Found on Gooding & Company website on February 20, 2020

1927 Bentley 3 Litre Speed Model Sports Tourer
Coachwork by Vanden Plas

Chassis: BL1620
Engine: BL1620
Estimate: £350,000 - £450,000

Please note that this lot is Swiss registered and has Swiss registration. This lot has entered the UK on a temporary import bond, which must be cancelled either by exporting the lot outside the UK on an approved Bill of Lading with supporting customs documentation or by paying the applicable VAT and import duties to have the lot remain in the UK.

CAR HIGHLIGHTS
- Desirable Late-Production Speed Model with Vanden Plas Sports Body
- Owned for Three Decades by BDC Founding Member George W. Bennet
- Retains Original Chassis, Coachwork, and Matching-Numbers Engine
- Beautiful Show-Quality Restoration by Noted Bentley Specialist R.C. Moss
- Extensive History File Includes Report by Marque Authority Dr. Clare Hay

TECHNICAL SPECS
- 2,996 CC SOHC Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
- Twin SU “Sloper” Carburetors
- Estimated 82 HP at 3,500 RPM
- 4-Speed Manual Gearbox
- 4-Wheel Mechanical Drum Brakes
- Front Solid Axle with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs and Shock Absorbers
- Rear Live Axle with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs and Shock Absorbers

Unveiled in chassis form at the 1919 Olympia Motor Show, the 3 Litre featured an advanced inline four-cylinder engine with hemispherical combustion chambers, twin-plug ignition, and an overhead camshaft operating four valves per cylinder. Built from 1921 through 1929, the 3 Litre was offered in various states of tune, the most famous being the high-performance Red Label Speed Models and Green Label Super Sports. Motor-racing successes, including victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924 and 1927, earned the model an unmatched reputation and formed the basis for the Bentley legend.

This handsome Bentley, chassis BL1620, is a genuine Red Label Speed Model constructed late in the model’s production run and originally fitted with Vanden Plas’ popular four-seater Sports body style. Completed in April 1927, this 3 Litre has a well-documented provenance beginning with C.E. Tongue of Manchester, England. In 1932, BL1620 was the subject of a featured road test in Motor Sport and, following WWII, it spent three decades in the hands of George W. Bennet, a founding member of the Bentley Drivers Club (BDC). This unusually original example was recently restored to show-quality standards by acclaimed marque expert R.C. Moss, using the newly rediscovered and correct Rexine cotton fabric for the bodywork. Documented by Vintage Bentley authority Dr. Clare Hay, BL1620 represents the very epitome of the 3 Litre Bentley.

This car is for sale as of February 20, 2020

1927 Bentley 3-Litre Sports Four-Seater
Chassis No. BL1620

To be auctioned on
Thursday, January 20, 2011

87 bhp, 2,996 cc single-overhead cam inline four-cylinder engine, four-speed manual transmission, solid front axle and live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel mechanical brakes. Wheelbase: 117.5"

- Iconic Red Label Bentley
- Extensive history file
- Archetypal British sports car

Chassis BL1620, a Red Label car, was registered in March 30, 1927 to Mr. William Arnold of Manchester, England and assigned number TD9501. As supplied, it was fitted, like many 3-Litre Bentleys, with a four-seat, fabric-covered open tourer body by Vanden Plas of London. The early history of the car is a bit obscure, but it was in Ireland in the 1940s, where it is said to have belonged to Lord Gort’s son. In 1949, it passed through Gainsborough Pictures, Ltd. while it appeared in the film A Boy, a Girl and a Bike.

For the greater part of its life, however, BL1620 was owned by George W. Bennet of Greenlaw, Berwickshire in southeast Scotland. Mr. Bennet was a founder of the Bentley Drivers Club in May 1936, with G.W. Pelmore and Forrest Lycett. Bennet bought the car from Basil Mountfort, of Bentley specialists Hofmann and Mountfort, in 1950. He raced it occasionally, writing to a fellow BDC member in 1952 that “The Bentley is going very well, but having won one race this year I shall rest on my lorry or laurel at the next meeting.” In 1965, he wrote to H.G. Hinchcliffe, editor of the BDC Review, that “My own 3-Litre really does have the performance suggested, but, having won a race at Charterhall in 1953…the last time I attained 90 mph was in the process of teaching manners to a German tourist.”

Bennet was a mechanical engineer and wrote for the Review on several occasions. In an article published in 1965, he compared the attributes of several early European automobiles and included astute engineering commentary on his own 3-Litre TD9201. In the latter, he addressed the engineering weaknesses of the Bentley’s rear end, the car’s only acknowledged weak point, remarking that “W.O. will not be taken aback by my remarks on the Hotchkiss drive because we have corresponded on the subject before.”

Bennet detailed his own work on the car in a number of letters. Around 1950, he personally overhauled the engine, including a complete set of engine bearings. In 1974, he described to Frederick Bannister that he had made “refinements” to the cooling system and flywheel and restored the original camshaft covers to achieve the compression ratio of period Bentley team cars, resulting in 87 bhp and “giving the same performance as a standard 4½ Litre.”

George Bennet kept BL1620 until the mid-1980s, when it was sold to Peter William Butler of Warwick. Butler kept it through 1991, selling to Barry William Banham of Little Hadham, Ware, Hertfordshire. Terry Holden of West Horseley, Surrey bought it in March 1993, selling to Peter Tidd of Chelsham, Surrey in 1996. The current owner purchased it in England in 2001 and imported it to the United States.

Continuously maintained, though never fully restored at any one time, the car is one of the nicest Red Label Bentleys to be found. Mechanical systems have been renewed as necessary, and cosmetic issues dealt with as they arose. The body is covered with black fabric, nicely contrasting with burgundy leather seats. A full tonneau cover is included with the car. Although not used recently by the current owner, it was correctly laid up and is presently being recommissioned for the road.

Accompanying the car is a thick binder of records and correspondence relating to the car and its owners. With its extensive history and excellent condition, it is the ideal car for the connoisseur of Red Label Bentleys.

"BL1620 was purchased by my father Eddie Ewart around 1981 from George W. Bennet of Greenlaw estate when he passed away. I remember the car being a bad state when brought home to Eskbank Motel Dalkeith.

Dad had the car lightly restored to get her on the road to use to the Scottish Whit Weekend that was coming up soon! After that the bodywork was reupholstered inside and out with the red leather. It was originally light tan coloured upholstery.

He paid £14,500 when purchased and spent approximately £5000 on reupholstering. The car was run the car for around 5 years (also was my wedding car) then he sold her to Dan Margulies for the grand sum of £42,000 -- big money then."

("I will also try and find the pictures of the car when first bought from Bennet.")

"TD9501 carrying precious cargo (John Gailey's bride-to-be Fiona) with Eddie at the helm – Greyfriars 23/04/1983!"