<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Although W.O. Bentley initially believed running twice around the clock was a bit silly, he nevertheless entered a single works car in the 1923 and inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans. Clothed in a Park Ward Tourer body, the 'team' car finished fourth and a love affair was born. Bentley returned the next year, and John Duff and Frank Clement scored the marque's first win at Le Mans. Three years later a second win would be added to the 3 Litre's tally in the hands Dudley Benjafield and Sammy Davis. In the following years, larger engined Bentleys would take another three wins in the French endurance racing classic.
The well known adage 'competition improves the breed' also applied to the Bentley 3 Litre. In addition to the four-wheel brakes, the road going Bentleys also benefited from engine tweaks. Among the variants offered in later years were the slightly more powerful and lighter 'Speed Model' and the top of the range 'Super Sports' of which just 18 were built. Production of the 3 Litre eventually ceased in 1929, its place taken by the larger engined 4½ Litre. At that time a very impressive 1,613 examples had rolled off the line at Bentley's Cricklewood factory.
Today the Bentley 3 Litre is often overlooked in favour of its larger engined and even more exotic successors. It was nevertheless vital to establish Bentley as a manufacturer and with two wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans the smallest of the Cricklewood Bentleys deserves more praise. In period and also in the following decades many of the 3 Litres were upgraded with bigger engines, making original cars quite rare. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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3 Litre Speed Model Vanden Plas Tourer
Although W.O. Bentley initially believed running twice around the clock was a bit silly, he nevertheless entered a single works car in the 1923 and inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans. Clothed in a Park Ward Tourer body, the 'team' car finished fourth and a love affair was born. Bentley returned the next year, and John Duff and Frank Clement scored the marque's first win at Le Mans. Three years later a second win would be added to the 3 Litre's tally in the hands Dudley Benjafield and Sammy Davis. In the following years, larger engined Bentleys would take another three wins in the French endurance racing classic.