Bentley racing, from the Old to the New with the Bentley Continental GT3 and the 4.5 Litre Blower.

• Racers past and present come together to mark extraordinary year of motorsport
• 2015 saw Continental GT3 win two major international GT championship titles
• This year marks the 85^th anniversary of the famous 1930 Le Mans win
• Cars met at the British Racing Drivers’ Club – founded by Bentley Boy, Dudley Benjafield

With the chequered flag set to fall on the 2015 motorsport season, Bentley is celebrating a remarkable run of results by bringing together two generations of racer – the Continental GT3 and legendary 4.5 Litre ‘Blower’.

The current GT3 and its illustrious forebear from 1929 met at Silverstone in front of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), the motorsport organisation founded in 1928 by Bentley Boy and Le Mans winner, Dudley Benjafield.

They may be separated by more than eight decades but the two racing cars share Bentley’s indefatigable passion for innovation, competition and, above all, speed.

Bentley Continental GT3 in 2015 – A Season to Remember

In just its second year of competition in GT racing, the Bentley motorsports programme has gone from strength to strength in 2015.

With teams competing on four continents, the Continental GT3 scored multiple pole positions, race wins, podiums and, at the end of the season,  won the highly-competitive Blancpain Sprint Series and took the overall team title in the GT Asia Series.

Other highlights from the season include a best-ever finish at the 24 Hours of Spa, a four-car assault on the Nürburgring 24 Hours and successful completion of the grueling Bathurst 12 Hours.

With a driver line-up featuring Le Mans winner, Guy Smith, former BRDC Young Driver of the Year, Steven Kane, and 2015 Blancpain Sprint Series champion, Vincent Abril, next year’s racing promises to be even more fruitful.

Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush, said: “As the team prepares for another exciting racing season in 2016, it’s rewarding to look back on 2015 and to see how far we’ve come. We’re racing on four continents in the world’s largest and most competitive GT races and series. From Bathurst to Silverstone and Macau to Monterey, we’re competing with the best that GT racing has to offer.”

The Birkin ‘Blower’

One of just five ever made for racing, the Blower was used by the original Bentley racing team – the Bentley Boys – of the late 1920s, and is still performing over eight decades later.

This year marks the 85^th anniversary of the Woolf Barnato and Glen Kidston Le Mans victory in 1930. While the supercharged Blower wasn’t the winning car that day, with Tim Birkin at the wheel its heroic performance embodies the true spirit of the vintage racing era.

In the 1930 race, Birkin and his Blower diced for the lead with Mercedes ace, Rudi Carracciola, passing him flat out down the Hunaudières straight with his nearside wheels on the grass. Birkin successfully pushed the Mercedes to breaking point, but also had to retire with six hours to go, and the race was eventually won by Barnato and Kidston in their Speed Six.

Featuring its original Vanden Plas Open Sports four-seat body, the Blower was described by Autocar magazine in September 1930 as having ‘the appeal of immense power, linked with great docility’.

Bentley and the British Racing Drivers’ Club

Joseph Dudley Benjafield had a lifelong passion for motorsports. He began racing after purchasing a Bentley 3 Litre in 1924. He had talent, and was quickly offered a drive in Bentley’s company racer. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans seven times, and won the event in 1927 with co-driver and fellow Bentley Boy, Sammy Davis.

Benjafield founded the BRDC in 1928. It began primarily as a socialising club for him and his fellow drivers, but by the time of its inauguration the 25 original members had devised a set of objectives for the club, including ‘to extend hospitality to racing drivers from overseas’.

Today the BRDC is, arguably, the most exclusive club in motor racing. With a membership that numbers only 800, it is home to the most successful racing drivers from Great Britain and the Commonwealth. Those who have met the exacting entry criteria have achieved at the highest levels of the sport, or made a significant contribution to enable others to do so.

1930 failed "Bentley Boy" Mille Miglia, will, 85 years later have a second attempt, this time they will succeed.

• Historic Bentley takes on epic thousand-mile test of endurance
• This year marks 85 years since Birkin and Barnato’s aborted attempt
• 1930 4½-litre supercharged Blower one of just 55 ever produced

In 1930, ‘Bentley Boy’ Tim Birkin claimed his aborted attempt on the Mille Miglia in his legendary Blower was due to a lack of “due preparation”. 85 years on, Bentley has ensured all plans are in place for a successful Blower run in the 2015 event.

‘Bentley Boys’ the Hon. Sir Henry (Tim) Birkin and Bentley Chairman Woolf Barnato were to be the first British drivers to attempt the thousand-mile Italian test of endurance, in a supercharged ‘Bentley Blower’ known as the No. 2 ‘Birkin Blower’. 

According to contemporary media reports, however, ‘much disappointment was felt at the news of the Bentley withdrawal from the Brescia Thousand Miles Race’.

This year, Bentley’s original 1930 4½-litre supercharged Blower is aiming to finish what its sibling never started, taking on the world-renowned cross-country route between 14 and 17 May.

Director of Royal and VIP Relations, Richard Charlesworth, who will be piloting the historic Blower, said: “When the Blower was built in 1930 the Mille Miglia was uncharted territory for British racers. 

Some 85 years on and the Bentley is now a familiar sight – this year will be the Blower’s fifth entry. Last year we achieved the best result ever for Bentley, and this year we are hoping to continue that success.”

One of just 50 examples built for the road, the 85-year-old Blower features its original Vanden Plas Open Sports Four-Seat body. It was described by Autocar magazine in September 1930 as having ‘the appeal of immense power, linked with great docility’ – qualities the team will be hoping to exploit in Italy.

Built for racing, all Blowers featured the legendary supercharger installation developed by Amherst Villiers. The car running the Mille Miglia this year started life in 1930 as one of the company’s first showroom demonstrators, and is still performing eight decades on. 

With its classic British Racing Green livery and distinctive exhaust note, the Blower is one of the most instantly recognisable cars of all time.

Historic ‘Blue Train’ race commemorated with 85th anniversary Mulsanne Mulliner Limited Edition

• Historic ‘Blue Train’ race commemorated with 85^th anniversary Mulliner Limited Edition
• Mulliner artisans pay homage to famous 1930 Speed Six with bespoke features and intricate historical references
• Total of four examples to be hand-crafted in Crewe for continental European customers
• Mulsanne Speed is world’s fastest ultra-luxury driving experience

Bentley Motors is commemorating the historic ‘Blue Train’ race won by the Bentley Speed Six in 1930 with a Mulliner Limited Edition – the Mulsanne Speed ‘Blue Train’.

Debuting this week at the Techno-Classica show in Essen, Germany, just four examples will be hand-crafted in Crewe for customers in continental Europe.

85 years ago, Captain Woolf Barnato, Chairman of Bentley Motors and pioneering ‘Bentley Boy’, was staying in Cannes at the Carlton Hotel. 

He accepted a wager that not only could he beat the Calais-Mediterranée Express or ‘Blue Train’ back to Calais, but that he could be at his club in London before the train even reached the English Channel.

He was, and the remarkable victory has been talked about ever since.

The ‘Blue Train’ Limited Edition is produced by the skilled craftsmen and women of Bentley’s bespoke coachbuilding division, Mulliner. Each features a number of delightful historical references and modern interpretations of  design details from the original Speed Six.

For example, the fluting pattern in the door panels and the rear quarter inserts echo the interior of Barnato’s original car. The dashboard facia features an expertly crafted veneer image of the original Bentley ‘Blue Train’ Speed Six. 

Meanwhile, the treadplate plaques bear the wording ‘Blue Train 85 Years’ and the front grille features a square mesh design inspired by original Speed Six.

Richard Charlesworth, Head of the Bentley Heritage Collection, comments: “The Blue Train is one of the most famous and celebrated cars in the world, and it perfectly embodies the racing spirit of the Bentley. 

Woolf Barnato was a three-time Le Mans victor, but winning the Blue Train race captured the public’s imagination, and fuelled the legend of the Bentley Boys. By beating the Calais-Mediterranée Express he forever guaranteed the Speed Six’s place in automotive history.”

The first ‘Blue Train’ Limited Edition delivered will also feature a personalised hamper, trimmed with Burnt Oak and Camel hide to perfectly match the interior of the car. 

Mulliner has crafted beautiful leather cutlery holders and a leather rug wrap-around, both featuring ‘Blue Train’ embroidery. The hamper contains exclusive Robbe & Berking silver plated cutlery, Haviland Limoges porcelain crockery, LINLEY crystal champagne flutes and a 100 percent Angora picnic rug, woven in Scotland.

Robert Engstler, Regional Director Europe, added: “The fact that we are producing just four of these Limited Editions is highly significant, as Barnato famously made it to the club in London four minutes before the train arrived in Calais. The unique design elements bring back nostalgic memories of one of the most legendary Bentleys of all times.”

The Mulsanne Speed Blue Train by Mulliner can be seen at the Techno-Classica Show in Essen (Hall 7). from the 15^th to the 19^th of April 2015.

Mulliner – Rare by design

Mulliner exists to respond to the requirements of Bentley’s most discerning customers. Mulliner Limited Editions reflect carefully chosen and inspirational themes. Individually these might have special significance for customers in specific markets, but what they all share is the highest standards of Mulliner craftsmanship – taking the concept of Bentley luxury and pushing it even further.

Mulliner Limited Editions are rare by design and, as a result, they all have the potential to become instant classics, desired by many but driven only by a fortunate few.

The extraordinary Bentley “Blue Train” car to appear at Rétromobile 2015

• The extraordinary “Blue Train” car to appear at Rétromobile 2015
• The 1930 Bentley 6½ Litre Speed Six with Gurney Nutting coachwork, starts its 85^th anniversary in style

Bentley Motors is delighted to announce that the legendary Speed Six Bentley known as The Blue Train will celebrate the start of its 85^th anniversary with an exclusive first appearance at the Rétromobile Exhibition this week in Paris (Hall 1, Stand P43).

In 1930, Captain Woolf Barnato, Chairman of Bentley Motors, and also a true “Bentley Boy” having entered and won the Le Mans 24 hours three times, was staying in Cannes at the Carlton Hotel with his golfer friend, Dale Bourn. He accepted a wager that he could not only beat the Blue Train to Calais, as had been done before, but could be at his club in London before the train reached Calais.

On the day of the race, he finished his drink in the bar at the Carlton hotel when he heard the train had departed at 17.54. He had arranged for fuel stations to remain open through the night in Aix-En-Provence and Lyon, and a tanker lorry in Auxerre, and despite a puncture near Paris, he reached Boulogne with an hour to spare. 

He arrived at the Conservative Club in St James, London for a celebratory drink having passed the clock at Victoria Railway Station at 15.30 the next day, four minutes before the train was due to arrive in Calais, having averaged 43.43 mph driving on pre-motorway roads. He won the £100 wager, although the Automotive Club de France attempted to fine him £200 for an un-authorised race in France.

Richard Charlesworth, Head of the Bentley Heritage Collection, comments: “We are most grateful to Bruce McCaw for the loan of his legendary Bentley Speed Six. There are many exciting plans for the car to mark its 85^th anniversary, including a recreation of the original run from Cannes to London.”

The Speed Six evolved in 1929 as a racing version of the 6½ Litre, introduced in 1926. The first car raced as No 1 at Le Mans in 1929 where it won, and returned as ‘Old No 1’ to win again in 1930. A total of 182 Speed Sixes were built between 1929 – 1930 with a variety of body styles and types from several coachbuilders. Speed Six Chassis No HM 2855 was delivered to Bentley Chairman Woolf Barnato by Coachbuilder Gurney Nutting in May 1930. Barnato had many Bentleys personally commissioned to suit his requirements, all were bespoke, ‘one off’ vehicles.

In recent years evidence has come to light that suggests that although the car appeared in the Terence Cuneo painting of the race, it may be that it was in fact another Speed Six with a Mulliner Saloon body, also owned by Barnato, that actually accomplished the feat. It remains a mystery, the truth will never be known for sure, but this unique car remains one of the most striking, stylish and famous vintage Bentleys from that era.

Introduction first registered May 1930

Body Gurney Nutting Speed Six

Engine 6-cylinders, in-line; front; 100 mm x 140 mm, 6597 cc; compr 5.3:1; 180 bhp (134.23 kW) @ 3500 rpm; 27.8 bhp (20.34 kW)/L

Engine Structure 4-valves, double springs; 8-bearing camshaft, 3-throw coupling rod drive; cast iron cylinder block with stainless steel jacket plates; single port block; 2 vertical HVG5 SU carburettors; two champion plugs per cylinder; Bosch magneto and Delco-Remy coil; Autovac fuel system; 8‑bearing camshaft, with damper; water-cooled

Transmission rear wheel drive; sdp clutch; 4-speed C-Type gearbox, right hand change; spiral bevel final drive 3.53:1

Chassis pressed steel frame 0.188 in (4.77 mm), 7 cross-members; semi‑elliptic leaf springs; Bentley and Draper friction dampers; self-wrapping, Dewandre servo mechanical brakes, front Bentley-Perrot; 15.75 in (40 cm) drums; worm and sector steering; 25 gal (113.6 1) fuel tank; Dunlop tyres 21 x 6.00, rear 21 x 7.00; Rudge-Whitworth centre lock wire wheels

Dimensions wheelbase 140.5 in (356.87 cm), track 56 in (142.2 cm), length 187 in (474.9 cm), width 68.5 in (173.99 cm), ground clearance 7.25 in (18.4 cm), turning circle 47.5 ft (14.5 m)

Equipment Smith & Jaeger instruments, white figures black faces, German silver parallel-sided radiator shell; Green Label badges. Zeiss headlamps; Bosch electrics; Hobson fuel telegauge; brake vacuum gauge

Performance maximum speed 92 mph (147.7 km/h) – 100 mph (160.9 km/h), fuel consumption 15 mpg (18.83 l/100 km)

Price Chassis £1800

Production 1