Bentley 6 1/2 litre
This car is presently for sale at E. Thiesen. Price quoted is €725,000.

1929 Bentley 6 1/2 - 8 Litre Open Tourer
20 years with the last owner and an almost perfect long-range car.

Vehicle History
After the new body of Peter Agg she was since the 1970ies always in Germany and well known to the author. Excellent service -history and a constant improvement in her mechanics. Probably the best kept W.O. in Germany.

Driving Details
The increase in capacity results - depending on compression-ratio - in about 200/220 hp which is plus 70 hp versus the basic 6 1/2-design. Her safe 200+ hp and a "long" rear-axle makes 100+ mph a possible top speed. Of much more importance however is her safe cruising speed on the motorways in the region of 80 mph at a low 2.500 RPM due to the overdrive installed.

Y.O.C. and Amount
6 1/2 and the speed model were built from 1926/1929 until 1930. 363 of the basic and 182 of the speed model were completed. The enlarged engine was not unusual because this can be achieved rather simple but at a high cost. About 14 - 20 of this derivative may be around, some of them already dating back to the 1930ies.

Possible applications
The overwhelming bottom-end torque plus the optimized gasflow in the upper region by the 3 carburettors installed makes her and excellent cruising-car with for a W.O.Bentley unusual comfort.

Technical data
The 6 1/2 is the only W.O. with inlet on the nearside and exhaust on the offside. Otherwise the 8 Litre is similar except the other crankshaft and the "reversed" engine-block. Here the capacity is 8 Litre as well but there are 3 carburettors instead of the 2 as was standard.

Test Drive
This elegant tourer drives easy compared to the standards of other W.O.Bentley. Especially the modified gearbox shifts effortless without double-clutching. The overall impression is that of a silent giant.

Good to Know
This 6 1/2 has the famous handling of a speed six combined with the power of an 8 Litre. There is no other match in the world of Bentley when you prefer powerful cruising without the stress of a racer.

1929 BENTLEY 6½ Litre REPLICA BODIED OPEN Tourer.
Reg. No. GU 6448. Chassis No. LB 2344. Engine No. LB 2338

Engine; six-cylinder, overhead-camshaft, 6,597 c.c., 147 b.h.p. Gearbox; four-speed sliding mesh. Brakes; four-wheel servo-mechanical. Suspension; semi-elliptic. Wheel; wire-spoked centre lock. Right-hand drive.

Until 1926 Bentley was known for its classically British sporting chassis, though some had borne more formal coachwork. In that year deliveries began of the company's first six-cylinder chassis for the carriage trade. This 6½ Litre could not disguise its high performance ancestry and, anyway, gave a far higher quoted power output than such obvious rivals as the Hispano Suiza H6 and Rolls-Royce Phantom II.

When its competition sister, the Speed Six, joined it the full impact of its performance became obvious to all. The Speed Six was of course victorious at Le Mans in 1929 and 1930, won the Double Twelve at Brooklands in 1930 and the Brooklands 500 in 1931. 182 examples of Speed Six were built against 363 of the 6½ Litre standard cars, which were numbered in the same sequence.

This car started life with H. J. Mulliner coachwork made under Weymann licence but, as was so often the case, it was replaced when the fabric became 'fatigued'. Paddon Bros. built a touring body on this chassis, apparently during the 1930s, and whether it is this, overhauled by Wilkinson's that it now wears, or one of Wilkinson's typically high quality replica three-door four-seat replacements, has not been clearly established.

This fine looking 6½ Litre is finished in British racing green with a dark green interior and was in storage for many years to 1977. It has been extensively restored in recent years with bills available for inspection.

As well as an engine overhaul the performance has been vastly improved by the substitution of a Speed Six inlet manifold with twin SU carburettors. In February 1989 the gearbox was stripped and new seals and gaskets fitted. Since refurbishment of the bodywork only two hundred miles have been covered.

This important car was at one time the property of Peter Agg, the owner of Effingham Park and motor museum and manufacturer of Elva and certain McLaren models through his control of Trojan Ltd.

Duty is paid in West Germany and the UK and this spectacular car comes with a current British V5 registration document.