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No doubt encouraged by the success of the Bentley Bowler, Bentley is expanding its “Continuation Series” range which aims to revive pre-war icons. The Speed Six is considered one of the most important Bentleys in the history, demonstrating not only the performance of the marque, but also the concept of the Grand Tourer – a fast car that remained comfortable and luxurious, and able to cover great distances with ease. The 12-car series will be developed and built by the same team of Mulliner specialists who created the Blower Continuation series – the world’s first pre-war Continuation project.
The Speed Six
The Speed Six became the most successful racing Bentley, winning Le Mans in 1929 and 1930 at the hands of Woolf Barnato, Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin and Glen Kidston. Walter Owen Bentley believed that the best way to increase power was to increase capacity, contrary to Tim Birkin’s faith in supercharging. So he developed a new, larger engine to succeed the 4½-litre. With a bore of 100mm and a stroke of 140mm, its new straight-six had a capacity of nearly 6.6 litres. It was the brand’s first straight-six, which delivered 147 hp at 3500 rpm.
The Speed Six chassis was introduced in 1928 as a sportier version of the 6½ Litre, which at first suffered from excessive tire wear. The engine was modified to release more power, with two SU carburettors, a higher compression ratio and a performance camshaft, responsible for an increase to 180 hp. The racing version of the Speed Six had an engine with a compression ratio of 6.1: 1 and developing 200 hp. Two Le Mans victories in 1929 and 1930 cemented the Speed Six’s place in Bentley history, with the 1929 victory setting a new benchmark for racing dominance. Driven by Woolf Barnato and Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin, the figureheads of the ‘Bentley Boys’, a Speed Six led from the opening lap to the checkered flag, followed by a motorcade of three other Bentleys. It is also with a Speed Six that Woolf Barnato beats the famous “blue train” in 1930 on the Cannes-Calais route, a kind of apotheosis of this decade of the Roaring Twenties.
Almost a century later
The Speed Six Continuation series was announced at the Goodwood Festival of Speed by Bentley Chairman and CEO Adrian Hallmark: “The Mulliner team will once again be supported by an incredible number of craftsmen from a number of motoring heritage specialists across the UK, delivering hobby parts that are not only physically identical, but in many cases, made using the same techniques used in the 1920s. This dedication to complete and utter authenticity is integral to the success of such a complex project.”
To deliver 12 authentic new Speed Sixes in the design of 1929 and 1930 racers, the Mulliner team first created a complete 3D CAD model of the car, from the original blueprints and detailed analysis of the original cars. Two cars have been referenced for this process. The first new Speed Six in 92 years will be assembled in the second half of this year and will become the project’s technical development and test car. The first of these two chassis, known as “Old Number 3”, was the third of the six Speed Six chassis entered in the 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans by Bentley. Despite the many races it has participated in, it has been kept in excellent condition by its current owner and remains registered for road use.
to summarize
Nostalgia is fine. Bentley is revisiting its glorious past by developing, as part of the Continuation Series range, 12 examples of the legendary Speed Six which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the “Bentley Boys”.
