HEWITT'S BENTLEY
"I was fascinated to see the two photographs of the 1923 Three Litre Bentley, registration MF 1632, published in Photo Discoveries in the February issue, and then Alan Bodfish's interesting letter published in March.

The two former pictures are of the same car. The lower precedes the upper one chronologically. This lower photograph is indeed of chassis 164 bearing its original touring coachwork, but some time after manufacture as it is fitted with front-wheel brakes. As Alan Bodfish points out, Mr Hewitt, the original owner, was a very close associate of W O Bentley: the H of Bentley's BHB pistons is the very same Hewitt.

Such a close working relationship would have resulted in Hewitt's Bentley being kept up to date with works modifications. In effect, MF 1632 would have been something of an experimental car. The braked front axle would have been fitted as soon as available and there is evidence from our own archive, as well as from the works service record, that the car was filled with an experimental one-piece sump, probably early in 1926, and that the rocker-gear was up-rated to the separate rocker-box design, perhaps in 1927. We do not know why and when the coachwork was changed to the Freestone and Webb saloon. Family needs, perhaps? The coachbuildcr of the first touring body is unknown, but I would suggest Harrison.

There is no complete story of the experimental vintage Bentleys. John Fasal, that most eminent of Royce historians, has mooted to me twice the idea of the writing a history of the Royce and Bentley experimental cars. George Klepp and I owned Exp 5 for some years, a car built as a spares car for the 1928, 1929 and 1930 Le Mans. I still have the mortal remains of Exp 6, about which we have only scant information, but which was an experimental 4 1/2 Litre, build up by the works on a re-conditioned, crash-damaged frame and probably used for testing the new self-wrapping brake design, as well as engine innovations.

The point here is that Bentley kept his experimental work very close to his chest. The experimental cars were subject to great secrecy and only driven by an inner circle of engineers totally loyal to W O.

I am sure the Brierley brothers had no idea whatever that MF 1632 had contained, in its day, several closely-guarded secrets. To them, it would have been a cheap old flivver to be made into a racing special. Funny old days." - Tim Houlding.