Pebble Beach, August 2012

"I am trying to gather facts and write about my rather mysterious and obviously speed loving and wealthy Great Aunt Miss Nora (Hardy) McCaw.

She owned many Bentleys in the 1930s. Details of the W.O. Bentley can be seen below:

GN 6090 (Blower)
GJ 7597 (4½ Litre)
GX 2338 (8 Litre)
GK 8443 (perhaps the most famous of all The Green Hornet.)

I think there are more and then she moved on to Rolls Royces in the 1950s.

Is there any way you can search your records for past owners? You obviously have the most fabulous data base and I wondered if you can help me in my quest to track down some of her cars?"

Aug 30, 2012: Did not sell at auction

"The Green Hornet" Formerly the Property of E. Ann Klein
1931 Bentley 4½ Litre SC "Blower" Sports 2/3 Seater Boattail
Coachwork by Gurney Nutting
CHASSIS NO. SM3916; ENGINE NO. SM3922; Supercharger No. 125; Registration No. GK 8443

*Please note that this car is titled 1930.
*Please note that in addition to the final bid price and Buyer’s premium, the Buyer of this lot will be responsible for paying an additional 2.5% of the final bid rice to cover duties paid on the import of the vehicle into the US.

$8,000,000 - $10,000,000

- Among the Finest of the 50 Factory Blowers
- Exceedingly Rare, Matching-Numbers, Original-Bodied Example
- Exceptional Provenance Including a 54-Year Stewardship
- One of Very Few Vintage Bentleys with Original Fabric Covering
- Ideal International Driving and Concours Event Entrant
- One of the Most Significant Bentleys in Existence

- 4,398 CC SOHC Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
- Twin SU HVG5 Carburetors
- Amherst Villiers Mk IV Roots-Type Supercharger
- 182 HP at 3,900 RPM
- 4-Speed Non-Synchromesh “D” Gearbox
- 4-Wheel Mechanical Drum Brakes
- Semi-Elliptical Leaf-Spring Suspension with Friction Plate Shock Absorbers

Constructed as a 1931 supercharged model, SM3916 was sent as a completed chassis to Gurney Nutting to receive its sports 2/3-seater boattail body. The coachwork was the second of three identical bodies built in the style of Barnato’s personal “Blower,” SM3909, under the direction of Bentley Motors. The body style featured a radical boattail shape around a two- seat configuration, with a third occasional seat in the center rear. In typical Bentley fashion, the coachwork consisted of ash-wood framing covered in fabric for weight savings. The car was further outfitted with a fold-flat screen and typical sporting long wings. Additionally enhancing the sleek appearance of the car was the standard blower shrouding. For 1931, it was a sensational design, and the weight savings no doubt played a role in the enhanced performance of the blown chassis.

On February 10, 1931, the finished “Blower” was delivered as “stock to showrooms” to Jack Barclay Limited, London’s premier Bentley dealer. Just three days later, SM3916 was invoiced to its first owner, S.B. Peck of Surrey, England. Mr. Peck, also the owner of an 8 Litre Saloon, used the “Blower” Bentley sparingly, perhaps for exhilarating weekend outings. Factory service records indicate a mere 5,638 miles by January 1934, at which point only minor servicing and adjustments had been made. In mid-1934, both the 8 Litre and the supercharged 4½ Litre were sold. Nora MacCaw, who was known to have owned several Bentleys in the 1930s, became the second owner of the striking “Blower.”

Ms. MacCaw had a presumably close relationship with Barclays, and in 1935 the “Blower” was sold by Jack Barclay to Bentley Motors (1931) Ltd for £350. Chassis SM3916 was subsequently sold to G.N. Stead with roughly 15,500 miles on the odometer. Minor service on the car that year included the fitting of Bosch headlamps. By 1936, the “Blower” passed to A.A. Baring and on to G.W. Warren the following year. In 1938, F.B. Crabtree purchased the car and sold it one year later to G. Lillywhite. The service record for SM3916 shows no major work completed through 1939 but does list minor servicing conducted by McKenzie Garages.

As with most Vintage Bentleys, little is known of the wartime presence of the car. However, it can be said that the utter originality of SM3916 hints at nothing less than continued care and dutiful stewardship. In 1953, SM3916 entered the long-term ownership of E. Ann and Bill Klein of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. The well-known couple met through a common love of antique automobiles. After their marriage, the pair made frequent trips to the UK in search of special Bentley and Rolls-Royce motorcars. Having visited Richards & Brown in 1953, the Kleins took home their greatest prize, SM3916.

The Boattail “Blower” was easily a favorite and remained the centerpiece of a roughly 50-car collection. The supercharged 4½ Litre saw frequent use with Mrs. Klein behind the wheel and before long the car received the nickname “the Green Hornet.” The fitting name not only spoke to the appearance of the car, but also to its stinging performance. Chassis SM3916 was happily at home in the collection, which at one point included one of every Vintage Bentley model.

Mrs. Klein was well known in Bentley circles as an expert as well as an avid enthusiast. Her passion for Bentleys was first and foremost in collecting, and her joy was driving the pre-war British sports cars. Mrs. Klein delighted in shifting them without a clutch, proving the point by hooking her left leg over the side of the cars while running up and down through the gearbox without a whisper of protest from the machinery. Given the “Blower’s” low mileage, it was an easy car to shift, though this showing off was no doubt impressive.

After Mr. Klein’s passing, Mrs. Klein sold off most of the cars in the collection, but retained her beloved “Blower,” which had been a gift from her late husband. Chassis SM3916 remained with Mrs. Klein until her passing in 2007, at which point the collection was sold. At Gooding & Company’s 2007 Pebble Beach Auctions, the “Blower” presented in fantastically preserved condition from the 54-year ownership. After five years of private ownership, SM3916 has returned in an equally exciting fashion.

To find a Vintage Bentley with matching- numbers and its original body is certainly of note, but to find one so well preserved is something rarely seen. The true significance of this particular car, however, is that it is one of only 50 factory “Blower” Bentleys, and perhaps one of the most striking ever built.

Upon inspection, SM3916 retains an impressive amount of matching-numbers, original components, including the frame, engine, gearbox, rear end, steering box and perhaps most importantly, the supercharger. Additionally, the carburetors, blow-off valves, magnetos, horn, gauges, exhaust system, battery tray and many other important bits are correct and believed to be original. The only notable exceptions include an upgraded starter motor and upgraded friction shocks to the Draper style, as well as the Bosch headlamps fitted by Bentley in 1935. To say that SM3916 is simply a pure example is an understatement.

Furthermore, the bonnet panels on SM3916 are original, stamped with the chassis number on both sides. One of the rarest items still fitted to the Bentley is the front supercharger shroud with its original felt pad. These shrouds were often discarded and few original examples remain on any “Blower.”

The coachwork on SM3916 is equally as pure as the chassis. The Gurney Nutting body number can be found stamped in a major wood crosspiece and “58” can even be seen noted in pencil on the underside of the trim work. The fabric on the body itself is original, as is a fair amount of interior trim. The extremities, from the folding windscreen to the fenders, which are all too often changed on Vintage Bentleys, are also original. Similarly, the dashboard remains original with the correct switches and gauges.

Furthermore, it is known that the car has always been green, and SM3916 has never been restored, simply tended to as needed. Boasting a lovely patina throughout, the Green Hornet is unquestionably one of the most original Vintage Bentleys in existence. There are countless indicators that this is not just a pure but also a low-mileage chassis.

To drive, SM3916 proves powerful and tight. The “Blower” Bentley operates with a lightness and correctness found on few examples, restored or otherwise. One familiar with the torque and power delivered by a Vintage Bentley will find the supercharged cars sensationally responsive and quick. The 4½ Litres are considered by many to be the most ideal Vintage Bentleys with their added power and short, nimble chassis. This forethought was not lost on Birkin, who only bettered the performance by way of the supercharger. Chassis SM3916 behaves as one would expect and as anyone lucky enough to experience its performance will soon come to admire. This is a sports car worthy of blinding admiration.

So few pre-war cars of any significance exude such a level of originality that the purity of SM3916 is nearly dumbfounding. From the hood latches to the hand brake to the throttle mechanism, there is no feature on this Bentley that leaves one with the feeling that it could be better. These details may seem obscure in their singularity, but the overall correctness of function throughout the car is phenomenal.

Due to their competitive nature, most “Blower” Bentleys were well used and driven hard. Many suffer from having had major components replaced and a good majority unfortunately lost their original coachwork in favor of a Le Mans-replica configuration. As the sole survivor of the three Gurney Nutting Boattails, this supercharged 4½ Litre is one of just a handful of matching-numbers, original-bodied “Blowers.”

Automobile Quarterly once wrote of the “Blower” Bentley: “If any automobile ever possessed an intimidating appearance it must surely be this one. Dominating the entire car is the huge Amherst Villiers supercharger, bigger in itself than a lot of automobile engines, and it is impossible not to brood upon the formidable temperament that must result from it. It should be mentioned that any of these cars, in good condition, will spin their wheels on dry tarmac in bottom or second gear, and it is commonplace for a four-seat tourer to be capable of 120 mph.”

The “Blower” Bentley remains one of the most iconic and sought-after of all pre-war cars, seemingly the most iconic supercharged car ever produced. With such limited production numbers, the “Blowers” are among the most important of all collector cars. It is sensational to find such an important motorcar that additionally boasts purity and originality. It can be said without hesitation that this is one of the finest supercharged 4½ Litres in existence, and subsequently a very significant Vintage Bentley.

This car is for sale as of July 24, 2012.

"The Green Hornet" 1931 Bentley 4½-Litre Supercharged 2/3-Seater Boat Tail Roadster
From The Estate Of E. Ann Klein

Coachwork By Gurney Nutting
Chassis No. SM 3916; Engine No. SM 3922; British Registration No. GK 8443

Inline Single Overhead Camshaft 4½-Litre Engine With Four Valves Per Cylinder And Forced Induction By Roots-Type Supercharger

Though only 50 production blower Bentleys were built, experts estimate that 43 still exist. Of that number, few if any are as untouched as this car with its total matching numbers, including its supercharger number, 125. Indeed, no less a vintage Bentley authority than Clare Hay has written about SM3916: "[ It is]… in such original order that the felt damping pad to prevent vibration between the supercharger and the aluminium cowling is still in place."

Its first owner was S.B. Peck, who took delivery on December 31, 1931, from the Jack Barclay showrooms in London. It was fitted with an extremely sporting Gurney Nutting 2/3-passenger-boat tail body, one of two or possibly three executed in this style. In any case, this is the sole remaining example and most closely resembles the Gurney Nutting boat tail built for Bentley chairman and successful Bentley Boy racing driver Woolf Barnato.

This car was one of the earlier Bentley acquisitions from the UK by Bill and Ann Klein and remained a cherished favorite through the years. Bill's nickname for the car was "The Green Hornet," as can be seen on a small plaque on the dashboard. He made a gift of the car to Ann in 1953, and it has remained in her possession ever since. The patina on this Bentley is exemplary. The fabric body's paint shows some crazing, which only adds to its character. The plating is in excellent condition and the rest of the paint shows very well considering its great age.

Typically for a blower, the dashboard carries enough instruments to resemble an aircraft rather than a motorcar. Some of the leather in the seats is in poor condition and may need to be replaced, but otherwise the interior looks ready to use without further attention or upgrades.

It carries a correct period spotlight, likely installed when the car was new, and it retains its original supercharger cover - a rarity in itself as most of these pieces were thrown away or lost over the years. For that extra touch of motoring sportiness, the original windshield folds flat should the driver wish to don goggles and leather helmet for a rapid run.

While this particular Bentley does not boast a factory competition history, it certainly looks the part of a proper sports racing car of the period with its graceful, no-nonsense lightweight boat tail body married to the supercharged 4½-litre chassis and close-ratio gearbox. It delivers what it promises with performance that marks it as a supercar when new and even more so among vintage sports cars today. A recent test drive revealed that the car has a tight, "as new" feel, a smooth, quick-shifting gearbox and the road performance expected from a blower.

This fantastic Bentley is virtually guaranteed to cause a sensation wherever it goes. It is surely a competitive candidate for the Preservation Class at Pebble Beach and will be eligible for any number of concours here and overseas. It will also be eligible for participation in Vintage Sports Car Club racing in Great Britain and America, the Colorado Grand, California Mille, the Le Mans Classic, Monaco Historics and Mille Miglia Revival, along with the popular annual North American Vintage Bentley Meet and Bentley Drivers Club activities.

Any supercharged 4½-litre Bentley must be considered among the top rank in collector cars worldwide. To find one that is so very original with such stunning coachwork gives it an added cachet and desirability that is virtually unique among these marvelous motorcars.

:: One Of The Most Original And Spectacular Blower Bentleys In Existence
:: On Sale For The First Time In Nearly 60 Years
:: Cherished In A Distinguished Collection

These photographs are from a 1954 car show.

The first 25 production Supercharged 4½ Litre cars where Chassis Nos. SM3901-SM3925, all with "smooth-case" blowers. The next 25 were Chassis Nos. MS3926-MS3950 and had "rib-case" blowers.

Production Blower Bentleys had handbrake handles made from rectangular stainless steel, whereas the five 4½ litre race cars for Tim Birkin had the "H" section handle, but were drilled for lightness.

SM3916. Sold to USA, advert 1953 Motor Sport