Pre-War Grand Prix and Sports cars, August 2014

[This car was purchased by Gerhard Roeser in 1994, and is currently owned by him.]

When I bought the car from Coys of Kensington in November 1994 it was falsely declared as being "YF5016", because that was the number on its engine and steering gear box. Its road registration at this time was "CUO 66". It had a LeMans Replica 4-Seater Open Tourer body.

In the following years I had the car totally taken to pieces for a complete rebuild of everything, including a new LeMans-Style body with correct proportions, done by Rod Jolley of Limington, GB. During the rebuild the real chassis number "YM5031" was discovered on the chassis and on the axles. The exact story, when it inherited engine + steering gear box numbered "YF5016" is unknown to me. However, the car was then in 1997 again properly registered as "YM5031" with engine "YF5016" with its original road registration number "GW 9650".

Added on Jan 14, 2009:
I don't understand Michael Hay's comment (on Chassis YF5016 page). How can someone talk about rebuilding chassis YF5016 by using the chassis + axles from YM5031? The only traces of YF5016, which I found on the car were the engine + steering gearbox, where as the crucial parts of the chassis (frame + the axles) are stamped YM 5031. I am more inclined to see it as that somebody has dropped an engine + steering gearbox stamped YF5016 into chassis YM5031; thus for me the car is YM5031 rather than YF5016.

Added on Jan 18, 2009:
Robert: Mr. Roeser (Jan 14) asks: "How can one describe rebuilding YF5016 on the chassis frame of YM5031?" I've been around Bentleys a long time, but not perhaps deeply enough into vintage Bentley lore. His question is similar to mine. Factory service records show examples of new frames being fitted to cars, in the 20s and 30s, as the result of accident damage. Did they stamp the chassis number on the new frame?... And considering how hard it is to locate the chassis number, as Mr Roeser's communication attests, are there other examples where the chassis number has gotten confused, post-original sale? — Jack Triplett, Jan 18, 2009

"In Port Elizabeth on 2001 International Bentley Tour of South Africa"

"...I understood that the previous owner was Mr. Brian Seymour Wiggens, who seemed to have bought the car in 1990."

Silverstone 1981

Extract from a Bentley book:
"This Limousine de Ville built by Park Ward on 8-litre Chassis No. YM 5031, is believed to have been broken up post-war. Certainly the original engine YX 5114 has been fitted to Chassis No. YF 5012."