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Formerly the property
of The Late. John Cresswell
1925 Bentley 3-litre Speed Model
Tourer
Coachwork by Vanden Plas
Chassis no. 1054
Engine no. 1077 Body no. 1144
With characteristic humility 'W O'
was constantly amazed by the enthusiasm
of later generations for the products
of Bentley Motors Limited, and it
is testimony to the soundness of his
engineering design skills that so
many of his products have survived.
From the humblest of beginnings in
a mews garage off Baker Street, London
in 1919 the Bentley rapidly achieved
fame as an exciting fast touring car,
well able to compete with the best
of European and American sports cars
in the tough world of motor sport
in the 1920s. Bentley's domination
at Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929
and 1930 is legendary, and one can
only admire the Herculean efforts
of such giants as Woolf Barnato, Jack
Dunfee, Tim Birkin and Sammy Davis,
consistently wrestling the British
Racing Green sports cars to victory.
W O Bentley proudly unveiled 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. Bentley's four-cylinder 'fixed
head' engine incorporated a single
overhead camshaft, four-valves per
cylinder and a bore/stroke of 80 x
149mm. Twin ML magnetos provided the
ignition and power was transmitted
via a four-speed gearbox with right-hand
change. The pressed-steel chassis
started off with a wheelbase of 9'
9½", then adopted dimensions
of 10' 10" ('Standard Long')
in 1923, the shorter frame being reserved
for the TT Replica and subsequent
Speed Model. Rear wheel brakes only
were employed up to 1924 when four-wheel
Perrot-type brakes were introduced.
In only mildly developed form, this
was the model that 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 sports car.
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) on the existing
9' 9½" wheelbase, short
standard chassis. Identified by the
Red Label on its radiator, the Speed
Model differed by having twin SU 'sloper'
carburettors, a higher compression
ratio, different camshaft and the
close-ratio A-type gearbox, the latter
being standard equipment prior to
1927 when the C-type 'box was adopted.
These engine changes increased maximum
power from the standard 70 to 80bhp
and raised top speed to an impressive
90mph. Other enhancements included
the larger (11-gallon) fuel tank and
(usually) Andre Hartford shock absorbers.
Bentley made approximately 1,600 3-litre
models, the majority of which was
bodied by Vanden Plas with either
open tourer or saloon coachwork.
Michael Hay's authoritative work,
Bentley, The Vintage Years, records
the fact that '1054' was completed
on the short chassis with four-seat
sports coachwork by Vanden Plas and
destined for Australia. Vanden Plas
records indicate the car was completed
in May 1925, the body being finished
in white with polished aluminium bonnet.
One of only 513 Speed Models built,
'1054' was first owned by Ernest E
Keep of 891 Punt Hill, South Yarra,
Melbourne (see Australian registration
documents on file). The first recorded
change of ownership occurred in November
1932, when Reuben Tishler, of Caulfield
acquired the car, which he sold to
Messrs William Lane & Sons, of
Narrandera, New South Wales in January
1933. The Bentley returned to Victoria
in the early post-war years in the
possession of pastoralist R A D Hood
whose property, 'Merrang', was located
at West Hexham.
By 1960 '1054' belonged to Charles
W Lehmann of South Yarra, Victoria
(where it was registered 'LC-888')
and had been fitted with a 4½-litre
engine (number 'MF 3159') although
the original unit ('1077') was reinstalled
at a later date. The Bentley's next
long-term owner was Bill Hands, of
Murrumbeena, Victoria, during whose
ownership it was photographed for
the first James Flood Book of Early
Motoring, published in 1968.
In 1980 the car passed to Dr. Ian
Barker of Shepparton (the immediately
preceding owner) in whose hands it
underwent sympathetic renovation.
The latter included re-skinning the
body and replacing the timber framework
wherever necessary, while Rod Warriner
fitted a new set of gears. Nevertheless,
much of the original woodwork remains
intact and still carries the correct
Vanden Plas numbers; even the vulnerable
wings are original, as is much of
the leather upholstery. Dr. Barker
went to great lengths to preserve
the integrity of the Bentley, which
he enjoyed on numerous rallies over
20-odd years.
In June 2001 '1054' was sold to John
Cresswell, a highly respected engineer
and knowledgeable Bentley enthusiast
from Victoria, who further improved
the car and drove it regularly until
his recent passing. John Cresswell
was perhaps best known in Bentley
circles as the owner of one of the
original 50 Blower Bentleys which
he had tirelessly tracked down and
resurrected. Following a 30 year tenure
of the Blower Bentley it was sold
to a Brisbane based enthusiast. Ever
the 'W O' enthusiast it did not take
long for John Creswell to come to
the conclusion that life without a
W O Bentley was an unacceptable situation
and it was then that he purchased
'1054.' Rumour has it that his intention
was to re-fit a 4½-litre engine
to boost the car's performance but
such was his engineering ability that
he was able to rebuild the correct
3-litre engine to such effect that
a 4½-litre power-plant was
not necessary. Further work included
a rebuild of the differential. Given
that the recent mechanical work carried
out on the car was undertaken by a
talented engineer this particular
3-litre Bentley is unsurprisingly
in fine fettle.
Offered for sale by the Cresswell
family, '1054' represents a very rare
opportunity to acquire a highly original
Bentley 3-litre Speed Model possessing
unbroken provenance and which looks
much as it must have done when Ernest
Keep took delivery 85 years ago. Most
importantly, the car retains its original
Vanden Plas tourer body (number '1144')
which contrasts refreshingly with
that of the typical 'Le Mans' replica.
Included with the car is a comprehensive
history file containing period photographs,
old registration papers, sundry receipts
and other documentation.
Estimate: AUD 295,000 - 345,000
Sold for
AUD 329,500 inclusive of Buyer's Premium.
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