Collection Item
Bentley 4 ½ litre 'Le Mans'
Driven by Bentley Boy ‘Tim’ Birkin in the first Double Twelve 24-Hour Race at Brooklands in 1929.
W O Bentley raced motorcycles and cars at Brooklands before World War One, and founded Bentley Motors Ltd in 1919. Bentleys won more races at Brooklands than any other make, won Le Mans five times, and came to epitomise the glamourous golden age of Brooklands.,
Bentley’s group of socialite drivers, known as the Bentley Boys, included Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin, who drove this car in the first ‘Double Twelve’ Race in 1929. It raced at Brooklands again in June of that year and later came third in the 1936 All-Bentley Race. It has been in the current family ownership since the late 1930s.
Loaned by John Lander
Collection Data
Date Built
1928
Location
ERA Shed
Category
Cars
Technical
Specifications
- ENGINE: 4,398cc 4-cylinder
- TOP SPEED: 100mph
- MANUFACTURER: Bentley
- MODEL: 4½ litre
- ORIGIN: London
Races & Record
- May 1929, British Double Twelve-Hour Race by Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin and Holder.
- June 1929, Brooklands Automobile Racing Club's Six Hours Sports Car Race
- 1936, All-Bentley Race, 1936
