1924 3.0 Litre Bentley Boat tail.

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

Price: £185,000

Chassis number 528 :: Engine Number 516 (Original to car) :: Registration number PP1793

A particularly pretty car rebodied by Tony Townsend of Elmdown Engineering with its current boat tail body in the early 1970's. The body is a direct copy of the famous Elizabeth Nagle Mulliner bodied 3 4 1/2 car. Indeed the two cars were at times standing side by side during construction allowing Townsend to ensure correctness & authenticity. A previous owner, a pre-eminent member of the Bentley Drivers Club had tried to buy the original & when his offers were shunned he decided to have built an exact replica.

The car has been under the current ownership for some eight years after returning from a sunny sojourn in California. During this time the owner has added less then 1000 miles per year whilst spending over £40,000 on the car to bring it into absolutely tip top condition. The car comes with a thick sheaf of bills from the usual suspects attesting to the works undertaken.

The car has been converted to red label spec over the years with the addition of twin sloper carburettors etc and the chassis being shortened to a correct 9'9". Subject to an extensive rebuild the car has had just about everything you can imagine done to it leaving it in the superb condition we find it in today. The car is fitted with a Laycock type overdrive & a kenlowe cooling fan as a precaution, un-needed as it turns out, for running in hot climes. A new starter ring gear was also fabricated & fitted to replace the chipped original one.

The car has a bullet proof provenance with service records extant during the pre war period & a continuous record of ownership since the '50's. There are records showing whom it was sold, to, for how much & which auction it passed through etc.

The bodywork is finished in a deep blue not quite as dark as midnight blue & pleasingly has been coach-painted by hand. The paint is in excellent order. To the interior is grey leather piped in dark blue with matching grey carpets. A cunningly constructed hood provides for cover during inclement weather. The rear boat tail deck has a hatch which lifts out to reveal a dickey set; reportedly comfortable for the current owners two daughters of very spacious for a single adult. A side-mount spare tyre is fitted to the running board & a Klaxonette horn under the bonnet. The car is currently running a coil & mag set up, but the other magneto comes with the car should a future owner wish to revert to original spec.

The car is in stock with us now & may be viewed by prior appointment. The driving accommodations are restricted by the seat movement going back to the boat-tail, which might not suit a driver of over 6ft stature.

July 20, 2012
I sold this car to Max Bole in 2004 (he's from Walton-on-Thames/Surrey) and we've seen it numerous times on BDC events in the UK. I'm surprised to see it on the market, as I know he loved the car. I have loads of photos of it if you need any more.

July 24, 2012
Actually 528 is for sale. I continue in contact with Max, who just put it on the market with Richard Biddulph (vintagerollsroycecars.com). They are asking 185,000 pounds. If you go into Biddulph's site, you'll see many photos of 528, including documentations and letters, including one I wrote about a decade ago describing certain aspects of 528.

Brooklands VSCC New Year Driving Tests, 2012

Classic Cars on the London to Brighton Route, November 2010

Chassis 528 began life as a Standard Tourer and, like most Bentleys, has gone through a few body changes along the way. The car received its current looks back in the 1970s when another BDC member could not buy the 3-litre he wanted (Chassis No. 1003, Reg. No. XY 196 - the Elizabeth Nagle car) so he had Chassis No. 528 changed to be a replica of that car. The chassis was shortened to the Speed model dimensions of 9' 91/2" and the body was changed to the boat tail. A lot of this work was carried out in the workshops of Tony Townsend, who also looked after the Elizabeth Nagle car.

Brooklands Museum Bentley Gathering, March 2006

Horley 2005

"My father owned this Bentley as a young man. I have just come across some photos - 6 in fact. They are probably dated about 1950. Original Body shows full weather top, Longer wheelbase. B/W photos of course."

1924 Bentley 3 Litre Boat-tail Tourer Saloon.

1924 BENTLEY 3 LITRE TOURER — Ch. 528: the property of Sandwith family, for sale due to bereavement: certainly among the finest '3-litres' anywhere, a BDC judge recently declaring that he was extremely impressed by its authenticity, originality and preparation: original rolling chassis, engine and all fittings, with Townshend's remarkable, perfect facsimile of the unique (Nagle) Mulliner Boat-tail (see p.34. Green's "50 Years..."): 2 seater body plus Dickey for 1 adult or 2 children; highest 'Concours' presentation with splendid 'Red Label' performance (correct twin bronze 'slopers' etc.)

These photographs are from advertisements by Nostalgia in "Thoroughbred & Classic Cars" magazine, May 1981 [1], June 1981 [2], August 1981 [3] & September 1981 [4].

Text in ads reads:

"BENTLEY 3 LITRE Boat-tail 2-Seater + Dickey

I am proud to offer certainly one of the finest 3 litre Bentleys in the world!

Five years in the rebuild, this magnificent and well-known vintage Bentley retains its original chassis (but shortened), engine and all running gear clothed in a unique and painstakingly exact replica of the famous Elizabeth Nagle 'one-off' Mulliner bodies Boat-Tail (XY 196).

Tony Townsend was responsible for much of the restoration and the finished article is prepared to the highest "Kensington Gardens" standards! Unlike some '3 litres', this has a very 'sporting' performance and excellent cruising speed.

Rod Leach
Tel: Hertford (0992) 58891"