Description
Details:
Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale this incredibly original and very correct 1928 Bentley 3. 0 Litre Speed ‘Red Label’ Vanden Plas Tourer.
This well known and highly regarded car retains all its original components including engine, gearbox, differential, front axle, dashboard and even some of the leather trim from 1928! It also retains its original Vanden Plas body.
This particular example has a known history from new and it is well documented in the fabulous book – Vintage Bentleys in Australia.
The car was delivered in May 1928 to WG Dugdale from London in the UK. It was first registered as UX2474. The car spent the next 43 years in the UK, passing through the care of a small number of appreciative owners, including Innes Ireland who owned the car from 1968 to 1971. Ireland was a prominent race car driver who most notably won the 1961 US Grand Prix in a Lotus Type 21.
In 1971 the car was purchased by Dr James (John) Ebney, a Canadian doctor who had been working in England’s North. Ebney later returned home to Ontario, taking the Bentley with him.
This Bentley is well travelled and following Ebney’s ownership the car spent time in the USA before heading back to the UK. It was then acquired by Gavin Sandford Morgan from Adelaide who imported it into Australia.
Robert McDermott facilitated the sale of the car to the current owner’s father in 1982. Over the next twenty one years this fabulous Bentley was used and enjoyed exactly as it makers intended. The current owner reflects nostalgically over great family memories made with this car. The current owner has written a document summarising the history of the car and in that he writes “ . . . our Bentley was very much a part of the family and it was regularly used for weddings, picnics, club events, various rallies and generally any conceivable excuse to drive this car. It featured in many wonderful weddings of family & friends, welcoming children & grandchildren, providing sights & sounds at picnics as well as evenings out in the country air. It formed a strong part of the ties that keep family & friends together through generations”.
Following the passing of the car’s owner in 2003 the decision was made to sell his beloved Bentley. It was sold to Peter Crauford from Moyston, Victoria in 2004. Crauford used and enjoyed his fabulous Bentley for over decade before selling to well known UK based Bentley enthusiast and dealer William Medcalf in 2016. Through an incredible set of circumstances and a story too complicated and too long for this write up, the current owner was able to acquire his late father’s Bentley from Medcalf before it was shipped to the UK. And so began another chapter of the story of his involvement with this car that first started over forty years ago!
A few weeks later, it time to bring the old Bentley home. He reflects “ . . . it was a freezing morning and my wife and I drove up to Moyston in her Jaguar XK120 Roadster to collect the car from Peter Crauford”. After laying eyes on ‘his car’ he couldn’t believe how pleased he was to see it again. “ . . . I felt as though I had seen my father’s ghost, smiling at me, with the particular look of peaceful happy pride that I had almost forgotten”. After a short drive it all come flooding back. “I suppose thirteen years is a fairly long time not to drive a car like a 3. 0 Liitre Bentley, but in an instant I felt at home again with the central throttle and hand controls of timing and mixture . . . we roared along the Moyston – Great Western Road, with the wind in our hair, the sun in our faces, the howl of the engine in our ears and the glow of joy in our hearts: It was great”.
The car had been beautifully preserved and well maintained throughout Crauford’s ownership, however, the current owner decided to give the car a birthday. It was sent to Simon Elliot and his team at Derby Works who went through the car from one end to other to ensure it was ready to be reliably used and enjoyed for the foreseeable future.
The car was collected from Derby Works’ Mt Waverly workshop in March 2017. Over the next seven years the car has been regularly used and enjoyed. “ . . . we have had more miles, more adventures and more grateful pleasure than I could ever have hoped for. We have made many new friends and enjoyed sharing the car with so many people, from elder statemen who know exactly what the car is, to young boys and girls that just love the noise and theatre of seeing an old car on the street”.
The car was displayed at Motorclassica as part of the celebration of ‘100 Years of Bentley’ in 2019. From the display of some twenty Bentleys, this car was awarded the ‘Iron Ladies Trophy’ for the Bentley that best represented the spirt of WO Bentley.
After being part of the current owner’s family for almost thirty years he has decided the time is right for this wonderful Bentley to start a new journey.
We are absolutely delighted that he has entrusted Oldtimer Australia to find the next custodian for this car.
Today this 1928 Bentley 3. 0 Litre Speed ‘Red Label’ Vanden Plas Tourer presents and drives superbly. The car presents with just the right amount of patina. This is a car that has been used and enjoyed over the years. It has never been restored, rather beautifully preserved and regularly maintained.
The first thing you will notice is of course the colour. Finished in maroon with black guards and a maroon fabric body, this car is a refreshing change to the ubiquitous green so often seen on WO Bentleys. The paint work presents well, with minor wear and tear evident, its overall presentation being consistent with a car that does get driven. The fabric is in excellent condition. All of the external trim, including the brightwork presents similarly well.
The black wire wheels and plated Bentley spinners are in good condition and present well. The wheels are shod with Excelsior 5. 00 / 5. 25 – 21 tyres all around.
Inside the cabin this car is also beautifully presented. The condition of the interior is consistent with the exterior. Everything is ‘just nice’, showing light wear and tear consistent with use. Whilst the front seats and door cards have been reupholstered at some stage, the rear seats look to retain original leather from 1928! There are no rips or tears to the refreshed upholstery, though the original leather shows some cracking and minor damage. You wouldn’t touch it though . . . so cool! The carpet like material on the back of the seats may well also be original and it shows some wear and tear. The carpets are in generally good condition. The instruments and controls are well presented and look to be in working order.
The soft top would have been replaced at some stage and whilst it has had a few repairs it is in reasonably good condition. It fits quite well and is relatively easy to put up and down. The cover that fits over the soft top when down is old and in average condition. There is a replacement that will come with the car, though the current owner prefers the patina of the original.
Simon Elliott’s Derby Works has recently completed an engine rebuild and as a result the car drives superbly. Even prior to the rebuild this car had a reputation as being a great performer, often mistaken for having a 4¼ litre engine. The car goes hard and it has the most fantastic and very distinctive baritone exhaust note. For its day this was a fast car, but even today it performance is ‘lively’ and the car has absolutely no trouble keeping up with modern traffic. The brakes are certainly nothing like what you are used to on a modern car and the gear changes take some getting used to, however, once you do it provides the driver with a very rewarding driving experience. The car handles well and it feels surprisingly tight on the road.
This is a car that has many stories and ‘if only’ it could talk!
As part of the rich tapestry of its history it is noted that Innes Ireland drove Denis Hulme around Silverstone for the Driver’s Parade at the 1969 British Grand Prix. Hulme had qualified his Cosworth Ford DFV powered McLaren M7A in third place, but unfortunately was forced to retire after 27 laps with electrical problems. 31 years later the Bentley appeared in another Grand Prix Driver’s Parade when the current owner drove Heinz-Harald Frentzen around Albert Park at the 1997 Australian Grand Prix. The Bentley brought more luck to Frentzen than it did for Hulme all those years ago. After qualifying second on the grid Frentzen drove is Williams-Renault to 8th place.
Incredibly, this Bentley is now close to 100 years old.
WO era Bentleys are rarely offered for sale in Australia, so this very original, correct and beautifully patinated 1928 Bentley 3. 0 Litre Speed ‘Red Label’ Vanden Plas Tourer presents a unique opportunity.
Highlights:
- Genuine Bentley 3. 0 Litre Speed ‘Red Label’
- Retains all original components.
- Retains original Vanden Plas tourer body.
- Known history from new with impeccable provenance.
- Recent engine rebuild.
- Drives better than most 4½ Litre cars.
- Ready to use and enjoy.
Price AUD $579, 950
Background:
The Bentley motor car company was founded back in 1919 by brothers WO and HM Bentley. The Bentley brothers were involved in the motor industry having acquired the agency to sell French built DFP (Doriot, Flandrin & Parant) cars in 1912, however, they desperately wanted to build their own cars.
WO Bentley had established himself as a brilliant engineer during World War I when the French made DFP in which he competed, achieved a number of wins in various races and hill climbs. He was one of the first engineers who realised the advantage of using aluminium to create pistons. W. O Bentley was discharged from the army in 1919 and he set about creating his own car. His experience with aircraft engines proved an excellent starting point. He was also heavily influenced by two pre-war designs, the 1914 Grand Prix Mercedes and the 1913 Coupe de l’Auto Peugeot.
Bentley developed a 3. 0 litre monobloc engine which featured four valves per cylinder, twin spark plugs and twin magnetos. He made extensive use of aluminium and magnesium which were quite exotic materials in the 1920’s, especially for road going cars. The first prototype, EXP1, was tested by “The Autocar” and received a glowing report. It was described as “For the man who wants a true sporting type of light-bodied car for use on a Continental tour – where speed limits are not meant to be observed – the 3 Litre Bentley is undoubtedly the car par excellence.”
The second prototype, EXP2, made its debut at the 1919 Olympia motor show. The new Bentley 3. 0 Litre attracted a lot of attention however it wasn’t until September 1921 that the first model rolled of the production line. Between the 1919 motor show and September 1921 much work had been done to further refine the chassis. EXP2 was the first Bentley to record a race win at Brooklands on May 16th 1921. Bentley continued to use it for further testing in 1921 and 1922 before it was sold in 1923. EXP2 still exists today and is the oldest surviving Bentley.
Initially, production of the Bentley 3. 0 Litre was slow but they got the formula right and their cars proved to be luxurious, reliable and fast thus attracting buyers from the elite of society. it didn’t take long for the order books to be filled with names of wealthy and aristocratic clients, including Prince George (later the Duke of Kent), the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII) and the Duke of York, later King George VI.
Just like other manufactures in that period, Bentley supplied the engine, drive train, suspension and chassis, letting the client decide which coachbuilder they wanted to use to supply the body. Bentley offered three versions of their 3. 0 Litre and they were identified by the colour of the badge on the radiator – the blue label, the red label and the green label. The blue label was the standard engine, the red label was powered by a higher compression engine and the green label was the high-performance model. Bentley had great confidence in their cars and offered a five year warranty on the blue and red label model. The green label, however, only came with a one year warranty because it really was a race car.
The cars were also incredibly successful on the race track with Bentley achieving the ultimate success winning Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. The Bentley 3. 0 Litre was able to beat the the much smaller and more nimble Bugattis, prompting Ettore Bugatti to call it “the fastest lorry in the world”.
The difficult economic times in the late 1920’s had a major impact on Bentley and they stopped motor racing soon after winning Le Mans in 1930 and ultimately fell into receivership in 1931. Rolls-Royce acquired the assets of Bentley in late 1931. In this period Bentley produced some fabulous motor cars including the 3. 0 Litre, 4½ Litre, ‘Blower Bentley’, 6½ Litre and 8. 0 Litre models that are all today highly sought after by enthusiasts and collectors all over the world. The first new Bentley produced following Rolls Royce’s acquisition was the Bentley 3½ Litre which evolved into the Bentley 4¼ Litre. Bentleys of this era are also known as Derby Bentleys as they were built at Rolls Royce’s factory located in Derby in the north of England.
The Bentley 3. 0 Litre was built from 1921 through until 1929 and in total 1, 622 examples were built. This included three experimental models, 1, 088 3. 0 Litre models, 513 Speed Tourers and 18 Super Sports.
