Found on Bonhams website on September 12, 2019

14 Sep 2019, 13:00 BST
LOT 248

Goodwood Revival
Collector's Motor Cars and Automobilia
Chichester, Goodwood

Property of a deceased's estate
1929 Bentley 4½-Litre Tourer
Coachwork by R Harrison & Son

Chassis No. NX3468
Registration No. GU 9000
£ 480,000 - 600,000

~ A completely matching-numbers example
~ Known ownership history
~ Engine overhauled by Hoffman & Mountford in the late 1960s
~ Present ownership since 1993
~ Preceding ownership 1959-1993

A remarkably original example, chassis number 'NX3468' retains its original two-seat tourer coachwork by R Harrison & Son of Stanhope Street, London together with its original registration mark, 'GU 9000'. All the numbers have been checked and everything matches: chassis, engine, SU carburettors, front axle, steering box, C-Type gearbox - even the sump number is in the correct sequence. (The car is expected to possess a Hay Report by time of sale.)

The Bentley's first owner was Mrs Eileen Mary Marshall of Buckingham Gate, London SW1, daughter of Albert Jacob, a director of the eponymous Liverpool-based biscuit manufacturer and MP for East Toxteth. He died in February 1929, two months before the Bentley's delivery to his daughter. Bentley Motors' service records show that Mrs Marshall drove the '4½' extensively during the ten years she owned it, and the sight of a woman at the wheel such an imposing motor car must have caused quite a stir in 1930s London.

Between 1929 and 1938, 'GU 9000' was maintained by Bentley Motors, and in 1939 the car was sold to Mr E Bird in Kent. Various logbooks trace the owners during the post-war period, showing the Bentley spent time in Upper Richmond and Queens Club Gardens. It later moved to Oxford and then, in 1947, to West Bromwich, remaining with that owner until 1959 when it bought by the immediately preceding owner.

When acquired by the latter in 1959, the Bentley was finished in cream over black; this was not to the new owner's taste so the car was repainted in its present blue over black livery. The rear dickey seat had already been modified (it is believed in the 1950s) and turned into a more conventional boot, opening from the rear, while 18" wheels were fitted in the 1960s. During the next 34 years, the Bentley provided its owner with virtually trouble free motoring, and in the late 1960s Hoffman & Mountford carried out a major overhaul of the engine.

Around 1983, the Bentley and its owner moved to Guernsey where 'GU 9000' was used regularly. No major restoration was required and so the car acquired a fine patina of age, the original brown leather interior being particularly delightful. A new tonneau was made in the early 1990s, while other noteworthy features include an overdrive; Lucas headlights and sidelights; additional (later) spotlights; twin running board-mounted spare wheels; and a Raydoyt searchlight.

Acquired by the late owner in 1993, 'GU 9000' remains extremely unspoilt and original. It is a jewel of a car, worthy of inclusion as the centrepiece of any significant private collection.

This car is for sale as of September 12, 2019