This exceptional vintage Bentley has been meticulously kept having been restored 12 years ago. Supplied originally to Ireland with a saloon body by Harrison, the restoration encompassed every aspect of mechanical attention with skilled craftsmen building the body as seen today. A concours winner which presents beautifully and with a comprehensive file detailing the work carried out. Offers in excees of £500,000.

Prepared for touring and rallying with no expense spared and driving superbly. Good preparation and all the hard, time consuming effort that goes into it always shows and this is clearly demonstrated here. With the rally season approaching this will be a fine and ready candidate.

A carefully thought out restoration of an original 3 Litre Bentley to 4 .5 Litre specification. This 3 Litre is an original tourer with a continuous history and when purchased in need of refreshment the decision was made to install an original 4 .5 litre engine, which was rebuilt with Phoenix crank and rods. All coachwork, paint and trim carried out to an exacting standard with attention to detail. A splendidly finished vintage Bentley with a delightful gearbox and long legged rear axle which makes for very enjoyable touring. It would be impossible to buy a 3 Litre and carry out the work to this exacting standard and attention to detail. So here is a ready to go vintage Bentley in excellent order throughout with a good history at the right price with all the hard work done.

In 1927 when the 4 ½ Litre Bentley was announced it was possible to order this engine in the 9’ 9 ½ inch wheelbase as opposed to the standard 10’ 10-inch offering. Should the customer wish to take up this option, the factory would take a new 3 Litre Speed Model chassis from stock and build the car around it. In the event only 10 customers took advantage of this and so the short chassis 4 ½ Litre Bentley remains the rarest of all Cricklewood Bentleys. Subsequently, as the sporting nature of the vintage Bentley gained broader appeal and the demand for saloons simultaneously declined, the more spirited and sports minded motorist awoke to the idea of a powerful, open sporting Bentley. By then it was too late. The Cricklewood factory had closed its doors for the last time. Thus, our sporting motorist was left with two options; to go in search of one of the ten, or to produce his or her own. The shortening of the standard chassis was one method, the other was to find a 3 Litre Speed model and...

The original owner of this 3 Litre Speed model, Bentley chairman Captain Wolf Barnato clearly saw the wisdom and mutual commercial opportunities of involvement with a major oil company and having taken delivery of this 3 Litre in May 1926, transferred ownership in August of that year to Shell Petroleum executive Leslie Callingham. An aviator, scratch golfer, technical author and spirited motorist, Callingham was something of a conundrum. Whilst his sporting and military activities were ideally suited to the Bentley mold, he was neither wealthy, nor aristocratic after the famed “Bentley Boys” He was mechanically skilled and an enthusiastic driver who covered long distances in his 3 Litre Bentley, as evidenced by the service records from the works. His motoring life was not entirely without incident as shown in those records and the 3 Litre underwent the fitment of specific items by the works as fitted to the new 4 ½ Litre including the larger 18 gallon fuel tank and lower geared...

This 3 litre light tourer with its 9’9″ chassis is the finest value original short chassis Bentley on the planet and nothing comes remotely close.Quite why anybody would be persuaded by the lure of the auction room and the charm of the auctioneer to part with their money for some of the butchered tat which we wouldn’t touch with the longest of barge poles is a mystery.This is because here we have a beautifully driving, original short chassis 3 Litre, with its original numbered components ,as fitted by the Cricklewood works in 1926.This Bentley is in no sense a homage to Le Mans and has kept the original Vanden Plas body, but a new owner may wish to change this if they so desire, for all the mechanical parts are pure Cricklewood.With excellent history and only one change of keeper in the last seventy years the pedigree is top drawer and having been the recipient of attention with no regard to expense she drives as a proper Bentley should.In short, if you want the best vintage...

An early 3 Litre, much changed over the years. Non original body, not matching numbered and the recipient of eye watering expenditure in the last seven or eight years to make it a stonking* rally or fast road car.Brilliant handling, immense torque, full of character. All the hard work done.Whilst this is a Cricklewood Bentley, not a reproduction, to be fair it is more of interest to the motorist than the historian. Should you fall into that latter category we can offer a fully matching numbered original 3 Litre Speed model with its original Vanden Plas body.Relevant works include:Completely rebuilt engine with 5.3 cylinder block, Phoenix crank and rods.Differential rebuilt, to later 4 star pattern and 8 Litre driveshafts fitted.Radiator rebuilt.Clutch assembly replaced.Overdrive fitted for long distance cruising.Don’t be deluded and buy a basket case thinking that you can do it all for less., because it simply can’t be done, it will take ages, end in tears and make no financial...

An unrepeatable value 3 Litre Speed Model. With the finest pedigree anyone could wish for and unmatched for price anywhere in the world. Known to us for many years, this 3 Litre has a continuous history and has had 3 owners in the last eighty years. The body and numbered mechanical components are the original items as fitted by the Cricklewood works, with carburation provided by those lovely twin SU Slopers. The interior is charming and comfortable.The eggshell black paintwork with red chassis and aluminium bonnet, correctly numbered, are traditional of the period and in fact the original colours of this Bentley. A nice original feature of note is the three piece windscreen, with its hinged top panes, and the tubular side pillars which disappear inside the coachwork which is absolutely right for a Vanden Plas body of this year. Later on, Vanden Plas fitted outside mounted pillars which made body assembly quicker and this later method is commonly adopted by restorers.Not for the concours...

One change of owner in the last 65 years and with documented history from new which makes enjoyable reading.A proper old school vintage Bentley ready to go anywhere.This Speed model represents the crackling enthusiasm for the marque which breathed life into Cricklewood Bentleys after the war.The end of petrol rationing, which carried on intermittently until 1950, saw many of our cars emerge from their slumbers. Enthusiasts with clear memories of the old Bentley company and the daring exploits of the racing drivers of the “roaring twenties” embraced the Bentley phenomenon. They repaired, they raced, they toured, they shared knowledge and went on to form lasting friendships. It was the Golden Age of the vintage Bentley reborn.Those that wanted some real get up and go and great handling bought a short chassis 3 Litre, purchased a 4 ½ litre engine and drove it with enthusiasm – or to use a modernism “they drove it like they stole it,”Our Bentley here is one for...