Bentley 3 ½ Litre Saloon

THE SILENT SPORTS CAR

THE MODEL

Launched in September 1933, the Bentley 3 ½ Litre was the first new model to reach production following Rolls-Royce’s acquisition of the company two years earlier.

It’s 3.7L inline-six engine, 4-speed manual gearbox, leaf-sprung suspension and all-round servo assisted brakes were borrowed from similar Rolls-Royce models – most notably the 20/25hp – but in order to differentiate the Bentley brand and maintain its sporting heritage, the 3 ½ Litre benefitted from:

Higher Compression Ratio;
Sportier Camshaft Profile;
Twin SU Carburettors;
Crossflow Cylinder head;
Low-Slung, Double-Dropped Chassis

The result was a refined, purposeful looking sports saloon capable of over 90mph, a recipe that quickly earned it the nickname, ‘The Silent Sports Car’.

In all, just under 1,200 examples were built between 1933-1936, almost half of which were bodied by the famous London coachbuilder, Park Ward Ltd.

This Car

Factory records indicate that chassis no. B98FB was delivered new to its first owner and fellow British coachbuilder, Joseph Cockshoot & Co, on the 15th February 1936.

Finished in an elegant Sports Saloon body by Park Ward Ltd, the car was sold to its first private owner, William G. Jones Esq, only a month or so later, with whom it remained for the next 18 years.

The car’s third owner, V. M. White of Wistaston Road, Crewe, acquired B98FB in the summer of 1954, enjoying it for the next 11 years before passing it on to C. J. M. Booth in 1965.

Sadly, our knowledge of B98FB’s whereabouts drops off after this point, with the trail only picking up again in 2016 after the car had made its way over to Oregon in the United States.

B98FB’s current owner purchased the car in that same year, before shipping and re-registering it back here in the UK.

Since in our care, B98FB has gone through a full mechanical inspection with Classic Performance Engineering, and has benefitted from: