To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The
Elkhart Collection event, 23 - 24 October 2020.
Estimate:
$300,000 - $400,000
- Desirable early 3-Litre Bentley, upgraded to 4�-Litre power for
touring
- Offered with its original engine, no. 408
- Documented with history report by vintage Bentley expert Dr.
Clare Hay
- An ideal "W. O." Bentley to enthusiastically drive and
enjoy
According to Dr. Hay's report, Bentley 3-Litre number 406 was built
as a Standard Model chassis, with front-wheel brakes, wide-ratio
"B" type gearbox, and 4.23:1 rear axle on a 130-inch-wheelbase
frame. It was originally delivered via Boon & Porter Ltd. of
Barnes, southwest London, to W. Loudon Douglas, to whom a five-year
guarantee was issued on 17 November 1923, and the car registered in
Surrey as PD 8577. The builder of the original coachwork is not
known, but it is described in a later advertisement in The Motor as
having been a "very handsome polished aluminum four-seater," with
the hood and fenders also in polished aluminum. Douglas entered
this car in the Motor Cycling Club's London-Exeter Trial in
December 1925, receiving a Gold Medal.
The Bentley was transferred in May 1926 to second owner W. C.
Mitchell, for whom the chassis received regular upgrades over the
next two years, then in 1931 to E. F. Gunstone, who had it
regularly serviced through the late 1930s, as noted in Bentley
Service Records form the period. The present Swansea registration,
WN 7985, was issued to the car in 1935. Following World War II, it
was owned by John Binns, a well-known Bentley Drivers Club member
and occasional Review editor, with a coupe body. By the early 1980s
it was in the hands of E. Jones, by which time it had been fitted
with the present Everflex-paneled, Vanden Plas-style open
four-seater sports bodywork. It was sold later in the decade to
Philip Corn, who maintained it until 2015. More recently it was
driven on the 2017 Bentley West Coast Vintage Tour.
Presently the car runs a more potent, newly built 4�-Litre engine
with SU G5 "sloper" carburetors, Bosch magnetos, and an upgraded
radiator with header tank and electric fan. The original 3-Litre
unit, no. 408, accompanies the car on a stand, complete with the
original cone clutch and flywheel. Additional features include a
4�-Litre steering box, four-wheel brakes with upgraded finned drums
and Heenan & Froude-type servo system, and Andre friction shock
absorbers. Further extensive detail as to the car's mechanical
specification is available to potential bidders in the report on
the car assembled by noted vintage Bentley expert Dr. Clare
Hay.
Simply put, this is an outstanding "W. O.," built to drive and
enjoy!To view this car and others currently consigned to this
auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/el20.
