1923 Bentley 3 Litre

Chassis no: RC 428
Engine no: 305
Registration no: CA 6998
Asking price: £155,000

This stunning 1923 3 Litre Bentley was built from parts sourced by the well-known motorsport icon John Willment. As a significant Ford dealer and co-founder of the amazingly successful race team J.W.A. Willment was part of British racing folklore in the 1960s and 1970s and his name is synonymous with the Gulf liveried Ford GT40s and of course the Porsche 917s that JWA ran thereafter.

Constructed during the late nineties on a Julian Ghosh (9' 9.5" Wheelbase) chassis. The car is built to 3 Litre Speed model specification with mostly original components used throughout. The engine is numbered 305 (importantly on the crankcase, cam chest and the magneto turret) it was stripped and rebuilt by Paul Rogers Engineering in 2010 and was further improved by him in June 2012. In total it has covered approximately 6,000 miles since this work was done. The flywheel has been lightened. Of note, it has a set of bronze bodied 1.5ins SU carburettors fitted (per 4.5 Litre spec), which serve as a useful performance upgrade.

The gearbox is an original B-Type unit (5039) and the differential is another original unit, numbered 1231. In keeping with the switch panel (numbered HT1632) the front axle is similarly numbered and is an original unit with front wheel brakes. The fuel tank is the larger capacity version and the stone guard protected radiator was built by Vintage Radiators of Towcester.

Peter Claridge of South Stoke made the beautiful aluminium skinned Vanden Plas Open Tourer body using one of H&H Coachwork's accurate and highly regarded ash frames; sporting blade wings are fitted and the spare wheel is rear mounted. The car has a folding conventional windscreen incorporating Brooklands screens. The interior is very well finished in green leather. The dashboard has a set of matching instruments including A.T. speedometer, Smiths oil pressure, light switch/ammeter and temperature gauge.

Currently the car is in fine fettle. The engine is strong and very smooth. The body is in excellent condition and the paint is superb. The car drives as would be expected of a well-engineered 3 Litre and will provide effortless, enjoyable motoring in style.

Assembled over many years utilising the best in the vintage Bentley business, in their respective specialities, the car was registered in 2003 and has been carefully used since. It genuinely presents as well as the photos suggest and drives superbly. It is absolutely ideal for touring and represents great value in today's market. Any inspection is welcome. The car lives near Grantham in Lincolnshire UK.

This car is for sale as of May 03, 2016.