Amelia Island Concours dElegance, June 2018

Azores Vintage Rally, July 2017

"Hello Robert, I was at the Amelia concours a few weeks ago and I spotted this beautiful 1924 Bentley that reminded me of yours. Hopefully next year I will see yours there."

Amelia Island Concours d'elegance, March 2016

Jan 30, 2015
"A quick update on Chassis no. 564. My father, Henry Petronis, is the current owner, and I am the daughter for whom he purchased this lovely car. It has been fitted with a 4½ engine, as we all like to drive fast. Plus, I'm small so the 3 litre chassis is a good size for me. It is on the water to the US right now, and I look forward to getting it on the road in a week or so. I'm a tourer, not a shower, and I look forward to seeing you all on the asphalt (or surface of your choice!)."

Feb 2, 2015
"The car is not a bitsa. It has the original crank case and transmission housing — the rest just beefed up a bit."

Above are new photos of Reg. CX 6624 received from Roy Ginn.

"The car is obviously still here in UK, must be leaving the coachbuilders soon for USA. Let me know if you find out who spent a fortune doing a radical change on this car..."

I am still trying to find out what has happened to CX 6624. Contacted the person who bought the car from Dave Brownell then shipped it back here.

He has a contact with the person who purchased it. I asked him if he could find out for me the whereabouts of the car, so far no luck, perhaps she is back in the States Idont know?. But if and when I hear any thing from him I will let you know...

Richard Procter purchased CX 6624 from Dave Brownell in 2011 and sold it the same year. Update on present location of Chassis 564 from Roy Ginn:

"Car is still in UK having some work done to the Engine? Hood Frame is done and going back to the Trimmers. A bit of painting may be required to body. All I can find out is that when finished the location will be on the East Coast of US."

Two new owners since June 2011
This car was advertised as being for sale in June 2011 for the asking price of £137.500. Roy Ginn, our invaluable contributor and former owner of this car was able to track the new owner Richard Proctor who had bought this car from Dave Brownell and his wife in the U.S. The car went to its new home in Cheshire/Derbyshire border (south Manchester).

Richard Proctor informed Roy Ginn in December 2011 that he had sold the car to someone in the U.S. who wanted it for his daughter — "He is having a hood frame made and weather equipment is being fitted at this time."

Birmingham Vermont Tour, 2008

"Here is a shot I took on the 2008 Vintage Bentley Tour in Vermont as Dave Brownell brought the car."

I bought it in 1984 from Henry Austin Clark, Jr., who had it at his Long Island Auto Museum. Mr. Clark got it in trade from Robert Sutherland of Colorado who obtained Austie's 1915 Duesenberg race car for it.

Mr Sutherland got it from Robert Seiffert, also of Colorado, who bought it in the early '70s from Frank Dale & Stepsons in London. It was then restored by Hoffman & Mountfort of Henley upon Thames and brought to America by Mr Seiffert in the mid-1970s when he returned from a stint in the UK.

Photographs were taken during 2004 Mt. Equinox Hillclimb in Manchester, Vermont.

"Here are 3 shots of the car Austin Clark had many years ago. I was a good friend of Austin's and I remember when he sold the car to Dave Brownell who still has it as he had it on the 2008 NAVBM meet."

This car was owned by Robert Seiffert from 1971 to 1982.

"I bought the car from Frank Dale in 1971. It needed a lot. Hoffman and Mountfort did the mechanicals and Jack Loveday of Stratton St. Margaret did the trimming. During my ownership I drove the car from Colorado to Briggs Cunningham's museum in Costa Mesa, California. for the '50 years on the run' celebration. The mag drive gears failed on the return voyage and were redone by Dyoll Engineering in Los Angeles. It was a super car to drive. Bags of power. I swapped it to Bob Sutherland (for a Lola Mk 1)."

Roy Ginn

The following text is an account of the purchase of CX 6624 and the reconditioning and rebuild up to the time of selling on, in Roy Ginn's words:
The year is somewhere in the mid-1960s. Firstly, I was in the process of trying to purchase an SS 100 Jaguar, also in bits and pieces. I was denied this by someone else getting to it first. So I thought, "What the hell." We had as a customer a Michael Grigsby who was at that time associated with the Rolls-Royce Club here in the U.K. He was the instigator in me obtaining CX 6624. He had a contact, a Forman Landscape gardener working for the Essex County Council. This contact told Michael that he had found a veteran car in a shed, in a village in Essex and told him how to locate it. Mick, being that sort of person, was there in a flash. The car Mick was looking at wasn't a 'veteran'! It was a Vintage Bentley, namely CX 6624. To cut a long story short, he asked the owner, Major Douglas Forrester Muir. retired ex-Army, how much he wanted if he was selling it. The answer was, "If I thought of selling it, about £1000, but I'm not. It can stay where it is. Michael went on to explain that his interest was veteran cars, but that he did know of someone who would buy his car at a reasonable price.

The next day Michael appeared outside Dad's Workshop and proceeded to tell me about the car, what sort of condition it was in and so on. An appointment was made to view. I proceeded to the village of Great Totham located between Maldon and Colchester. Was shown car. Seemed to be complete (i.e.) Engine, Gearbox, Rear Axel. Lamps were there, but in a box. Looked for and found instruments. Looking good... had discussion with owner and haggled quite a bit. The deal was finally 'done' at £700. CX 6624 was loaded on to my trailer and I was off home.

Arrival home in Shoeburyness
The first thing my father said was, "What the b***dy hell load of junk have you gone and brought now?" After going mad he said, "Does it go?" "Don't know", I said. Well after cleaning two sets of plugs, getting top of Autovac off and filling it up with petrol tried to start it up.

Had a few explosions, cleaned plugs again and again, and in the end she started up. Had reasonable oil pressure. Stopped engine. Had a look around water. It was pissing out of everywhere. You name it and it was leaking. Had evening meal, proceeded to run engine. Starter motor fell apart bits everywhere. Turned car around and proceeded to move it to a corner for the time being.

I first did some kind of inventory as to what was of any use to the rebuild. What remained of a body came off the chassis. Basically the only parts were the left hand front door. The bonnet was complete and in not bad condition. The body frame timbers between the fire wall and the steering wheel were kept. The rest of the body was unusable, resembling a shed. These were discarded. The entire overhaul was carried out by my father and me in-house.

Just a list of specialist repairers
-	The Radiator was overhauled by Northern Radiators in Leeds Yorkshire.
-	The wheels were sandblasted and fitted with new spokes to the original hubs, by Carlton Forge in London.
-	The lamps and bright work were polished and plated by Borough Plating in Southend.
-	ML Magnetos were repaired, rewired etc. fitted with new rotors by Eastwood Auto Electrical. The owner (dad's friend) being the only one who knew any thing about Mags. His other staff didn't know what they were.
-	All engine parts, water pump, water jackets, gaskets, various brackets etc were supplied by Southgate Motors in London whose workshop was full of W.O. cars Lovely man, very helpful.
-	The final bit of info is that the button in the middle of the differential was fashioned by a Hungarian engineer who defected from Hungary when the Russians invaded; he had escaped and took up residence here.

[My father was a time-served Coachbuilder and Wheelwright. He worked for Parkward Coachworks, also All Lewis's. He worked on coach bodies and limousines, also made carriage wheels as part of his work. Drafted into the army for World War II. Ended up warrant officer first class. Started own business, car repairs and all that goes with that. Died late 1970s.]

Body Work
As there was no body to speak of, we had to think of where to locate ash boards. We located two rather rough ash boards. My father had in the meantime been fashioning ply templates cut to a shape not too far from that required. Went to timber yard, negotiated a price to cut and purchase ash. Fun and games now start. Band saw blades got blunt very quick, change new one, after a while they finished the job — and said, "Don't come back again." I think they were glad to see the back of us. Dad pressed on and he fashioned the bodywork. He decided to build to connecting bodywork between the front and rear seating to alleviate any body movement.

The front dash panel with the instruments in was an elm board located in a local builder's yard.

Didn't have tachometer fitted when I had it. Many, many long hours were spent working on the car by me, resulting in my mother asking if I wanted my bed in the garage.

The body was finished in aluminium. Bonnet repaired, wings repaired. Cellulosed in black with red wheels. Completely reassembled to a car able to move under its own power.

Interior Trim Seats and Carpets
There being no seats either front or back the car was driven by sitting on a box to our local coach trimmers. The firm was called J.J. Benson of Leigh On Sea Essex. (The company has now moved into the Aviation Business operating from Southend on sea Airport.)

We had discussed with J.J. Benson, himself, the finished trim to be fitted. As the car didn't have any weather protection it was suggested that a leather substitute vinyl should be used.

J.J. Bensons manufactured the complete set of seats, door panels, and floor covering. Finished with a brass half round beading to finish the top surrounds to the front and rear passenger area.

To finish off it had a tonneau cover for the front and rear.

I sold her to Frank Dale & Stepsons in 1971. Their remarks were "Nice car. Just needs breathing on?"

When I sold CX 6624 (in 1971) she was black with red trim and red wheels. Had SU carbs. All nickel bright work.

Trophies won...

In Nov. 1968 the local newspaper published the following story about CX 6624. How to make money — There's gold in old cars "Who says a house is the most worth-while investment? At least two local men have hit upon a far more impressive percentage increase system! A £150 outlay of one Hadleigh man in only eight years became £1,500 — a one thousand per cent increase, and a Shoebury counterpart has increased £700 to £4,500 in three years. Who wouldn't want to be let in on the secret? A full-time hobby and a satisfying money raiser. The answer? A vintage car. Shoebury garage owner, Mr. Roy Ginn, of Beach Garage, Rampart Street, picked up the wreck of a 1924 Bentley in a shed in Great Totham, for £700. Three years work, a further £700, and six first rally prizes later the car is valued at more than eight times the original price. Mr. Ginn was offered such a price — but he is not selling. "The value goes up and up and up. I'm entering it for rallies and so forth, but it is not a practical road car." The three litre Bentley is well known in the town, although it has only been road worthy for six months..."

These photographs were all taken in the outside yard area of dad's Body Shop. The front shocks shown here are hydraulic.

Again, at father's Body Shop.

Man at bottom-right edge of photograph is my father, Alfred George William Ginn. Photo was taken in the early to mid-1960s.

An interesting story that I remember was that, while rebuilding CX 6624, dad saw an advertisement in the wanted section of "Exchange and Mart", a publication for listing parts to sell, trade or that you wanted. In the 'wanted' columns he saw, "Wanted: 21-inch beaded edge wheels for 3-Litre Bentley". Guess what? A set of five came with CX 6624. Later that same evening dad phoned the number and spoke to the guy and told him that we had a set of five. There was a deafening silence. The chap asked dad if he was serious and not mucking about. They drove down the following day. When they saw the beaded edge wheels they nearly collapsed with joy. Then they saw CX 6624 in the corner of dad's Body Shop. There was no stopping them. They were all over her. To conclude this note, there was an article in the "BDC Review" about their find and about CX 6624.

Photograph was taken outside my father's Body Shop (in 1966). She was a mess!