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UK V5
See UK Registration/Import Status Guide in catalogue.

Seldom has an automobile manufacturer achieved such notable acclaim so soon after its founding as W.O. Bentley’s eponymous organization. In 1924, a mere five years after its first car was built, Bentley earned its first overall win at Le Mans. The Bentley name became synonymous with speed and endurance, posting successive Le Mans wins from 1927 through 1930. Introduced in chassis form in October 1927 at the Olympia Motor Show in London, the 4 1/2 Litre combined the most successful elements of the 3 Litre and 6 1/2 Litre models. Quickly established as a worthy competitor on the track, the brilliant 4 1/2 Litre model was immortalized by Bentley’s victory at the 1928 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

This remarkable 4 1/2 Litre Bentley, chassis PM3254, was sold new in Australia, and is one of only three examples so delivered. Fitted with a lightweight, fabric-covered Vanden Plas touring body, it was certainly one of the fastest and most exotic automobiles on the continent during its early years. According to the Dr. Clare Hay et al. volume, Vintage Bentleys in Australia, the Tourer’s first owner was Reginald Laidlaw Davies, a lecturer at the University of Sydney. After a brief ownership, Mr. Davies sold the Bentley to Professor Birkett, also of Australia, who may have been a faculty colleague. A copy of the factory record states that, in September 1931, a new frame, stub axles, steering arm, and other parts were dispatched to the Sydney Bentley agency for PM3254 following damage it sustained that year.

The Bentley Tourer was kept by several owners in Australia over the ensuing decades. A handwritten logbook, with entries beginning in 1934, chronicles the life of the car in great detail; this document lists mileage, maintenance, and repairs, which are faithfully dated through 1951. Its longest tenure of ownership was with E.A. “Ted” Lobb of Grenfell, Australia. A respected collector of numerous early sports cars, Mr. Lobb was in possession of PM3254 by 1954. Truly a lifelong enthusiast, Mr. Lobb purchased a race-winning Bugatti Type 39 Grand Prix car at age 17 in 1936 and kept it until his passing in 2002. Around this same time, his long-prized Bentley was sold to fellow Australian collector and noted marque expert Rod Warriner, who maintained it for over a decade. Well kept but never restored, the Bentley served its owners for nearly 90,000 miles but was eventually in need of mechanical attention.

The current owner, a respected collector of significant Vintage Bentleys, negotiated the purchase of PM3254 from Mr. Warriner in 2014, and the 4 1/2 Litre was shipped back to the UK for the first time since it was new. Respecting its wonderful originality and patina, rather than commissioning an outright restoration, he set about an extensive conservation project with the objective of overhauling the Bentley’s mechanicals without disturbing its irreplaceable essence. Retaining the renowned VBE Restorations for the sympathetic mechanical renewal, as well as James E. Pearce Coachwork Supplies, who expertly addressed the coachwork and its fittings, the two-year project began in 2016. Dozens of detailed invoices on file reveal the depth of the cost-no-object work performed, including an overhaul of PM3254’s original engine (no. MF3166), as well as attention to the fuel and braking system, chassis service, and suspension work. The original coachwork was carefully separated from the chassis, its structure was strengthened as necessary, and the body’s dark red fabric retains its lovely, crackled, timeworn appearance. The interior was fitted with new gray carpets, trimmed to match the lovely patinated leather of the seats and door cards, which retain their ivory Vanden Plas hallmark plates.

Today, the 4 1/2 Litre displays an inviting patina, as cherished Bentleys of its generation should. Fitted with long wings unencumbered by side-mounted spares, the sporting design of the coachwork is on full display, and visual length is added by the rear spare, angle-mounted over the standard fuel tank. This extraordinary Bentley has led a fascinating existence and is a wonderful example of the revered model. Ready to take on new adventures, and having been sympathetically renewed by the most respected marque experts, PM3254 seeks only its next fortunate steward.