned in the post somewhere. But I should have linked. Not that she needs the traffic or pagerank. :)
DeleteHmmm.
ReplyDeleteNot a real car. REAL cars don't shine.
Maybe not but I've sure taken a shine to this one. See what you started?
DeleteYes, sadly.
DeleteAn interesting choice. The one seen in 'A's chance encounter was a replica, a 4.5 litre touring car retrofitted as a 'Blower' (supercharged) Bentley, the one you picture is the real thing, number four of the prototype blowers 'Tim' (Sir Henry Ralph Stanley) Birkin (4th Baronet) built in 1929, and something of a motorsport and Bentley legend.
ReplyDeleteUR 6571 would be worth significantly more than a million bucks, if Ralph Lauren ever chooses to sell. The fourth blower built, and was one of the first two to race at Le Mans, driven by Dr Dudley 'Benji' Benjafield, and Giulio Ramponi. Sadly, it failed to finish, and a 6.5 litre works-team Bentley won.
Birkin then drove this heavy touring car, stripped of mudguards and anything else he could unbolt, in the french Grand Prix Pau, against lighter, more streamlined, single-seat grand prix cars. The Bentley was designed as a four seat, long distance tourer, and its opponents were lightweights, built for nothing but racing.
Birkin threw the car pictured here around the track, passing every other car but one, causing Ettore Bugatti's famously exasperated outburst, where he yelled that the bentley was the world's fastest truck.
The one in the picture was that car. The fastest truck in the world. So famous that the scale-model firm 'Airfix' based their kit upon it.
http://www.rocketfin.com/mcc/images/bentley_blower_3.jpg
Given that the Birkin's first blower recently sold for $7.8 million, in single seater form, I'd expect this one, with its history, to make significantly more than a 'lesser' blower might.
Jeez. As they say.
Delete