Matt Sysak

"It is becoming increasingly rare to find a vintage Bentley of any chassis type that was originally supplied to its first retail purchaser as a closed car. So many cars have been converted to open bodies in the style of the various Vanden Plas, LeMans-type open tourers. Locating an original unmodified closed car, photographing and riding in it is a rare treat. Our featured car is exactly that, especially given its history and the circumstances that might have led to its original body being scrapped and replaced with another."         Continued...

Article from 1926
The Nawab of Bhopal's Game Hunting Car
Published in "The Motor", September 7, 1926

The latest example of real originality in bodywork design and lavish equipment is a six-cylinder sports Bentley supplied to His Highness the Prince Hamidullah Khan, the reigning Nawab of Bhopal, India. The chassis is a production model, with a body specially built by Thrupp and Maberly, Ltd., to His Highness's special requirements, being designed primarily for game hunting. It accommodates four persons in all; the front seats are adjustable and the accommodation at the rear consists of a double seated dickey, with ample leg room, while the passengers are protected by a screen and apron. Both front and rear screens are so designed that they can almost instantly be lowered so as to fall flat, thus allowing the personnel complete freedom in the use of guns...

Roy Ginn

1966: A friend brought Roy Ginn news of a 'veteran car' abandoned in a shed, in a village in Essex. Turned out to be a near-derelict, but technically complete 1924 vintage Bentley (Blue label). The engine, gearbox, rear axle and lamps were intact. In boxes! Some negotiation and £700 later, the car was Roy's, who brought it home to a father who went, "What the b***dy hell load of junk..." but recovered soon enough to ask, "Does it go?" And Roy said, "Don't know".

1968: A local newspaper ran a story about CX 6624: "Who says a house is the most worth-while investment? Shoebury garage owner, Mr. Roy Ginn, of Beach Garage, Rampart Street, picked up the wreck of a 1924 Bentley in a shed in Great Totham, for £700. Three years work, a further £700, and six first rally prizes later the car is valued at more than eight times the original price. Mr. Ginn was offered such a price, but he is not selling..."

Driving Tips: 3-litre Bentley
Extract from: Chapter 4 (Handling and Starting Instructions - Engine and Chassis Details - General Maintenance and Servicing Instructions for all 3 Litre Models)
Vintage Bentley Manual, J. H. Haynes, c1962

Although the 3 Litre Bentley is a very fast car, it is remarkable how easy it is to drive and handle, both in crowded towns and on the open road. This is due largely to the lightness of the steering, the enormous torque of the engine at low revolutions, and the excellent manner in which the brakes work. A good Speed Model 3 Litre Bentley can still travel faster over open roads than the majority of popular saloon cars.

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Debbie

July 1979 :: Photograph on right
That's the bride, Dinah Louise Chedzoy, with her father beside the 1926 Bentley 3 Litre Reg. no. RU 3089 (Chassis HP395) in Bristol U.K.

Dinah's daughter Debbie Wardle wrote to us last month hoping to locate her mother's wedding car. The latest photograph we have of the car is from the Brooklands Centenary Festival, June 2007.

Help Debbie get in touch with the car owner. E-mail us.