Cappuccino Rally, July 2015

"I am cleaning out my father’s garage still and have found something that might be interesting to the current owner of MS3944, which Hall Mackenzie owned from 1938 to 1942.

In the attic I found a very beaten metal box for a Dunlop tire repair kit. Inside, there are 8 very large (by modern standards) engine valves. I don’t know of any engines that my father rebuilt on the many cars he owned, and I remember reading that his friend Ross Frame replaced the valves on MS3944 with valves from a Ford tractor. It’s in his story posted below.

Do these valves look like those from a 4.5 litre? I attach a photo of the box and the valves."

Sold: US$ 4,647,500 — Aug 22, 2013

16 Aug 2013
From The Collection of Charles R. J. Noble

1931 Bentley 4½ Liter Supercharged Le Mans
Chassis no. MS 3944
Engine no. MS 3941

- 4½ Liter SOHC Inline 4-Cylinder Engine - 4 Overhead Valves Per Cylinder
- Factory Delivered High-compression Specification
- Amherst Villiers Roots Type IV Supercharger (#144)
- 182bhp with 10lbs Boost at 3,900rpm
- 4-Speed 'D' Type Close-ratio Gearbox (#7255)
- Front and Rear Leaf Spring Suspension with Bentley and Draper Shocks

*One of three Original Le Mans Specification production Supercharged cars built
*Owned by the Noble family for more than 55 years
*Original components and numbers as delivered new from Bentley
*Documented by Bentley Expert Dr. Clare Hay
*Eligible for Mille Miglia and more

In the words of recognized marque historian Dr. Clare Hay, MS 3944 is a "rarity among rarities", being one of only three of the 50 production supercharged Bentleys recorded by the factory as a Le Mans chassis on their build sheets (The others being SM 3918 and MS 3937). It delivered when new with a lightweight Le Mans specification two door four seater VdP body.

The willing enabling party in the case of this car was a gentleman named Henry Leeson, a successful butcher, who had shops in a handful of towns on the southern coast of the UK. His business must have provided well for him as he was a serial Bentley buyer, who seemingly always had the most sporting Bentley the company could offer in his garage. That chain began with one of the best looking 3 Liters built, the Surbico 100mph Supersports, NR 516, and from there he progressed onto a 4½ Liter Vanden Plas Tourer, upgrading thereafter to a Le Mans Specification 4½ Liter with Le Mans pattern bodywork. His fourth and final Bentley, MS 3944, would eclipse them all in sporting terms. Leeson's Le Mans Blower, is clearly designated as such on the factory delivery records, as is the fact that it wore sporting Vanden Plas Le Mans coachwork. This specially designed body style was always made of lightweight fabric construction, with a supporting bar across the top of the body, providing needed rigidity ahead of the 'spare' two seats and top mechanism designated for Le Mans rules. Its technical specification from new included special order high compression 5.1:1 ratio pistons, a close ratio 'D' type gearbox with a 13/46 back axle ratio, as well as a rev counter, Pullswell silencer and 25 gallon semi-Le Mans pattern gas tank. An additional pair of Bentley & Draper hydraulic shock absorbers were fitted to the back axle, as would be standard fitment to 1930 Speed Sixes, and a non-standard clutch stop disc was fitted.

The Vanden Plas coachwork records for its Le Mans bodywork note MS 3944 as having had a number of specific detail features: a one piece fold flat windshield, spare wheel mounting to the driver's side, a bar fitted across the front of the radiator to mount a third lamp, a dashboard which was to receive standard instrumentation with the addition of two dashlamps and a Jaeger clock. Further, two Aero screens were to be "supplied by Mr. Leeson" and fitted.

As supplied MS 3944 was not finished in the archetypal British Racing Green. Instead it was delivered in a lighter shade of grey, as noted on the Vanden Plas records and also clearly visible in an early photograph (as illustrated) of the car. Its leather upholstery was to match the body color. As can be seen from this image, which is thought to be 'as new' the car was as stunning a sporting vision of the breed as ever existed. Another period image also believed to be of Leeson in the car, records him competing at the Lewes Speed Trials in 1931, close to his base in Eastbourne in the UK. By this stage, the Bentley has a Brooklands Automobile Racing Club badge attached to its supercharger valance, suggesting that this was not its only competitive use, although no other records of motorsport use have been found.

Leeson is thought to have parted with the car in the spring of 1932, a few months before his untimely death at Brooklands in an MG. From his ownership, the car passed to Garner & Lee of London, and then onto C.B. Myers of London's Finchley Road. Service records note the cancellation of its guarantee 'Owner going to America', Myers clearly moving to the U.S.A. and bringing his Blower with him. In 1938, it became the property of Canadian William K. Johnson, of Winnepeg.

As the July 1944 Autocar article 'Talking of Sports Cars' on the subject car recounts, the anglophile Johnson having heard that the Blower was in New York State, in 1937, began a search for the car. Roughly a year and a half later he actually found the car in the basement of the Packard Car Co.'s distributors in Minneapolis! After much negotiation, a figure of $500 was agreed upon, and the Blower was purchased. Rather curiously at this time the car wore a 'Miami Beach' topper to its British license plate, suggesting that it had previously spent at least a sojourn in this Florida town, most probably in Myers' hands. The Autocar article continues to describes the day that a somewhat optimistic Johnson and friend had returned to collect the car and having intended to tow the Bentley home a 500 mile journey behind a Willys automobile. But after some fettling and a tow from one of the dealership's Packards, the car had burst into life once more and they elected to drive it home. They record covering the 512 miles in some 7½ hours – showing that there was good life in the old Bentley yet. The timing of the acquisition is noted as being in the middle of 1938. In another period letter to the Bentley Drivers Club, Johnson describes his finding of the Blower as "the greatest thrill of my life" followed by the sensation of speed on his drive home: "I don't think that there will ever be a greater exhaust note than a 4½ Bentley at 100mph."

By November that same year, Johnson and some local friends decided to rebuild the Bentley, which they carried out over the course of the next 18 months. In restoring the car it is clear that the bodywork must have been quite tired and perhaps not serviceable. They chose to replace it from the firewall back with a sporty two seater, metal skinned body which it has worn ever since. It seems likely from the car's external exhaust design that they were inspired by some of the 1920s and 1930s British Brooklands racers, or perhaps the Barnato Gurney Nutting 2/3 seater, SM 3909. The whole process is thoroughly detailed in print, including receiving spare pistons and other parts directly from Bentley Motors, and right through to driving the finished car, which was noted to be good for more than 110mph.

From Johnson, the car stayed in Canadian ownership until 1946, when it came onto the radar of one of D. Cameron Peck's car sleuths.

Former President of the Antique Automobile Club of America, the Sports Car Club of America, the Veteran Motor Car Club of America and the Cord Owners Club of Illinois, Peck had incredible influence on the hobby that we are part of today from its incubation, almost certainly saving 10s if not 100s of important motorcars from being turned to scrap. In the '40s Peck was building what would become one of the foremost pioneering collections of historic automobiles. The Bentley joined that hallowed collection from J. Gordon Edington in April 1946 and would remain there for the next six years.

In 1952, citing health reasons, Peck disposed of a large part of his collection, that arguably could not be assembled today, including a Mercedes 75hp, SS, Targa Florio model, the Prince Henry Austro Daimler, Silver Ghosts, Bugatti Royale, Isotta Fraschinis, etc. MS 3944 was included in this very sale, the last time that it would be publicly offered for more than 60 years.

The buyer of the Blower was Sidney Brody, of Los Angeles, in whose hands the car is once again publicly documented with a feature 'Salon' article in Road and Track in 1953. It comments "'Bentley' is a word which will excite frenzy among its enthusiasts throughout the world and Road and Track feels that this example is especially outstanding."

Four years later and the car returned to the East Coast, to recognized Vintage Bentley Collector from Pennsylvania, William 'Bill' Klein, and shortly after this it was offered for sale at Inskip's dealership on East 64th Street, in New York City.

Charles R.J. Noble
In the pioneering era collecting fine automobiles, Charles Noble stood shoulder to shoulder with the greats of this time, specifically in the strong movement that precipitated throughout Northeast of this country. While his contemporaries and friends, such as Henry Austin Clark, Alfred Momo, and Briggs Cunningham mainly held interests in post war sports racing cars and/or brass era machinery, Noble was keenly focused on one marque – Bentley.

As with many collectors, his interest was deep seated and stretched back to his youth. Fast forward to the late 1940s, when that dream become closer to reality, having emigrated to the U.S. from the U.K. His engineering expertise would see him work alongside the likes of Luigi Chinetti Sr. at Inskip Inc. in the 1940s. Following World War II and for more than a quarter of a century he would work as Elizabeth Arden's driver and personal assistant in New York City. When not behind the wheel of her car, he was indulging his passion for working on, collecting, and racing these automobiles.

Noble was conveniently located close to Inskip a little further down on 64th Street, and was already friendly with former owners of MS 3944 Bill and Ann Klein. It would have been no coincidence then that he was able to snare this his first Blower Bentley, MS 3944, when it came up for sale at Inskip on October 23, 1957, more than 55 years ago.

This would not be his only Blower for long though, as over the course of the next decade Noble would continue to amass and hold no fewer than 4 of the coveted Blower production run. This staggering achievement represented some 10% of the surviving cars, something that no other Bentley enthusiast has ever repeated, nor is likely to. The extent of his collecting of the marque, particularly given his means, was amazing - when he died, alongside those four Blowers, were a Speed Six that his hero Tim Birkin had owned new and a particularly 'trick' 4½ that Bentley Boy Berris Harcourt-Wood had commissioned.

His passion would lead to his Presidency of the Bentley Drivers Club Northeast Region of the US, a role which he fulfilled and enjoyed as a true enthusiast of the brand. Best of all, Noble continued to exercise and enjoy MS 3944 in the true spirit with which the car had been built, being a regular habitue of the Bridgehampton Race Circuit, if not simply just to use and enjoy it. On one occasion, he paired up with journalist John Vockins to head out to an S.C.C.A. Event at Bridgehampton, and clearly gave him the thrill of his life, Vockins refers to his pilot as 'Charles Cannonball Noble' driving out to the track on the Long Island Expressway at 6am one Sunday morning in August 1960, and then winning the event! Such victories would continue for many years until around 1970, when MS 3944 and other cars were quietly stored.

Within the last decade, the Le Mans Blower was recommissioned and has once again become a regular sight at a handful of important events in the Northeast. The first of these was when it was shown by invitation at the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance in 2003. It most notably competed at the inaugural VSCCA sanctioned, 'Ascent' Hill Climb event tied in with the Elegance at Hershey in 2011, where it was shown to be absolutely at the top of its game in the capable hands of one of Charles Noble's sons. It has also been exercised regularly on the quiet country roads of New England.

Summary
As it stands today, this supercharged Bentley with its known and well documented chain of ownership that has kept it in the public eye virtually from day one, has survived incredibly well. The car has never suffered the indignities of some of its brothers, such as being parted out and then reconfigured, or crashed and rebuilt multiple times. It looks every bit the 'war machine', but has no evidence of any battles. Importantly, MS 3944 today retains virtually every numbered mechanical component with which it was born.

Renowned Vintage Bentley expert Dr. Clare Hay has recently completed a comprehensive report on the car and noted that MS 3944 'looks to be untouched since it was rebuilt by Mr. Johnson around 1938/39'. Interestingly, she notes 'the large diameter Jaeger rev counter is similar to that fitted to the Birkin Team cars', while 'the large diameter Smiths oil pressure and boost gauges are as Birkin practice' and 'the drip feed oiler for the supercharger is the same as those fitted to the Birkin cars'. The extent of its originality even shows that the radiator corresponds to its factory build record. Hay's opinion, which is endorsed by the owner and by Bonhams, is that the team car pattern seats, fold flat windshield (and Aero screens), front and rear fenders and some of the instruments were all retained in the 1938 pre-war rebuild of the car. From all of this, together with visual and physical evidence of surviving Le Mans bodies Hay suggests that it would be a relatively straightforward exercise to copy the car's original body, if so desired. In the conclusion of her report she states 'one of only three Blower chassis built to Le Mans specification MS 3944 is a rarity among rarities' – high praise indeed.

By their sporting nature, 'Vintage' Bentleys were driven hard and enjoyed from day one. The factory records frequently chart repairs, and factory replaced components. Fortunately for authenticating the cars the company numbered and recorded all of their major mechanical aspects. Close inspection of MS 3944, is incredibly rewarding in that it matches its Bentley Motors order throughout. The chassis, engine, supercharger, front and back axles, and steering box, as well as its original numbered hood, firewall, radiator, and much of the original hardware, coachwork detail features and instrumentation remain on the car. Its level of originality is exceptional and very few of the surviving supercharged cars can claim such status.

In a recent test drive at the time of the catalog photography, the Blower performed fully 'on song' giving the exhilarating and thrilling experience that is matched by very few cars of its era or beyond, and is highly recommended! The extra performance of this engine and chassis being a Le Mans factory spec car are quite evident. A true point and shoot Weapons Grade combination.

Adding another dimension, is the fact that by definition a Blower Bentley is the only Vintage or 'W.O.' Model to be Mille Miglia eligible, and this example would be a perfect mount for this event in the future. It would also be suitable for for the Le Mans Classic or the host of other tours provided by the Bentley Drivers Club in the UK and USA and Rolls-Royce Owners Club in America.

A great example of a truly iconic automobile, which is incredibly rare by the nature of its specification, to this it can now add noted history including that of famed collector, Cameron Peck and the longest unbroken chain of continuous ownership of any Blower Bentley in the collection of the greatest "Blower" owner of all - Charles R.J. Noble.

Estimate:
US$ 4 million - 5 million
£2.6 million - 3.3 million
€3 million - 3.8 million

1931 Bentley 4½ Litre Supercharged two-seater sports car
Serial No. MS3944, Engine No. MS3941, Original Reg. No. JK1925

The Experiences of G. Hall Mackenzie with this Automobile, July 1985

In January, 1938, I commenced my association with the Ford Motor Company in Winnipeg, Manitoba by first working as a salesman, then as a sales record clerk, and finally going with the company itself at the assembly branch as a sales and production coordinator. All this year I had heard rumblings about a Bentley coming to Winnipeg but never did see it until one of my friends took me to a four-car workshop in a back lane Just south of the Hudson's Bay Company store.

What I found was a volunteer work party of six to eight souls working their hearts out on a massive Bentley 4½-litre machine.

This automobile came to Winnipeg through the efforts of Wilfred K. Johnson who heard of it on a trip to New York and subsequently traced it to the basement of the Packard Car Company distributor in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With much pleading and an offer of five hundred dollars, he succeeded in gaining title so he and some of his friends drove to Minneapolis with a Willys and the intent to tow it home, some 500 miles.

The Packard dealer had owned it for approximately eight years and a Miami Beach sign over the "JK1925" plate attested to the fact that it had seen quite a bit of use. However, they had taken their tools with them and a couple days' work (mainly lubrication and adjustments) provided the necessary encouragement for the engine to fire after a short tow behind a Packard.

They proceeded to drive to Emerson, near the Canadian border but decided to tow it into the customs house, as they were under the impression that a "wreck" would have much less duty than a running automobile, and the short run to Winnipeg completed a trouble-free trip.

After driving it around for a few months, Johnson decided that the car should be restored and, while they were at it, do a few modifications. This work was described in much detail in an Article in the Autocar of July 7, 1944, but in brief, the Vanden Plas body was abandoned and a new ash and aluminum two-seater with no doors was fitted. To give the car a more pleasing rake a four inch block was placed between the underslung springs and rear axle, and a complete underpan was fabricated with the same 16-gauge aluminum as the body.

Johnson took one trip to Minneapolis after completing the project and then I heard that the car was for sale. I had not been one of the workers on the project, being occupied with other things, but when I drove it I could not resist the temptation. By arranging for a good friend, Harry Sheppard, to buy my 1928 Chrysler 72 roadster, I secured the down payment and the balance of the six hundred dollars was carried by Johnson at so much a month.

The Bentley then became my only transportation to work, on trips, or out on a date, however, ;in the wintertime I was able to borrow my father's sedan for certain occasions. Johnson did have a top made for the Bentley and it was usable when up but due to the contours of the body, it would not fold flat, so unless the weather was really poor, the top stayed in the garage. The car was always driven only behind the aero screens and as long as 50 mph was maintained, there was very little water in the cockpit.

At that time in Winnipeg, there were only two other interesting British cars in use that I knew of, a 1934 SSI two-door saloon and a much-modified J2 Midget. Reactions to the Bentley were mixed to say the least, and while there was a small group of auto enthusiasts who felt it was of interest, the majority of the population looked with disdain on the owner of such a strange machine. On a trip to the U.S.A. it was received with much misunderstanding and the remark by one man that he was surprised to learn that England made cars reflected the isolationist attitude of middle America.

However, it was certainly the glory days of driving, as I toured all over Manitoba and into Minnesota on many occasions. The roads were mostly gravel, there was little traffic and keeping to any speed limit did not seem to concern the authorities. Cruising speeds were often at the 100 mark and I remember distinctly one 90 mile run that was completed in the hour. The car behaved extremely well, however, at one point the compression was off, so with the help of Ross Frame, who used the car for some months, a new set of Ford tractor valves were installed after they were machined and the stellite tips were fitted. I can only remember one flat tire, from picking up a nail, and at 70 MPH it did not seem to be quite so stable as usual.

The war commenced shortly after acquisition of the Bentley but I used it to go to work at the Ford Motor Co. until my Air Force call-up came in the spring of 1942. After completing training I was posted to Brandon as a Pilot/Navigation instructor so I brought the car to Brandon during the summers of 1942 and 1943. I always carried a large tarpaulin so it was covered when parked, which kept the rain out of the cockpit and off the two Strombergs which were open to the air.

These had been fitted by Johnson who felt the original SU's were worn out. While the Stromberg's were not very authentic looking, they worked well. The only exception was that high speeds during high humidity conditions caused throat icing to wedge the throttle open. The first time this happened at night going through a Minnesota town, we were through town before we could slow down to trace the problem.

Harry Sheppard became my most popular companion, an excellent driver and good company. Most people could not handle the car with ease, particularly the difficult shift from second to third. He ended up in Eugene, Oregon and became a British car dealer until their quality forced him to go to Volvo and other makes.

In early 1944 when an overseas posting was expected I sold the Bentley to an Alex Bradley with the understanding that I would have first option to buy it back. In a little over a year, after VE day, I was back in Winnipeg but he had disappeared. It developed that as soon as he bought it from me he sold it to Cameron Peck of Chicago. I also had an offer from Roy Shadbolt of Vancouver and if I had sold it to him it would have been retained in Canada. Roy was one of the first people I met when I received my service discharge in Vancouver in the late summer of 1945.

During 1940-41, an Australian by the name of Michael Glenton-Wright was in Winnipeg at the Wireless school recuperating from an auto accident. He was very knowledgeable and an artist who did a couple of drawings of the Bentley, one of which I have framed. However, he wrote an article in Motor of April 8, 1942, which stated that he owned the car while he was in Canada and much of the article is based on an ego that allowed him to overstate the truth to a great extent. His remark about the name of BIRKIN imprinted on a section of the speedometer is correct except that this was done during the Johnson restoration and must have been a joke by Johnson as he stated in his article in the Autocar that it had been driven by Thislethwaite.

Having been a reader of Autocar and Motor for many years before the Bentley came on the scene, I had become a sportscar enthusiast and the opportunity to have nearly five years with this car was a great time in my life. Since that time I have owned many sports cars, even a Gull Wing Mercedes and a Lamborghini Muira but the Bentley has to be the ultimate, particularly for the period I owned it.

My present Bentley MkVI is a far cry from the early Bentleys but its charm, good running and reliability keep me in touch with the endearing qualities of the marque.

July 1985
R.R.I, Duncan, B.C.
V3J 1M8

Read article 'The Family Jewel: Really Living With a Blower Bentley' by Jean Jennings

Car owned by Roger Noble in the United States of America.

"This car has been owned by my family since 1957. Purchased by my father from J.S. Inskip, Inc in New York City. Car was originally owned from new by H. Leeson Esq. a passionate Bentley owner. The car was originally commissioned by Leeson as a "Le Mans" model with chassis and coachwork to the Le Mans pattern. Such vehicles were quite rare. The car was also previously owned by the very famous collector Cameron Peck. It was also owned in Canada by Johnson for a very short period."

"Blower Bentley at Bridgehampton, 1962, copyright Ed Grazda."

"According to an article which appeared in the Jul. 1953 issue of "Road & Track" magazine, the car was owned in 1953 by Sid Brody of Beverly Hills who acquired it from Cameron Peck."

This blower Bentley once used by Sir H. R. S. Birkin is claimed to be the only one of its kind in Canada.

1929 4½ Litre Blower Bentley
"My father owned a 1929 4½ Litre Blower in 1940 in Winnipeg Manatoba, Canada. It was modified into a 2 seater with the leather body removed and a boat tail installed. He owned this car for just over a year. The story was that it was brought to North America for a coast to coast race that for whatever reason never took place. I have pictures of the car. My father had to sell it when he went overseas in WW2. He was told that the car was returned to the New York area in the early 1940s. He bought the car for $500. and after he rebuilt the engine and drove it for a year he sold it back to the fellow he bought it from for $1000. This fellow's name was Hall McKenzie, a large Canadian car collector from those years. Any idea as to how I would find out just where this car ended up?

I believe that these photos were taken around 1940. He told me that when he first saw the car that it came into town on a rail car and that it was not in running condition. It apparently was hidden so as they did not have to pay duty on it. No one could get it to run so my father who was a mechanic at Dominion Ford purchased it.

My father told me that he had never seen an engine before that you could not take the head off. He modified Ford tractor valves to replace the burned valves in the engine. From the picture you can also see that he used Stromberg carbs. He also made the exhaust which looks like it could cause some very serious burns."

"My father's name was Ross Frame. He was born in 1912 and started to work as a mechanic and a welder when he was 15. When he died at age 72 he still owned a service station and was pulling wrenches in the garage."

Photographs were taken in the 1940s by G. H. MacKenzie of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

This car was owned by G. Hall Mackenzie from 1939 to 1944.

"I did not own 4.5 L S/C MS3944 but my father G Hall Mackenzie did during the War years, here in Canada. The story he typed up about the car is already posted on VintageBentleys.org.

My father, who was very good at record-keeping, died in 1993. I found in his effects the papers for his purchase and sale of the car, and recently turned them over to the present owner in Germany, who gave me a chance to see it up close. I scanned the documents and would like to submit them as part of the historical record of the car.

My father G Hall Mackenzie purchased MS3944 on June 25, 1939. I attach scanned copies of:

* The 1939 Purchase Agreement for $600 from Wilfred Kelvin Johnson, agreeing to pay $200 up front, and the balance at $16.00 / month

* The 1939 Indenture on the car holding up the agreement to pay by the month for 18 months, with balance due in 1941

* A 1944 letter from Alex Bradley asking to purchase the car, with his motorcycle in trade

* The 1944 Sale Agreement, selling the Bentley to Alex Bradley for $600, by $350 cash and an Indian Motorcycle in trade worth $250

* The 1944 Purchase Agreement for the Indian Motorcycle for $250

* The 1944 note selling the Indian Motorcycle to R. Murphy for $275

I submit these as part of the historical record of MS3944 in Canada, to accompany my father's article about his ownership of the car. The originals are now in the possession of the current owner in Germany.

Note: The purchase document uses MS3844 but this is corrected in the sale document."

"The Bentley as found in the USA by W.K. Johnson who is seen at the wheel. On the front is a Miami Beach badge, souvenir of a sun-seeking journey the car made in the previous owner's hands."

"JK 1925, a car once in the possession of the Bentley racing driver, Thistlethwaite, was an open four-seater."

Blown Birkin LeMans-Type Bentley.

"My great uncle, Harry Leeson once owned MS3944 which recently sold at Bonhams."

The first 25 production Supercharged 4½ Litre cars where Chassis Nos. SM3901-SM3925, all with "smooth-case" blowers. The next 25 were Chassis Nos. MS3926-MS3950 and had "rib-case" blowers.

Production Blower Bentleys had handbrake handles made from rectangular stainless steel, whereas the five 4½ litre race cars for Tim Birkin had the "H" section handle, but were drilled for lightness.