Bentley 4½ Litre

The Bentley 4 ½ Litre was a car model manufacturer Bentley. The vehicles came from the offered 1927-1931 Bentley chassis and body structures of different Stellmacher businesses. From 1929, a performance-enhanced model with compressor available, which became known as Blower Bentley was additionally.

History

1927-1931 Bentley 4 ½ Litre

With wins in the major race tracks, the Bentley 4 ½ Litre proved to be successful. Among other things, the model 1928 was victorious at Le Mans. The sales figures achieved were able to replace the lost volumes by the end of production of the 3 Litre. 4 ½ Litre was also the first Bentley, in which the production costs have been held by the strict limitation on two variants in close chassis frame.

The sales figures for the 4 ½ Litre were good - but ultimately was this model also victims of the economic crisis. So 1929 234 chassis were still made. 1930, production was 79 units. In the last six months of 1931 it dropped even on 15 chassis. A total of 669 chassis were produced, including six chassis that were 1936/37, still being manufactured by Rolls- Royce from spare parts.

1929-1931 Bentley 4 ½ Litre Supercharged ( " Blower" )

Henry Birkin, as Woolf Barnato also a Bentley Boy, built on their own initiative and with the financial support of Dorothy Paget from January 1929 a 4 ½ Litre to. The vehicle was equipped with a Roots supercharger and other modifications, and modified as the Bentley 4 ½ Litre Supercharged. Birkin built in his workshop a total of five of today Birkin Blower models mentioned, but one of which was not ready to drive.

Walter Owen Bentley was not convinced of the vehicle. In 1929 he wrote to Supercharged principle: "to supercharge a Bentley engine what to pervert its design and corrupt its performance", about the Paget's Birkin partnership had created the Supercharged "the organization did gave us all a good deal of additional anxiety during our already anxious load- months " and Birkin: " His gaily vivid, restless personality Seemed to be always driving him on to something new and spectacular, and unfortunately our 4 1/2-liter car what one of his targets ".

The offered from April 1930 " Blower" was a technical (oil pressure / lubrication, cooling, etc. ) and financial disaster. Downright adventurous was the fuel consumption of the blower: So the consumption of the 4 ½ Litre was at a speed of 100 km / h at 16 liters per 100 km, the Blower Bentley, however, needed 102 liters.

On the technical disaster followed the financial capital. To be admitted in Le Mans, must have been produced at least 50 cars of a type. Barnato ordered the construction of vehicles - against the will of WO Bentley. The company produced the items for the required 50 vehicles and built together after receipt of order. The sale of these " stock item " was, however, very slow because of the lack of racing success. Thus, the price was lowered to stimulate the sale, which it did in January 1931. The original price of £ 1,475 was lowered in January 1931 on £ 1,150, which he only cost £ 100 more than a standard 4 ½ Litre. In the six months of production from 1931 so still 27 chassis were sold.

Barnato won the Le Mans race of 1929 and 1930 respectively in WO Bentley Bentley Speed ​​Six constructed. He therefore went not given by himself in order Blower. 1929 were two 4 ½ Litre in the squares to reach 2 and 3, the target. 1930, two blowers were used, one of which even the fastest lap of the race. However, then both fell Blower from because of technical defects.

A total of 55 chassis were produced, of which five ( including a non- running order ) at Birkin, 49 from Bentley and another in 1933 by Rolls- Royce.

1936-1937: 4 ½ Litre Reconditioned

After Bentley was bought in 1931 by its competitor Rolls -Royce, so also changed the stock ownership. Rolls- Royce produced from 1933, the newly developed models Bentley 3 ½ Litre and 4 ¼ Litre for which no parts of this stock were compatible. 1936/37, six were rebuilt Bentley 4 ½ Litre as " RC Series" from the years stockpiled spare parts, similarly as with the 3- Litre model. However, they differed from the original factory design, because the transmission came from the inventory for the Bentley 4 ½ Litre compressor. The rear axles came partly from the compressor Bentley, part of the Bentley 6 ½ Litre. The front axles, however, were originally intended for the Bentley 4 ½ Litre or 4 Litre for. The steering also came from the 4 Litre. Including these six chassis, the total production of the Bentley 4 ½ Litre amounts to 665 chassis. With the exception of a structure of Corsica all cars were equipped with four-seat constructions of Vanden Plas and were handed a five-year warranty to our customers.