Found on RM Sotheby's website on August 21, 2019

RM | Sotheby's - MONTEREY 15 - 17 AUGUST 2019 - Offered on Saturday
Still For Sale

1930 Bentley 6½-Litre 'Speed Six' Sportsman’s Saloon by H.J. Mulliner
Chassis No. LR2778
Engine No. NH2748S
Gearbox No. 6826
Body No. 3804

- One of the most extraordinary surviving “W.O.” Bentleys
- Originally delivered to Man Singh II, Maharaja of Jaipur
- Remarkably pure, including original chassis, engine, drivetrain, and bodywork
- Immaculate, painstakingly researched restoration by marque specialists R.C. Moss
- Triple award winner, 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
- Documented by Bentley historian Dr. Clare Hay

NO INTERNET BIDDING
THE FINER THINGS - A MAHARAJA’S SPEED SIX

India in the time of the British Raj was a land of unimaginable wealth and splendor, exemplified by the luxurious sporting lives of its numerous territorial leaders. Typical among them was Sawai Man Singh II, Maharaja of Jaipur, who ascended to that position at the age of 10 in 1922. By 1930, at 18, he was a handsome, strongly built young man of imposing bearing and impressive physical strength, the kind of wealthy, worldly young sportsman for whom W.O. Bentley’s automobiles existed.

The car that the Maharaja would eventually acquire, chassis no. LR2778, was a Bentley 6½-Litre ‘Speed Six.’ Chassis LR2778 had been produced for Bentley Motors stock, with an aptly named sportsman’s saloon body produced by H.J. Mulliner to the latest evolution of the French Weymann patent method, with a flexible inner framework skinned in aluminum and a synthetic leather roof covering set off by a polished aluminum beltline. Its engine was a beast of a six, stamped “S” to denote the ‘Speed Six’ features of a single-port block, 4.9 compression ratio, dual SU carburetors, and an Elektron crankcase and camcase, producing, in 1930 specification, 180 hp. The chassis was fitted with the newly designed Bentley & Draper friction shock absorber to the front axle; hydraulic shock absorbers to the rear axle; 13/50 rear axle; and a C-type gearbox. The radiator was finished in chromium, crowned with a Lalique Coq Nain, and a rectangular Hobson telegauge fitted to the instrument panel.

Bentley Motors sold the car in October 1930 to the Maharaja, via Jack Barclay and Duff Morgan Ltd., and it was exported to Jaipur soon thereafter. It was maintained there by Barker, the famous London coachbuilder with a branch in India well-known for servicing royal automobiles.

In 1937 the car was returned to England, registered DUU 618, and sold through Barker’s showroom to Dennis “Denny” Becker that September. The surviving Bentley Service Record notes the installation of a “new old-stock” front axle bed and kingpins in March 1938, replacing components improperly installed in India. Further work continued in 1939, including the installation of a Bluemel steering wheel (still present today), after which the car was laid up for much of World War II’s fuel rationing. After the war it was returned to the road and used by the Becker family for extended European touring in Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France, with 17-year-old Simon Becker running it on the autobahn. He inherited the car from his father in 1951 and continued the sporting tradition, running the car regularly and taking it on his honeymoon in 1954, joining the Bentley Drivers’ Club, and participating in numerous BDC trials and events. It was occasionally “rebuilt” over the years, work limited mainly to cosmetic maintenance and a slight alteration of the top, but was always faithfully maintained and, well into the 1970s, used as an everyday car. One day the Beckers parked the car, as they often did, on a London street, and it was appropriated for a fashion shoot; Simon Becker was later astonished to find his car and a pretty girl in an issue of Vogue in his dentist’s waiting room.

By 1974 the Bentley was no longer practical for everyday driving and was sold that year to Ian Findlater, who re-trimmed and refinished the car to the standards of the time later in the decade. Mr. Findlater was a good mechanical caretaker of the car, enjoying driving it in enthusiast events and displaying it at BDC shows and concours. Most prominently, it represented the British automobile in an exhibit at the opening of the “Chunnel” in 1994.

After 30 years of good care, Mr. Findlater sold the Bentley to a German collector in 2004. In 2010 it was acquired by the present owners, who consigned it to the renowned British specialists R.C. Moss of Melchbourne, Bedford, to be restored to its original condition and appearance. To that end, the car was researched and examined thoroughly by both the fastidious Mr. Moss and by renowned Bentley historian Dr. Clare Hay. Similarly, well-preserved original ‘Speed Sixes’ were studied and photographed and Mulliner’s original build processes duplicated whenever possible.

While the car had remained largely intact and unmolested, numerous small details had to be corrected throughout. The original Bentley & Draper hydraulic rear shock absorbers, long ago replaced and now unobtainable, had to be remanufactured to original specifications, as did the wind-lacing for the doors, the proper type of wiring, and, remarkably, even the original formula of linseed-oil-based paint. The original running boards had gone missing but were sourced, restored, and reinstalled. Not only were the seats finished to the proper material and pattern, but they were stuffed with horsehair, as original. In the midst of this, the car’s numbered components were all examined and photographed, and with the exception of the aforementioned front axle replacement, everything was found to be the original pieces installed in 1930.

Dr. Hay covered the restoration in an expansive 106-page history, lavishly illustrated with photographs of the car taken through every step of its life, as well as a complete record of the restoration work, which, she notes, “is to the highest possible standards, perfect in every respect.” Judges agreed.

In its inaugural showing, at completion of the restoration in 2012, the car was judged 2nd in Class and awarded the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy and the J.B. Nethercutt Trophy for Most Elegant Closed Car at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It was later shown that same year at the Windsor Castle Concours of Elegance in its home country.

There is, quite simply, no better-restored closed ‘Speed Six,’ and almost none that can be compared in their purity and consistently well maintained, caring history with only a handful of enthusiasts. It is the exquisite, perfectly finished emblem of all that is superb in engineering and design from the Classic Era—appropriate, now as then, for a man accustomed to the finer things in life.

Found on Hyman Ltd. website on May 24, 2019

1930 Bentley Speed Six Sportsman
Chassis no. LR2778
Price: $4,250,000
Stock Number: 6459

It is with pride that we offer one of the most extraordinary of all surviving Speed Sixes, chassis number LR2778 with Sportsman’s Saloon coachwork by H.J. Mulliner. As a 1930 model, this motorcar incorporates all of Le Mans-inspired improvements, and it wears marvelous, lightweight and sporty closed coachwork. The history of LR2778 is truly remarkable; fully documented by the respected marque historian, Dr. Clare Hay. It retains its original chassis, engine, drivetrain, and bodywork and has never been significantly modified.

According to the Hay Report, LR2778 was finished at Cricklewood with a 13/50 rear axle, C-Type gearbox (case #6826), Bentley & Draper friction front/hydraulic rear dampers and a chrome-plated radiator. The order also specified chrome fittings, 33 x 7.00 tires, and a rectangular Hobson Telegauge. The powerful six-cylinder engine bears number NH2748 with an “S” denoting this as a factory Speed Model. Interestingly, the coachwork was not built to special order by the first owner; rather, records indicate it was built for Bentley stock – with the build records noting “Our Own Body Order.” The four-seat coupe coachwork by H.J. Mulliner was in fashion for the time, with Barker and Gurney Nutting offering their own variations, known interchangeably as a sportsman’s coupe, close-coupled saloon, or fixed head coupe. For their interpretation, H.J. Mulliner employed the ultimate refinement of the patented Weymann technique, utilizing a light, flexible structure skinned in alloy to the beltline, and in grained leathercloth on the roof. Light in weight, it no doubt imparted the powerful Speed Six chassis with breathtaking performance.

Records show the completed car went first to Jack Barclay Ltd. yet was ultimately sold by Duff Morgan Ltd. on October 17, 1930, and exported to India very soon after on behalf of its first owner, the Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai Man Singh II. Just eighteen years of age when he purchased his magnificent Bentley, Singh no doubt had impeccable taste in motorcars. The young Maharaja was an avid sportsman, with an impressive record in polo, winning the World Cup in 1933. Despite assuming power at just 11 years old, the Maharaja was no mere playboy, and he matured into an astute politician. His efforts to build infrastructure and modernize his home of Jaipur later led to its selection as the capital of Rajasthan, and later, he then served as Ambassador to Spain. The choice of this stunning Bentley reflected his exceptional taste and love of sport. Records indicate the car remained in India through at least 1935, and most likely until two years later. The next entry appeared when it was registered as DUU618 for the new owner, Denis Becker of London. Documents indicate The Maharaja may have consigned the car to Barker’s London showroom, where Becker purchased it in 1937.

In the Becker family’s hands, the Speed Six underwent some servicing including fitment of a new-old-stock front axle in 1938. Inexperienced Indian mechanics may have damaged the original. Also, while in India, the car sported a flamboyant Lalique crystal cockerel mascot, likely transferred to another of the Maharaja’s vehicles before the sale. Replacing it was a dolphin mascot fitted by Mr. Becker, no doubt a nod to his wife, Delphine. In 1942, the Speed Six was still with the Becker family, reportedly with Geo Becker. There is even mention of his fifteen-year-old daughter Jane learning to drive in it, with one lesson ending with her putting the mighty Bentley on top of a roundabout!

Like many large classic cars of the time, LR2778 was put up during the war when petrol rationing meant virtually all private automobiles were rendered useless. In 1946, the LR2778 was relicensed under a new business name – yet still within the Becker clan. Young Simon Becker inherited the car and became its next long-term owner, enjoying it to the fullest while also acting as a fine custodian and ensuring its long-term survival. In 1954, Simon entered LR2778 in a Bentley Driver’s Club meet, handily winning his group and proving the car had lost none of its performance. The first rebuild followed later in 1954 and Simon continued to use the car regularly, using it for Grand Touring around Europe and even employing it as his daily driver for some time. The car was a regular fixture around London even as the value and running costs began to mount.

In 1974, after thirty-seven years in the Becker family and another refresh of the cosmetics, Simon Becker consigned LR2778 to a Christie’s auction, where it sold for £17,500. The new owner, Ian Finlator, handed the car to Tony Townshend in 1978 for a ground-up restoration. As was typical of the period, some minor detail changes were made, and while not to today’s exacting standards, it was nonetheless a comprehensive project. The livery was changed again, the green body sides it wore during the entire tenure of the Becker family changed to dark red; however, it retained the black wings and bonnet that the car has worn since new. Finlator enjoyed the Speed Six for many years to come, including on the 1985 Rallye Monte Carlo historic, and it making occasional appearances at BDC concours events throughout Britain in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1994, LR2778 was chosen as the representative British car for the opening of the Channel Tunnel rail line and displayed proudly alongside a Bugatti Royale at the Place de Defense in Paris.

After thirty years of ownership, Ian Finlator sold LR2778 to a German collector, and by 2010 it returned to the UK via famed dealer P&A Wood. Shortly thereafter, the current owner acquired the car and commenced a no-expense-spared restoration to original H.J. Mulliner specification with the renowned Vintage Bentley specialist Graham Moss of R.C. Moss. Before the start of the painstakingly researched restoration, Clare Hay inspected the car and found it to be a remarkably sound and original car, with the front axle being the only significant component changed (by Bentley in 1938). The engine, gearbox, clutch assembly, and rear axle were all found to be original to this car. As specified in the service records, the car retains its originally-equipped Elektron crankcase, with aluminum covers and fittings, correct to 1930 specification.

For the body restoration, a tremendous amount of research went into recreating the techniques used by H.J. Mulliner at the time. No company records exist from the time, so Graham Moss carefully studied an original, untouched Mulliner body built for the 1929 Olympia motor show, as well as other unrestored cars to learn precisely how the bodies were crafted and trimmed. Every aspect of the interior was restored employing original techniques, with hidden stitching, and horsehair stuffing of the seats to ensure purity and originality. The chassis restoration was somewhat more straightforward, with the proper materials, fittings, and details a largely known-quantity thanks to the survival of factory service documents. While the chassis retained a high degree of original components, it was necessary to carefully reproduce certain items, including the previously unavailable Bentley & Draper dampers. The chassis alone is a work of art, and the restoration record includes dramatic studio photos in its bare state. Now returned to its original livery of black with ivory side panels and a marble-finished oxblood red cabin, the presentation is breathtaking. The final flourish was the addition of an original-style Lalique cockerel mascot – complete with genuine Lalique switch for the illumination, sourced by Clare Hay.

With such care and attention to detail, it is of little surprise that the finished product is so spectacular. LR2778 is one of the most elegant representations of the sporting Vintage Bentley, presented in its original specification and beautiful colors, as delivered to Maharaja Man Singh II. Upon completion of the restoration in 2012, the car debuted on the lawn of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance where it earned a 2nd in class, the coveted J.B. Nethercutt Trophy for the Most Elegant Closed Car and the Lord Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy for the Most Significant Car of British Origin. The same year, it returned to England and appeared at the Windsor Castle Concours. It remains in exquisite order and the concours success has continued, with a Best in Show and Best Bentley at 2019 Cavallino Classic Sports Sunday, and is fresh from scoring Best in Class, Pre War European at the 2019 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

Thanks to the efforts of the long-term custodians who lovingly cared for and preserved the car without modification, LR2778 survives as one of the most elegant and visually arresting Vintage Bentleys extant. The meticulous, painstaking restoration and complete history have been documented by Dr. Clare Hay, presented in a beautiful leather-bound book matching the upholstery. In fabulous running order, and a sure entry into virtually any event worldwide, the Maharaja’s astonishing Speed Six will stand as the crown jewel of any collection.

This car is for sale as of May 24, 2019

Found on RM Sotheby's website on June 27, 2018

1930 Bentley 6½-Litre 'Speed Six' Sportsman’s Saloon by H.J. Mulliner
Chassis No. LR2778 ~ Engine No. NH2748S
Gearbox No. 6826
Body No. 3804
Price Upon Request

- One of the most extraordinary surviving “W.O.” Bentleys
- Originally delivered to Man Singh II, Maharaja of Jaipur
- Remarkably pure, including original chassis, engine, drivetrain, and bodywork
- Immaculate, painstakingly researched restoration by marque specialists R.C. Moss
- Triple award winner, 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
- Documented by Bentley historian Dr. Clare Hay

THE FINER THINGS
India in the time of the British Raj was a land of unimaginable wealth and splendor, exemplified by the luxurious sporting lives of its numerous territorial leaders. Typical among them was Sawai Man Singh II, Maharaja of Jaipur, who ascended to that position at the age of 10 in 1922. By 1930, at 18, he was a handsome, strongly built young man of imposing bearing and impressive physical strength, the kind of wealthy, worldly young sportsman for whom W.O. Bentley’s automobiles existed.

The car that the Maharaja would eventually acquire, chassis no. LR2778, was a Bentley 6½-Litre ‘Speed Six.’ Chassis LR2778 had been produced for Bentley Motors stock, with an aptly named Sportsman’s Saloon body produced by H.J. Mulliner to the latest evolution of the French Weymann patent method, with a flexible inner framework skinned in aluminum and a synthetic leather roof covering, set off by a polished aluminum beltline. Its engine was a beast of a six, stamped “S” to denote the ‘Speed Six’ features of a single-port block, 4.9 compression ratio, dual SU carburetors, and an Elektron crankcase and camcase, producing, in 1930 specification, 180 hp. The chassis was fitted with the newly designed Bentley & Draper friction shock absorber, to the front axle; hydraulic shock absorbers to the rear axle; 13/50 rear axle; and a ‘C-type’ gearbox. The radiator was finished in chromium, crowned with a Lalique Coq Nain, and a rectangular Hobson telegauge fitted to the instrument panel.

Bentley Motors sold the car in October 1930 to the Maharaja, via Jack Barclay and Duff Morgan Ltd., and it was exported to Jaipur soon thereafter. It was maintained there by Barker, the famous London coachbuilder with a branch in India well known for servicing royal automobiles.

In 1937 the car was returned to England, registered DUU 618, and sold through Barker’s showroom to Dennis “Denny” Becker that September. The surviving Bentley Service Record notes the installation of a ‘New Old Stock’ front axle bed and kingpins, in March 1938, replacing components improperly installed in India. Further work continued in 1939, including the installation of a Bluemel steering wheel (still present today), after which the car was laid up for much of World War II’s fuel rationing. After the War it was returned to the road and used by the Becker family for extended European touring in Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France, with their 17-year-old Simon Becker running it on the autobahn. He inherited the car from his father in 1951 and continued the sporting tradition, running the car regularly and taking it on his honeymoon in 1954, joining the Bentley Drivers’ Club, and participating in numerous BDC trials and events. It was occasionally “rebuilt” over the years, work limited mainly to cosmetic maintenance and a slight alteration of the top, but was always faithfully maintained, and, well into the 1970s, used as an everyday car. One day the Beckers parked the car, as they often did, on a London street, and it was appropriated for a fashion shoot; Simon Becker was later astonished to find his car and a pretty girl in the issue of Vogue in his dentist’s waiting room.

By 1974, the Bentley was no longer practical for everyday driving and was sold that year to Ian Findlater, who retrimmed and refinished the car to the standards of the time later in the decade. Mr. Findlater was a good mechanical caretaker of the car, enjoying driving it in enthusiast events and displaying it at BDC shows and concours. Most prominently, it represented the British automobile in an exhibit at the opening of the “Chunnel” in 1994.

After 30 years of good care, Mr. Findlater sold the Bentley to a German collector in 2004. In 2010 it was acquired by the present owners, who consigned it to the renowned British specialists R.C. Moss of Melchbourne, Bedford, to be restored to its original condition and appearance. To that end, the car was researched and examined thoroughly by both the fastidious Mr. Moss and by renowned Bentley historian Dr. Clare Hay. Similarly, well-preserved original ‘Speed Sixes’ were studied and photographed, and Mulliner’s original build processes duplicated whenever possible.

While the car had remained largely intact and unmolested, numerous small details had to be corrected throughout. The original Bentley & Draper hydraulic rear shock absorbers, long ago replaced and now unobtainable, had to be remanufactured to original specifications, as did the windlacing for the doors, the proper type of wiring, and, remarkably, even the original formula of linseed oil-based paint. The original running boards had gone missing but were, remarkably, sourced, restored, and reinstalled. Not only were the seats finished to the proper material and pattern, but they were stuffed with horsehair, as original. In the midst of this, the car’s numbered components were all examined and photographed, and with the exception of the aforementioned front axle replacement, everything was found to be the original pieces installed in 1930.

Dr. Hay covered the restoration in an expansive 106-page history, lavishly illustrated with photographs of the car taken through every step of its life, as well as a complete record of the restoration work which, she notes, “is to the highest possible standards, perfect in every respect.” Judges agreed.

In its inaugural showing, at completion of the restoration in 2012, the car was judged 2nd in Class and awarded the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy and the J.B. Nethercutt Trophy for Most Elegant Closed Car at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It was later shown that same year at the Windsor Castle Concours of Elegance in its home country.

There is, quite simply, no better restored closed ‘Speed Six,’ and almost none that can be compared in their purity and consistently well-maintained, caring history with only a handful of enthusiasts. It is the exquisite, perfectly finished emblem of all that is superb in engineering and design from the Classic Era – appropriate, now as then, for a man accustomed to the finer things in life.

Photographs were taken at the Windsor Castle Concours of Elegance

Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, August 2012

Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, August 2012

Posted by user 'Clare' (Hay), Feb 25, 2011
The Maharajah of Jaipur's Speed Six coupe, chassis LR2778:

It's in pieces at Graham Moss's in the UK, for restoration work. It was restored by Tony Townshend in the 1970s, repainted in red and black, with new trim in tan leather. Later on the red paint below the waistline was redone in black. It's a very handsome H J Mulliner body but the 1970s restoration work wasn't up to scratch, so now we're doing it properly, copying detail from an original 41/2 Litre Bentley H J Mulliner saloon and the body from a Speed Six shown on H J Mulliner's stand at Olympia in 1929.

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"7 louvres on the scuttle"	"9 louvres on the scuttle"
Observation made by user 'BentleyBoy'

Problem is, we don't know what the original colours were, and the car has been so heavily restored over the years that we can't find any traces.

The black and white photo is the earliest I can find, from the mid 1950s. Definitely two-tone, possibly black over ivory. The second photo was taken by me at a Bentley Drivers Club Kensington Gardens concours in the early 1980s, after restoration by Townshend. Grayscaling this shows that the red is much darker than the original light colour.

So does anyone know, did the Maharajah of Jaipur have "house colours"? I'm wondering if perhaps he had a regular colour scheme for his cars.

I've been talking with John Fasal about his upcoming book on Rolls-Royces and Bentleys in India book, and I'm working on the 8 Litre (two in India), so more photos and info later, if it's of interest.

Clare Hay

Comments related to th above photos:

User 'BentleyBoy': I noticed that the louvres on the scuttle are 7 on the b&w photo and 9 on the color photo, any idea how much of the bodywork needed replacement in the 70s?

User: 'Travancore': Also noticed a few other differences from the 1950's picture...
  - Door handle was "T" shaped, going by its shadow; and placed lower beneath the waist chrome trim
  - Frt accessory drive cover between dumb irons was shorter (more "wine bottle" shaped after restoration)
  - Semaphore indicator on scuttle by A-Pillar ?
  - Looks like a unique hood ornament (not "Winged-B")
  - Driving / fog lamp removed

User 'Clare': Yes, the scuttle has the wrong number of louvres and the door handles have been changed, but it looks possible that we've found the remains of an original saloon we can use for parts. The engine is the original. The car was exported from India in 1937 complete and belonged to the Becker family from 1937 to 1974 - don't know yet whether I can trace them. To judge from the black and white photo I don't think it's black over ivory, pale green is possible as H J Mulliner built a Speed Six coupe around the same time for Carlyle Blackwell, the film star married to Woolf Barnato's sister Leah, that was black and pale green.

Posted by user 'Clare' (Hay), Mar 14, 2011
"Engine photos of LR2778, the Maharajah of Jaipur car, as now"

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Posted by user 'Clare' (Hay), Mar 17, 2011
"Some good news - I've heard from Graham Moss, the restorer, that Mrs Becker has been in touch after finding the photos of the Maharajah of Jaipur Speed Six in this thread. We now know that the car was green and black and hopefully more photos will be forthcoming."

Posted by user 'ArtiBrit' Thomas John Frederick Becker, April 23, 2011
My name is Thomas John Frederick Becker. I go by John. I am the eldest son of Frederick George Lucas Becker who purchased LR2778 (DUU 618) from the Maharajah of Jaipur, I believe in 1937 at the tail end of the Depression, though it may actually have been purchased by the family firm, Becker & Co. Limited founded by my grandfather Sir Frederick Becker, and of which my father George was the Managing Director after the death of Sir Frederick. I don't have dependable information of the price that was paid at that time, though I believe it was somewhat less than 200 pounds.

I vividly remember the day my father brought it to our home for the first time. At that time our family transportation was a rather rickety Vauxhall, so I was hugely impressed by the splendor of the Bentley.

I can say very affirmatively in answer to the question of its original color that the roof, trunk, hood and mudguards were all black, while the sides were a very pleasing shade of what I would call "Apple Green". I am trying to find within our family records any color photos of the car while we owned it. If I can't find any, I can at least submit a color chip from Sherwin Williams that I believe comes fairly close to what I remember. I should note that I am by trade a professional portrait painter (see my website: Portrait Painter | Oil Painting at Portraitpainter.org), and I have a very good eye for color matching. But when we first met the car in 1937 it was black and green. No blue at all. The seats were covered in reddish brown leather. The last time I saw the car and got to drive it was when it was owned by Ian Findlay, and I was visiting from the States, and Ian invited me and Simon down to see it and "take it for a spin". Of course by then it had been painted with red sides and everything else black.

Posted by user 'ArtBrit' Thomas John Frederick Becker, April 25, 2011
I have about a dozen very good pictures taken when LR2778 DUU 618 was owned by Ian Findlater, and he invited my brother Simon, who had sold him the Bentley about fifteen years or so earlier, and me to come to Temple Guiting in the Cotswolds to see his vintage car collection, and take the Speed Six out for a spin.

It hadn't been driven for a long time, and when he backed it out Simon said "Ian, you haven't I hope forgotten that when I sold this to you all those years ago for 17,500 pounds you promised me then that if you ever put it back on the market you'd give me a right of first refusal. Iam well aware that it has gone up hugely in value in the meanwhile, and is now worth somewhere around 200,000 pounds". Ian said "What are you talking about; just last week I was offered 300,000 pounds ($600,000). Here are the keys.. off you go". Simon and I had brought a tape recorder along to record the Bentley changing gears, a wonderful sound, and on it you can hear me say to Simon, "I bet Ian is standing in his driveway wondering if he'll ever see us again".

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On left if John Becker with brother Simon Becker	Simon Becker at Silverstone, date unknown

Posted by user 'ArtiBrit' Thomas John Frederick Becker, April 29, 2011
You might enjoy this anecdote: Some years ago I was a real estate broker in Middleburg, Virginia, and a guy I had never met walked into my office He spotted the picture I had on the wall of the Jaipur Speed Six, and after studying it for some minutes he said "its amazing how many vintage Bentleys had Dolphins on the radiator as a hood ornament". I immediately sat up, because I knew very well that the Silver Dolphin on the hood of the Speed Six had been put there by my father George Becker as a tribute to my mother Delphine de Martelly Seaman Becker, and that it was one of a kind, and I told him so.

The chap then said "do you by any chance have a relative called Sam Becker?" I replied, "Yes, he's my brother, Simon". Whereupon the man replied "Good God! He and I were in officers training camp at Mons for the 16th Fifth Lancers after WWII. He and I had many adventures in that car". He introduced himself as Billy Abel Smith, and we became firm friends.

Posted by user 'ArtiBrit' Thomas John Frederick Becker, May 4, 2011

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1971: Simon Becker and his young daughter Tuppy, and Judy Earnhardt Adams, a mutual friend of John and Simon.

This is a forty year old color photo of the same Bentley showing the original color when it came to the Becker family in 1937. The color quality has deteriorated, sad to say, but it clearly shows that Black and Green were the basic colors.

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This is a color chart put out by Sherwin Williams in the USA. As I recall the original green it fell somewhere between the shade SW 6718, "Overt Green" and SW 6719 "Gecko". This is the closest to what I remember that I have been able to find.

Posted by user 'ArtiBrit' Thomas John Frederick Becker, May 6, 2011

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Here are some other photos of the Jaipur Bentley taken when it was owned by Ian Findlater, and including one shot of the left side of the engine compartment. The man in the driver's seat is my brother Simon Becker.

Posted by user 'ArtiBrit' Thomas John Frederick Becker, May 7, 2011

An interesting coincidence. In 1952 I was part of a large international group called Moral Re-Armament that came to India. We were presenting stage plays all over the Indian subcontinent. Actually for several months we lived on a train. But while we were in New Delhi we were given the use of Jaipur House, the former residence of the Maharajah of Jaipur which is now one of India's primary art museums, right next to the Red Fort. At that time, because of our family's ownership of the Maharajah's Bentley LR2778 I was keenly interested in seeing the amazing group of garages clustered in a Mews behind the House, knowing that they must at some point have housed the Bentley. There must have been about twenty of them if my memory isn't playing tricks. At that time they were all vacant, but it was a very impressive group of garages. We spent nine months in India and we all fell hopelessly in love with it.

Our trip was documented in 2010 in a remarkable book titled "Ice in every carriage" by Michael Henderson, with more than a hundred photographs. The title referred to the fact that the only way we could stay cool on our train in the formidable summer heat was to have gigantic blocks of ice placed in the middle of each compartment once a day, and to turn the wall fans onto the blocks of ice.

Posted by user 'Clare' (Hay), May 23, 2011
...great to see your photos of the Jaipur Speed Six. Meanwhile the car is in lots of bits and we're having trouble working out the roof line and the sunroof.

Response from user 'DKG', May 23, 2011
What exactly does that mean? Under restoration or an accident?

Reply from user 'Clare' (Hay), May 23, 2011
Not quite sure, to be honest, although I have heard the car was rolled. Stripping off the roof covering revealed a lot of old repair work and the roof profile differs quite a lot from its appearance in early photos. The sunroof also seems far too crude to me to be as fitted by H J Mulliner in 1930, they were very high-class coachbuilders and the workmanship in their bodies is terrific. Aesthetics for coachbuilt bodies are difficult, as the people who built them back in the 1920s and 1930s knew exactly what they were doing, whereas nowadays I've found quite often that while the workmanship of some rebuilds is impeccable the aesthetics are all wrong. You would be surprised how often people rehang wings on vintage cars without realising that the curved portion has to be concentric with the wheel centre.

Posted by user 'Clare' (Hay), Nov 5, 2011
Work in progress -- aiming for Pebble Beach next year.

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Posted by user 'wumpletoad', Jan 19, 2012
Oh dear!

I have in the past conveyed my disappointment that "restorations" of worthwhile vehicles so often are motivated by the "Pebble Beach syndrome".

Pebble Beach is an over-hyped convention of the super-rich often possessing little real understanding of the cars they contract to others for "bulling" way beyond the vehicles' manufactured conditions and characters. In stead of being used in any sense that approaches their original purpose, these luckless artefacts are condemned to the sterility of being hauled out of a museum or similarly stultified repose, trailer-ed to a golf course, paraded like a Parisian model's poodle and then shut away again.

What a dreadful potential waste. Surely one of WO's finest deserves better than that.

Posted by user 'travancore', May 8, 2012

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I just found this picture today in an Illustrated London News issue dated Jul 26, 1930. It certainly looks awfully like the Jaipur Bentley.

As I looked at it, I discovered that original pictures of the car had only 7 louvres on the scuttle side, later pictures show 9. This picture also has a slightly different trunk at the rear.

This picture also implies Weyman construction...

Posted by user 'travancore', June 3, 2012

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Looks like the restoration is complete........bound for Pebble Beach 2012?

And back to the original 7 scuttle louvres again!

From a Jonathan Proctor advertisement in 2004:

This delightful Speed 6 was originally supplied to the Maharajah of Jaipur in October 1930 and is one of only a handful of two door coupes extant. Interestingly there are only about 30 Speed 6's worldwide known to retain their original coachwork of any design, most cars having been re-bodied as Le Mans replicas.

In 1937 it was purchased by the Becker family, and was cherished in their careful ownership for 38 years until 1975 when was sold for a record price at a Christie's auction to its third owner..., who also kept it for nearly 30 years.

The car is highly original throughout retaining all its original mechanical components as well as its original and very sporting coachwork, which includes a large sunroof — presumably to accommodate for the Indian weather conditions! It was the subject of a full restoration by Tony Townsend in the 1980s, and following the completion of the work has been used regularly, its journeys having included a number of trips from England to the Cote d'Azur.

It is presented in beautiful condition throughout and is finished black with tan leather interior. The history is well documented with a large and comprehensive file including numerous old photographs, letters and correspondence.

Car was in its third ownership from 1975 to 2004. At this time the car continues to remain highly original, retaining all its original mechanical components as well as its original and very sporting coachwork, which includes a large sunroof — presumably to accommodate for the Indian weather conditions! It was the subject of a full restoration by Tony Townsend in the 1980s, and following the completion of the work has been used regularly, its journeys having included a number of trips from England to the Côte d’Azur.

In the Silverstone paddock, early 1980s.

In 1937 it was purchased by the Becker family, and was cherished in their careful ownership for 38 years until 1975 when was sold for a record price at a Christie’s auction to its third owner...

Vintage 1930 Bentley Original Historic Photographs
Reg DUU 618

This Speed 6 was originally supplied to the Maharajah of Jaipur in October 1930. It was re-imported to England in 1937.

Silverstone