As part of the 90-year celebration of the ‘Derby era’, 60 of Bentley’s venerable sports cars took to the roads to convene at the Crewe factory. These sporty Bentleys were built at the Rolls-Royce factory in Derby as part of Rolls-Royce's takeover of Bentley in 1931. Carrying the design language attributed under the consideration of Sir Henry Royce, these Bentleys featured complex design solutions for the period.
Creating Sporty Bentley
When Rolls-Royce built this sportier version, it had a six-cylinder, pushrod engine fuelled by two S/U carburettors, had increased compression, and came with improved con rods and modified cam profiles. Launched in September 1933 as the 3.5-litre 120 bhp Bentley, it was the quickest and most agile of its model at the time. Most famous motoring personalities, like Sir Malcolm Campbell, Archie Frazer-Nash, Captain Woolf Barnato (later Director of Bentley Motors (1931) Ltd), ER Hall, etc., endorsed it.
As an interesting addition to this story, ER (Eddie) Hall used his latest Bentley as a practice unit for the Mille Miglia that year. He then started working on a project to enter the Ulster Tourist Trophy races held annually in Northern Ireland. Lightening the body and generally using aluminium, his creation handled considerably better. The output was increased from the standard 120hp to a stronger 131hp, thus letting Hall score a podium finish.
By 1936, it had a larger 4,255cc engine, then called the 4.25-litre Bentley. Owners could add an extra 58 Euros and pick this quarter of an inch (6.35 mm) wider cylinder bore upgrade, along with a few cosmetic additions. It outsold the previous version by this time. By 1939, the Mark V model was released at the 1939 Motor Show, but before the story continued, the war intervened and stole the charm off Bentley’s hands. Just nine units were delivered, making them ultra-rare today. Derby produced more than 2,400 Bentleys between the 1933 and 1939 period.
Celebrating ‘The Silent Sports Car’
A selection of 60 Derby Bentleys travelled to the Crewe factory. The congregation organised by 'The Silent Sports Car Club' had a selection of more than 40 coachwork styles showcasing the bespoke bodywork for the model in the 1930s. This includes chassis B15AE (one of two original launch cars) produced in September 1933) and chassis 3-B-50 (the only survivor of four experimental six-cylinder saloons from 1939), immaculately preserved for posterity.
Exploring the newly refurbished Heritage Collection, more than 100 guests enjoyed a tour of the Crewe campus and visited the Mulliner workshops. This is part of a larger celebration where the club aims to bring 117 Derby Bentleys together soon.
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