1930 BENTLEY 4-1/2 Litre Le Mans

Produced at the end of 1929, the Bentley we present was delivered in 1930 to Mrs DW Furlong according to Michael Hay in his book Bentley - The Vintage Years. He states: "Car was built as a carrosserie Vanden Plas no. 1607. coupé d/h, registration HAA 16 - now carrosserie Le Mans registration RX 6040". According to the original documents of the coachbuilder Vanden Plas, this car was originally fitted with bodywork no. 1607, i.e. a 4-door British flexible Saloon like the one in the "Olympia Show" brown cloth 01/1930. The first registration of PB3535 was RX6040 which it still retains today. In 1949 it was registered HAA16 and was in the hands of Lt Col. C.F. TRACY in January 1952. It passed through various hands and was modified into a Le Mans Tourer body by Townsend before arriving in the expert hands of Stanley MANN in early 1977 who spoke of it in these words a few years later: "Here's a Vintage Bentley I can talk miles about as I purchased and restored this car in the late 1970s. My brief at that time was to build this very original Bentley to full Le Mans spec. Some 2 years later I had finished the rebuild and now looking at the speedo she has done some 19000 miles. I have seen her over these 25 years giving lots of pleasure to her past owners and always looking very smart. The paperwork shows some 5000 miles ago a full once over including a full engine rebuild. This is a very, very good Le Mans Bentley. I've bought it back four times in the last 28 years." Exported to South Africa by Mr. OWNEN it has been re-imported by Paul REECE in 1995: "I Owned the car for some years in 80s and 90s. It was registered HAA 16 from 1948 when it returned from South Africa. I obtained the original registration RX 6040. Believed owned by S.A. Embassy and exported at outbreak of War. Rebuild by Townsend into Le Mans, the first one he did I believe. I still have Reg HAA 16.” In 1999 it was again owned by Stanley MANN who sold it to Ian Mc FOREST. It then passed into the hands of a French prewar collector in 2010 who sold it to the current owner in 2013.Our Bentley is accompanied by a very voluminous file including notes dated from 1930 to 1935, and many documents since 1974. The current owner, a fine connoisseur and demanding collector, will undertake to bring this Bentley back to its former glory by undertaking major work without forgetting a multitude of details that make this car unique. Amongst the numerous works he will entrust the car following the 2018 Le Mans Classic to the Twaites family in the renowned Atelier Restaucar in Switzerland. The latter performed a complete mechanical rebuild: engine and gearbox as well as the electricity. Still equipped with its original “uncut” chassis, engine and steering, it is now time to find a new home for this exceptional 4 ½ litre car which is only too happy to return to the Hunaudières for the next Le Mans Classic!

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