1930 Bentley 4½ Litre Supercharged on the 2013 Mille Miglia (photo: Julien Mahiels)

Tim Birkin

Bentley Motors competed in the 2013 Mille Miglia with two unique 4½ Litre Supercharged “Blowers” – a 1930 Le Mans race car belonging to perhaps the most famous and daring of the Bentley Boys and a company demonstrator that is still going strong even after nine decades on the road.

The No. 2 Team Car – raced at Le Mans by Captain Tim Birkin – was brought by Bentley Motors in 2000 and has been regularly campaigned across the world by the company ever since.

Richard Charlesworth, Bentley’s Director of Royal and VIP Relations, who has helped prepare the car for its third Mille Miglia challenge at Bentley’s Crewe headquarters, explains, “This is a fantastic car to drive and remains extremely rapid as well. We take great pride in making sure all the cars Bentley owns continue to regularly compete or run and are not museum exhibits, which is very much the Bentley way, and we are all looking forward to the unique Mille Miglia experience.”

The car is perhaps best known for its epic duel with a 7 litre ‘Kompressor’ Mercedes (also supercharged) at Le Mans in 1930 with Birkin putting his off-side wheels on the grass as he completed a typically daring pass of his Mercedes opponent Rudolf Caracciola at 120mph. The Blower immediately threw one of its rear tyre treads, but somehow Birkin carried on to set the fastest lap.

Sadly Birkin’s campaign ended after 82 laps but the immense pressure he applied to the Mercedes is wildly credited with assisting his fellow Bentley Boys Woolf Barnato and Glenn Kidston to win the race in their Bentley Speed Six.

The second Bentley Blower that participated in the 2013 Mille Miglia was completed in 1930 and is fitted with a Vanden Plas Open, Sports Four Seater body. It was owned by Bentley Motors as a customer demonstrator car before passing into private ownership. An early review praised it as, “a car with the strongest possible individuality and it is certain that it is immensely likeable no matter what angle one may regard it.”

Repurchased by Bentley Motors in 1997, the car turns heads at Bentley customer events across the world and is still faithfully fulfilling demonstration rides well into its ninth decade.

“There are currently over 100,000 miles on this elegant Blower Bentley but we’re certain it has completed many more than this. However, everyone at Bentley is confident the car will run for many, many years to come,” commented Charlesworth.