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    www.VintageBentleys.org November 2013   
N E W S L E T T E R
   
 
M E S S A G E    F R O M    Y O U R    H O S T

In 1984, the Vintage Sports Car Club had their Golden Jubilee and as an enthusiastic member, I was attending as many vintage races as possible. One event was dedicated to ERA and I had not seen or heard one on the track before. I believe all original ERAs attended the meet so it was an event not to be missed.

It was noted that most of these racing machines were not actually owned by one owner but by investor groups. They were investments and a person could own several shares in various expensive cars for the price of one car. This phenomena grew in the 1990s as prices rose and now has become the standard for the top money cars. These cars are moved from auction to auction with the expectation that each time the price would continue to spiral upwards. Of course lesser cars follow in their wake and rise with the tide.

This is good for sellers and buyers right now and maybe for a good while longer. But it will not last forever. We are seeing a lot of greed and corruption as the prices escalate. In stocks and real estate is called a "bubble" and we expect it to burst eventually. Personally, I will not sell my Bentley at any price and I hope you feel the same way.

I would like to thank the following vintage Bentley enthusiasts for their contributions in October 2013:

Brett Peattie, David kinney, John Davies, John Murch, John Rowley, John Skidmore, Lars Hedborg, Lawrence Moore, Lawrence Southward, Michael Clements, Peter Graham, Philip Strickland, Russell Browne, Tim Houlding, Wayne Kennerley, Weibel Franco

- Robert McLellan, November 2, 2013
 
E-mail Robert
 
 
 
Green Party: Celebration of Le-Mans Bentley Boys
Published in "Motor Sport", February 2007

Maybe it's the word 'boys' that makes the phrase ring. We know they were men, but somehow it's the image of 'schoolboy' larks which cements the legend of the Bentley Boys. It's rooted in the time, too: the 1920s, when men with inherited wealth didn't have to work, paid racing drivers were rare and the amateur ideal was still admired.

Who were these grown-up boys? There was no strict qualification: if you were asked to drive for the works you were part-way there, but it was as much an informal social club as a team. We know them now as party-goers; yet they were regular winners. How did these contrasting elements co-exist?

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Franco & Kathy from Switzerland tell us about:
The Sir Henry 'Tim' Birkin Celebration Rally

Dear Robert, Hope you are well and doing fine!

First of all many thanks that you had integrated our event into the calendar of VintageBentleys.org which is — of course! — my favourite home page! Congratulations for this really very useful, well organised and — this is the most important — well-maintained web page!

By now, the Tim Birkin Celebration Rally is history. All in all, the Rally — according to numerous feedbacks and our own feeling — was a good success. Though, the weather could have been a bit nicer with us; but the participants were all experienced and keen drivers and didn’t blame for some rain, not even for the snow on the Grimsel Pass in the Central Alps of Switzerland! We were a great field of birkinesque vintage cars already from the beginning at Blakeney UK where Birkin lived and is buried, and tough enthusiasts of the same spirit! There will be a report with some photographs in the Nov. or Dec. issue of the BDC Review.

Kathy, I and my father Werny will now make a loooonger break organising a thematic vintage car rally (in 2010 we have already organised the first Blower Rally)...

As true admirers of you and your web page, we still hope that some day we can meet you at some occasion!

With kindest regards from Switzerland!
Franco and Kathy

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Article from 1938
Is this the fastest Sports Car?

Published in "The Motor", November 8, 1938 issue

The query as to which is the fastest sports car in the world, using as a definition a model which can be run in. say, the T.T. or the Le Mans races, and yet prove tractable in daily use, opens up an interesting topic for debate. There are many Continental cars which could lay claim to the honour, and at least one of them, shown at Earls Court, was reputed to have a maximum speed of 140 m.p.h… We have, of course, no British car in production which will approach this speed but, on the basis of a measured performance both at Brooklands and in numerous speed trials, we have one vehicle which seems capable of worthily upholding our honour. It is something of a solemn thought to realise that it is an eight-year-old design. We refer, of course, to Mr. Forrest Lycett's famous 8-litre sports Bentley.

 
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Bentley and 3D Printing
3D Printing, as discussed in the August 2013 issue of this newsletter, has not escaped the attention of today's Bentley Motors. They are just beginning to see the possibilities of what it can be used for. What will tomorrow bring?
 
Bentley Drives Scalable Car Design with Stratasys 3D Printing
 
 
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Oct 31, 2013 - Info and photographs added for Chassis No. PL3481

Oct 26, 2013 - Info and photographs received from Lars Hedborg for Chassis No. 17

Oct 24, 2013 - New info and photographs received from Russell Browne for Chassis Nos. BL1625, VF4017 & 304

Oct 20, 2013 - 'Unknown' Bentley identified by Wayne Kennerley as Chassis Nos. 1126 & 890

Oct 18, 2013 - New info and photographs added for Chassis Nos. 118 & AH1487

Oct 16, 2013 - Info and photographs received from John Davies for Chassis No. RT1533

Oct 15, 2013 - Information received from John Skidmore for this 'Unknown' Bentley

Oct 12, 2013 - Info and photographs received from Tim Houlding for his Chassis No. AX1663

Oct 11, 2013 - Information received from David Kinney for Chassis No. MF3157

Oct 11, 2013 - 'Unknown' Bentley identified by Peter Graham as Chassis No. LR2786

Oct 10, 2013 - New info and photographs added for Chassis Nos. TB2530 & AX1663

Oct 08, 2013 - Information received from Lawrence Southward for his Chassis No. LR2782

Oct 07, 2013 - Information received from Michael Clements for Chassis No. ST3002

Oct 02, 2013 - New info and photographs received from Lawrence Moore for his Chassis Nos. 519 & 949

Oct 02, 2013 - New info and photographs received from Brett Peattie for his Chassis No. 1222

  [More]
 
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Readers Ask

On Sep 4, 2013 James Spillings had asked
"Is there any written history of Bentleys that were 'modified' by W.O.'s brother H.M. Bentley who ran the service department of Bentley Motors? The Bentleys in question, and I believe that only 16 or 18 were produced, were referred to as HM Bentleys."

On Oct 11, 2013 Wayne Kennerley responded
Regarding James Spilling's request re HM Bentley rebuilds, I am not aware of an actual history on the subject but there are various articles in the BDC Review covering specific cars - If James wants to email me I can arrange to scan relevant bits for him.

Please write to Robert to take this forward.

 
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U N I D E N T I F I E D     B E N T L E Y S
 
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3-litre Bentley
AutoWorld Brussels 2010

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UPCOMING
BENTLEY EVENTS
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Europe by Bentley 2014
May 3 - 30, 2014
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RROC 2014 National Meet (Allegheny Region)
July 28 - August 2, 2014
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RROC National Meet in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Summer 2014
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Instruction Books - The starting point
3 Litre :: 6½ Litre :: 4½ Litre :: 8 Litre :: 4 Litre

It is surprising how many owners do not possess the 'Instruction Book' for their vintage Bentleys. Get your copy now.

CLICK HERE to read or download Instruction Books for all models.

 
 
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Host Robert McLellan   ::    Editor-in-chief Mona Nath
 
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