Ultimatecarpage.com update (05-29-08)

[Wouter Melissen]

Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,

When asked, most automotive enthusiasts will name the 'Blower Bentley' as the best known and/or favourite Bentley of the pre-Rolls-Royce era. Irony has it that W.O. Bentley detested it and a supercharged Bentley never won a major race, while W.O.'s much loved naturally aspirated machines took five wins at Le Mans. The 'Blower' was very much a private endeavour from 'Bentley Boy' Tim Birkin, which eventually turned into a factory model long after Bentley had lost control of his company to Birkin's friend Woolf Barnato. One of the rare exceptions to the rule was Birkin's own Monoposto Special, based on the original 'Blower' prototype. It features a single seater body purpose built for the Brooklands circuit and a strengthened engine that was, at times, capable of coping with the added stress of a supercharger. Birkin raced The Monoposto Special to several victories and twice set the lap record on the Brooklands outer circuit, posting an impressive 137.58 mph average at his final attempt in 1932. Our detailed feature takes a closer look at the interesting history of this racing car.
While reading about the 'Birkin Monoposto', one's mind automatically wanders off to the mother (literally) of all Bentley specials; Old Mother Gun. Like Birkin's single seater, this car was extensively raced at Brooklands and modified many times. It already had a successfully racing career; in 1928 the chassis was driven to victory at Le Mans. The final incarnation of the record breaking machine is the Jackson Special to which it was converted in 1936. It has since set many records, some as recent as a few years ago.

Enjoy the links:

1929 - 1931 Bentley 4.5 Litre 'Blower' Birkin Monoposto - Images, Specifications and Information

1927 Bentley Jackson Special 'Old Mother Gun' - Images, Specifications and Information

Regards,
Wouter Melissen

[fisetdavid26]

Great articles there Wouter. It's great reading quality articles about those two legendary cars.