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One of the unusual features
of my 3 Litre Bentley was its aluminum dashboard.
Although rather beat up, the unique dashboard
set it off from most of the other 3 Litres.
Ever since my purchase in 1981 I have been
told by knowledgeable vintage Bentley owners,
restorers and historians that it was non-original
— a misguided attempt by someone who
did not know Bentleys. They must be right,
I assumed. After all, I had looked at hundreds
of 3 Litres and never seen anything quite
like it.
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Not long ago I got a photocopy
of the original Vanden Plas Order Form for
my car's body, No. 1113. Prior to that I
was not aware that the BDC archives had
coachbuilder records. On the form it states
"Drilled Aluminum Instrument Board
£3-3-0".
In a letter from Lyn Hammatt, dated Jun.
19, 1982, to Gibbs Pancheri, Hammatt said
that, "In the
old days when an owner referred to his dashboard
I nearly always had to verify if he meant
the Facia Board carrying the instruments
and mag, switches etc., or whether he had
in mind the Ali scuttle dash (or Bulkhead)
I forget the official name given in the
Parts Speci, which contained the dynamo
mountings and Autovac etc.
As far as I remember the latter was never
modified except for minor alterations of
bolt holes etc. when the Autovac was discarded
and replaced by S.U. petrol pumps.
I imagine that your American owner refers
to the Facia Board (or instrument panel)
in which case, as far as I remember, they
were made up by the coachbuilders, and,
particularly, Vanden Plas, used to fit a
thick wooden board which was faced with
polished aluminium sheeting, which was then
mottled or "scrape" finished and
varnished."
Since I am already in the process of completing
a new dashboard, and the aluminum one does
need major repairs (assuming they are possible),
I will put the original dashboard to one
side at this time, but give the repairs
a lot of thought. Hopefully, it will once
again be fitted to its' original body.
The coachbuilder's paperwork also revealed
many other interesting facts that will be
helpful for the restoration. Get yours now
if you don't already have it. Also, make
sure you obtain a copy of the factory service
records. Most likely the BDC has both.
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