1934 Bentley 3 ½ Litre All-Weather Tourer by Barker Registr...

Estimate

£130,000 - £150,000

1934 Bentley 3 ½ Litre All-Weather Tourer by Barker

Registration Number: AXM 20                     
Chassis number: B-169-AE
Recorded Mileage: 59,963 miles

- Over £160,000 invested in maintenance in current ownership
- Japanese rally entrant in the last few years 
- Best of Class at the 2019 Salon Privé Concours 

The Bentleys produced in tandem with Rolls-Royce in the 1930s are commonly referred to as a “Derby,” since they were built in the shared Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motors Works in Derbyshire, England. The 3½-Litre Bentley was introduced to the public at Ascot Race Course in August 1933. Powered by a larger and sportier version of the small Rolls-Royce 20/25 engine, it was well-received by the press and public alike, and 1,191 were sold between 1933 and 1937, overlapping the 4¼-Litre Bentley, which replaced it.

Rolls-Royce had acquired Bentley Motors in 1931 in a hand-shake agreement with W.O. Bentley, promising to continue to produce cars with the Bentley badge. Promising to do so was one thing, but actually doing it was another. The company struggled for two years to design and produce an appropriate car that would respect the “W.O. Bentley” sporting and racing heritage rather than the more stately cars carrying the Rolls-Royce badge. The early 1930s were challenging times financially, and Rolls-Royce approached the new Bentley model prudently, carefully managing production costs, while creating an exciting car to attract new car buyers. To limit re-tooling costs, the Bentley 3½-Litre was based on the Rolls-Royce 20/25 hp chassis. The new Bentley engine was re-configured from the 20/25’s 2¾-liter motor by increasing displacement, adding a new cross-flow head, twin SU carburetors, higher compression ratio and a re-profiled camshaft. The result was a fast, smooth, long-lasting, responsive and excellent-handling car that was marketed as “The Silent Sports Car.” The Derby Bentley rapidly became the favored car for the boy- and girl-racers of the day.

In recent years the Derby Bentley has come into great favour with collectors worldwide, not just British car enthusiasts. Few pre-war cars carry more graceful coachwork, nor offer more fun behind the wheel, than the Derby Bentleys of the 1930s. Bentley enthusiasts have always recognized that the quality of the car is on par with everything else Rolls-Royce has produced, yet the 3½-Litre Bentley also provides brisk acceleration and responsive handling, and with a top speed of over 90 mph, its low-revving engine can cruise all day at freeway speeds. It is deservedly one of the most popular tour cars in club events. The cars are ideal for the enthusiast who loves to drive.

One such enthusiast is the owner of this rare example, a quite possibly unique and certainly handsome all-weather tourer bodied by Barker of London in 1934. In current ownership since 2014, the Bentley was purchased with the purpose of participating in overseas events, in particular the 2017 Kyoto - Tokyo Rally. In preparation for this and other events the Bentley enjoyed a significant amount of mechanical refurbishment by leading restorer Ashton Keynes Vehicle Restorations in the UK. Over a four year period between 2015 and 2019 a significant sum has been invested in mechanical repairs and refurbishment, to produce a car capable of being shipped far overseas and immediately entered into long distance events. As testament to its condition is a Best of Class win at the 2019 Salon Privé Concours at Blenheim Palace.

We have observed in the vehicle’s file a number of invoices to the tune of c £165,000 in current ownership. In recent times the Bentley has been dry stored in the UK whilst our owner lives abroad, and so it has been decided to find a new home for the vehicle. The result of a huge amount of effort over a number of years is a very well sorted, handsome post-vintage Bentley which is begging for its next adventure.