Chassis no. DE1224 with different number plate PP 1148

1926 Bentley 3-Liter Speed Model
The car offered here comes from an exemplary collection of sports and racing cars and was formerly owned by the great sportsman, race driver, sports-car constructor and car collector Briggs S. Cunningham.

While many Speed Model 3-Litres carried Vanden Plas coachwork, this body is one of three built by Vanden Plas in a striking boattail design, with a very clever top storage arrangement. The mahogany decking adds to the visual interest and elegance of the design, as does the unusual combination of brass and nickel brightwork.

While in the hands of a previous English owner in 1960, the car was involved in a road accident, which required replacement of the chassis with another authentic Speed Model unit. The original chassis number was DE1224.

It is equipped with the desirable Bentley "A" gearbox and proper SU "sloper" carburetors. All dashboard instruments appear to be original. The restoration, carried out before Cunningham bought the car, is now mellowed but still quite presentable in all areas, having had minimal road use in several decades but nonetheless maintained in road-ready condition.

This handsome and unusual Bentley has a delightful "dickey" seat, suitable for an adult or two small children.

This is a 1927 Bentley 3 Litre Speed Model Two Seater Boat-Tail by Vanden Plas Chassis number DE1224, Engine number DE1211.

W. O. Bentley proudly displayed his new 3-litre car bearing his name on Stand 126 at the 1919 Olympia Motor Exhibition. Only three weeks earlier this four-cylinder car had first turned heads when fired up in a mews garage of off Baker Street, London. In mildly developed form, this was the model that was to become a legend in motor racing history and which, with its leather strapped bonnet, classical radiator design, and British Racing Green livery has become the archetypical vintage sports car.

By 1924 an investment of £925 brought delivery of the 3 Litre Speed Model (or ‘Red Label’ as it is popularly known) capable of 90 mph performance. This enhanced performance compared to the standard model was due, among other things, to an A-Type close ratio gearbox, a short wheelbase (9 ft 9½ in.) chassis, and twin S. U. ‘Sloper’ carburetors.

Delivered new July 1926 to Mr. L. Jacobson this delightful one-off Vanden Plas wooden decked boat-tail was for many years part of the Briggs Cunningham and later Collier Museum collection.

This is a delightful older restoration with less than 4000 miles on a complete engine rebuild.

1926 Bentley 3 Litre Vanden Plas Boattail Speedster

Car was in the Briggs Cunningham Automotive Museum in 1979

"My 3 litre at that time." Photos taken in 1965.