Model history: Of all the cars he had developed W.O. Bentley reserved a special spot for the Speed Six first introduced in October of 1928. In the following two years the Speed Six competition cars were virtually unbeatable despite facing strong opposition even from within his own ranks. Many of the road cars received lavish and/or stately coachwork by the likes of Gurney Nutting and Hooper. Only 182 examples were produced and today rank as the finest cars ever produced by Bentley.
Like almost all Bentleys produced under W.O.'s reign, the Speed Six could trace its roots back to very first '3 Litre' built in 1919. Its more immediate relative was the 6 1/2 Litre model launched in 1926. This was the first six cylinder engined Bentley. It was created to give the demanding customer the option of fitting more luxurious and as a result heavier coachwork on the highly acclaimed Bentley chassis. With its three-litre, four-cylinder engine, the first Bentley worked best with more modest 'Tourer' bodies.
From its smaller cousin, the new straight six Bentley engine inherited most design features. The complicated but beautiful valve-train consisted of a single camshaft operating four valves per cylinder. This was housed in an iron head that was cast in unit with the block and mount an aluminium-alloy crankcase. A bore of 100 mm and a stroke of 140 mm yielded a swept displacement of 6.6 litre. Breathing through a single carburettor, the new engine produced 147 bhp but enough torque to stop the earth from spinning.
The ladder-frame chassis was of a more conventional design. On both ends solid axles were fitted complete with semi-elliptic leaf springs and hydraulic shock absorbers. Massive drum-brakes were fitted to slow the heavy beast down. The power was transferred to the rear wheels through a four-speed gearbox. This rolling chassis was available in a variety of lengths to accommodate all of the discerning customers' needs. A total of 363 examples of the 'standard' 6 1/2 Litre Bentley were constructed.
The Speed Six distinguished itself from the 6 1/2 Litre model by employing an additional carburettor. This brought the maximum horsepower up to a formidable 180 bhp. For the 1929 racing season, W.O. Bentley commissioned a competition version of the Speed Six, which featured a 200 bhp version of the engine. It had a false start at Brooklands when a dynamo coupling failure put it out of the first ever 24 Hour race at the British track. That was quickly forgotten when 'Bentley Boys' Woolf Barnato and Tim Birkin drove 'Old No. 1' to victory at Le Mans the following month.
Despite his 1929 victory in the naturally aspirated Speed Six, Birkin believed supercharging would be the future. For the following season he developed a blown version of the latest 4 1/2 Liter Bentley. He received outside funding for this project but to homologate the 'Blower Bentley' for Le Mans at least 50 examples had to be built. W.O. Bentley never believed the supercharged car could be run reliably for 24 hours but he had all but lost the control over the company and Birkin got the green light to enter the Blower Bentley at Le Mans.
There was only one place where W.O. could prove his point and that was on the track. He had two more Speed Six Team Cars built for 1930, which would dominate all the major events that season. Barnato and Frank Clement scored a win in the Brooklands 'Double 12' in the new 'Old No. 2' ahead of Sammy Davis and Clive Dunfee in 'Old No. 3'. At Le Mans the supercharged opposition from the 'Birkin' Bentleys and the sole Mercedes-Benz SS proved W.O. right by retiring with mechanical failures. Barnato and Glen Kidston took a commanding victory in 'Old No. 1' well ahead of the second placed 'Old No. 2'.
Unfortunately Bentley Motors ltd. did not return the following year as difficult economic times had forced W.O. to sell his company to arch-rival Rolls-Royce. Despite overshadowed at times by the more powerful but also more fragile Blower, the Speed Six was without a doubt the finest and certainly the most successful Bentley produced in the W.O. era. Fortunately many of the 182 examples, including the three Team Cars, still exist. Often equipped with spectacular coachwork, they are the most sought after of all Bentleys.
Chassis: Old No. 1 (LB 2332)
Chassis LB 2332 was the first of three Team Cars built and owing to its start number for the 1929 Le Mans, it is today commonly referred to as 'Old No. 1'. Bentley Boy Woolf Barnato drove it to back-to-back Le Mans wins, partnered by Tim Birkin in 1929 and Kidston in 1930. It also scored victories in the 1929 Brooklands Six Hour race and the 1930 Brooklands 500. It is pictured here in its 'fender-less' Brooklands configuration during the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed where the 100th anniversary of Brooklands was celebrated.
Chassis: Old No. 2 (HM 2668)
Laid out in the spring of 1930, chassis HM 2668 is today better known as Old No. 2 for the starting number it most famously used. In May of that year it took a commanding victory at Brooklands in the hands of Barnato and Clement. A few weeks later, it was piloted to second at Le Mans by Clement and Richard Watney after a fierce battle that last for much of the 24-hour race. Bentley announced its withdrawal from racing just two weeks after the race and 'Old No. 2' was sold to a customer shortly after.
The subsequent owners did not race the car but used it mainly on the road. 'Old No. 2' frequently returned to the works for servicing. In the early 1950s, it was sold to the United States where it remained in the same ownership for 25 years. The next owner showed the car at various events in the lates 1970s and early '80s. In 1984 Team Car returned to Great Britain. It was next offered at Christie's Le Mans Classic auction in 2004 where it was sold for a staggering $5,123,922, setting a new record for a Bentley sold at auction. It has since been shown by the new owner at various events on both sides of the Atlantic.
Chassis: Old No. 3 (HM 2669)
This is the third and final Speed Six Team car that was constructed alongside its sister car early in 1930. Better known today as 'Old No. 3', it finished second behind 'Old No. 2' in the 1930 Brooklands Double 12. Its fortunes were even worse at Le Mans where an accident in lap 21 took it out off the race prematurely. Still wearing its 1930 Le Mans colors, 'Old No. 3' is seen here being driven up the hill at the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed as part of the Brooklands centenary celebrations.
Ultimatecarpage.com
> Cars by brand
> Great Britain
> Bentley
Speed Six Works Team Car
Of all the cars he had developed W.O. Bentley reserved a special spot for the Speed Six first introduced in October of 1928. In the following two years the Speed Six competition cars were virtually unbeatable despite facing strong opposition even from within his own ranks. Many of the road cars received lavish and/or stately coachwork by the likes of Gurney Nutting and Hooper. Only 182 examples were produced and today rank as the finest cars ever produced by Bentley.