Amelia Island Concours dElegance, June 2018

2018 Grand (Photos by Frank Barrett):

Bentleys on the event included:
1924 3-Liter, Peter Goodwin & Barney Ruprecht, #99
1928 4-1/2-Liter, Hayden & Jami Groendyke, #32
1928 4-1/2-Liter Le Mans, Roland & Helen Frey, #53
1928 4-1/2-Liter Tourer, Don Shires & Craig Eckberg, #9
1928 4-1/2-Liter Vanden Plas, Paul Gould & Bob Dean, #30
1929 4-1/2-Liter, Thomas & Kathi Rutishauser, #40
1929 4-1/2-Liter, Richard Mattei & William Medcalf, #61
1929 4-1/2-Liter, Joel & Kim Laub, #113
1931 4/8-Liter Le Mans, Kurt Furger & Terry Unwin, #48

As usual, the Grand covered over 1,000 miles in four days of September 2018 driving through the Rockies. The event raised over $500,000 for small Colorado communities and charities, bringing cumulative total donations to over $6 million."

Read article - 2019: The year ahead of the Bentley centenary

West Coast Vintage Bentley Rally, 2017

Found on RM Sotheby's website on December 20, 2017

Lot Number: 145
RM | Sotheby's - AMELIA ISLAND 2016

1928 Bentley 4½-Litre Tourer in the style of Vanden Plas
Sold For $852,500

Chassis No. PM3252
Engine No. PM3256

- Original, numbers-matching engine and chassis
- Well-constructed and accurate Vanden Plas¬–style coachwork
- Recent reliable veteran of numerous Bentley rallies and tours
- Researched and documented by vintage Bentley historian Dr. Clare Hay
- An excellent Bentley for BDC rallies and CCCA CARavans

CHASSIS NUMBER PM3252
According to well-known vintage Bentley specialist and historian Dr. Clare Hay, 4½-Litre chassis number PM3252 was originally fitted with a coupe body by London coachbuilders Victor Broom and was delivered by Henlys in July of 1928 to M.D. Corrigan, registered YX 2006 (as it remains today). Factory service records continue through 1937, noting several further changes of ownership among British caretakers, including frequent Bentley customer and enthusiastic driver G.D. Morris, who put over 10,000 miles on this car!

In May of 1947, PM3252 was acquired by William Howarth of Cheshire, England, remaining in his care until roughly 1955. It was then purchased by J.R. Walmsley, who would own it for a long period before selling it in 1982. Remarkably, the car then made its way to the African continent, residing in Zimbabwe in the ownership of D.M.A. Stronge. In 1995, Mr. Stronge, having reconditioned the largely original automobile, proceeded to drive it in that year’s South African Bentley Drivers Club rally; a photograph of the car shows it to be intact and still carrying its original Victor Broom Coupe coachwork.

In 1999, the car was purchased by well-known Bentley enthusiast William Sykes and returned to the United Kingdom. The original, though arguably unattractive, Broom body was thus replaced with the current Vanden Plas–style Le Mans Tourer body. The new body was precisely crafted by specialist British coachbuilders James A. Pearce and Roger Wing, with sporting cycle fenders, a folding windshield and Brooklands windscreens, and correct Weymann patent bodywork of synthetic leather over a padded wooden frame. The car was also outfitted with a turned aluminum dashboard carrying the traditional large speedometer and tachometer, as well as other aeronautical-type gauges and an extended louvered bonnet and belly pans to better replicate the Le Mans appearance. Quick-release caps were installed on the radiator and the fuel tank, with the original, desirable “D-type” gearbox fitted with Laycock overdrive and an Eldown Engineering clutch conversion. The engine was overhauled with a Phoenix crankshaft, and dual Draper shocks were installed on the front axle. A large racing fuel tank was fitted along with proper Zeiss headlights, dual Bosch horns, and four “diver’s helmet” taillamps.

After its completion, the Bentley made its way to the United States and, in 2001, was acquired by respected East Coast collector Piers MacDonald. Over the next 10 years, it was enthusiastically enjoyed as a robust tourer that ran beautifully in Bentley Drivers Club rallies and many of the North American Vintage Bentley meets. Notes on file from Mr. MacDonald indicate installation of new brake and drum linings and kingpins, as well as a rebuild of the original gearbox with new seals. More recently, it has been shown by its current owner in AACA National judging, winning a First Prize in 2014, and was also driven in three further North American Vintage Bentley meets (2012, 2013, and 2015), as well as in Bentley Drivers Club rallies in 2013 and 2014.

Every sporting driver worth his or her salt needs to drive a “W.O.” Bentley once in their life. Many of the survivors have been re-bodied as Le Mans Tourers, few as sympathetically or accurately as this car, which retains its original chassis frame, engine, and drivetrain and has had its history documented by a known authority, whose detailed report is on file with RM Sotheby’s. It is the perfect “W.O.” for touring and rallies, as it has been enjoyed enthusiastically, becoming well-known and revered by the Bentley crowd.

Here's a photo of a car now owned by my friend Don Shires.

The Mechanics of California Mille, August 2016

This car is presently owned by Craig Ekberg.

4½-litre Chassis no. PM3252

Photographs were taken at the NAVBM 2012.

1928 Bentley 4½ Litre Tourer
Coachwork in the Style of a Le Mans Vanden Plas
CHASSIS NO. PM3252
ENGINE NO. PM3256
$600,000 - $800,000

- Well-Proven Vintage Bentley
- Ideal International Event Entrant
- Superbly Detailed Le Mans Replica
- Sensibly Fitted with Desirable Upgrades
- Matching Chassis, Engine and Driveline

- 4,398 CC SOHC Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
- Twin SU G5 “Sloper” Carburetors
- Approximately 110 BHP
- 4-Speed Manual D-Type Gearbox
- 4-Wheel Mechanical Drum Brakes
- Semi-Elliptical Leaf Spring Suspension with Friction Shock Absorbers

According to factory records, this 4½ Litre Bentley, chassis PM3252, was first fitted with a coupe body by coachbuilder Victor Broom. It was delivered to its first owner, M.D. Corrigan, in July 1928 with UK registration YX 2006. Factory service records continue through 1937 and note several ownership changes within the UK. In May 1947, PM3252 was purchased by William Howarth of Cheshire, England.

During Mr. Howarth’s ownership, the original coupe body was replaced with an open-tourer body. This information is carefully documented in the original registration book that was maintained throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Mr. Howarth kept the car until January 1955, when another resident of Cheshire, James Roderick Walmseley, purchased the car.

In 1985, PM3252 made its way down to the African continent where it is believed to have resided in Zimbabwe before relocating to South Africa.

In 1999, well-known Bentley enthusiast William Sykes purchased the car from its owner in South Africa, bringing it back to its native UK where he began a very thorough Le Mans Replica conversion. Mr. Sykes commissioned coachbuilders James A. Pearce and Roger Wing to delicately create a precise Vanden Plas Le Mans-style body with sporting cycle fenders. The car was fitted with a large racing fuel tank, a fold-flat screen, two Brooklands screens, proper Zeiss headlamps and dual Bosch horns. Four rubber “diver’s-helmet” lamps were mounted on the rear as was a blank racing number plate. In addition, quick-release caps were fitted on the radiator and fuel tank.

A turned aluminum dashboard was installed with the traditional large speedometer and tachometer, a pressure feed, English house switches and other aeronautical-style gauges per Le Mans specifications. In an effort to more thoroughly replicate the Le Mans appearance, PM3252 was constructed with an extended, louvred bonnet and belly pans. Already fitted with the preferable D-Type gearbox, the 4½ chassis was fitted with a Laycock overdrive and an Elmdown Engineering Ltd. clutch conversion, eliminating the sometimes tricky standard cone clutch. The engine was overhauled with a Phoenix crankshaft, and lastly, dual Draper shocks were mounted at the front. Completing the perfect appearance of this Le Mans Replica is a set of Blockley tires. Receipts documenting much of the work performed, as well as the original registration book, accompany the sale of this car.

Upon completion, PM3252 was sold to the US and, via an East Coast broker, settled with the curent owner in 2001. The car was shown at the Amelia Island Concours in 2001, and over the past 10 years, the car has seen spirited touring use, participating in BDC events and multiple North American Vintage Bentley Meets.

Throughout the last decade, the 4½ offered its owner very enjoyable use and, in return, has received necessary maintenance, as well as the occasional sensible upgrade. Still intact with its original chassis, engine and drivetrain, PM3252 offers its next owner the perfect W.O. Bentley for touring and vintage rallies.

This car is for sale as of August 19, 2011.

Amelia Concours, 2001