July 2018: Sold for £ 2,017,500

Found on Bonhams website on May 16, 2018

13 Jul 2018
The Goodwood Festival Of Speed Sale

Collector's Motor Cars and Automobilia
Chichester, Goodwood

1931 Bentley 4 1/2-Litre Supercharged Tourer
Coachwork by in the style of Vanden Plas
Registration no. GW 2222
Chassis no. SM 3925 (see text)
Engine no. SM 3928
£ 2,000,000 - 2,500,000

- Accepted as one of the 50 'Blower' Bentleys
- The ultimate Cricklewood Bentley
- Well-known in Bentley circles
- Offered from an important private collection

FOOTNOTES
The car offered here is a wonderful example of that most sought after of all W O Bentley models: the legendary 4½-Litre Supercharged, or 'Blower'. First shown at the 1929 London Motor Show, the 'Blower Bentley' was developed as a private venture by 'Bentley Boy' Sir Henry Birkin in order to extract more performance from the proven 4½-Litre model, which was becoming outclassed by its rivals on the racetracks of Europe. His aim was to produce a British car that would enable British drivers to continue to win races as spectacularly as the 4½-Litre that had won the 1928 Le Mans 24-Hour race.

The supercharger installation was engineered by the brilliant Amherst Villiers, who modestly claimed that it was 'recognised in engineering circles as a definite landmark in automobile construction'. Its potential was emphatically demonstrated when Tim Birkin took 2nd place in the French Grand Prix at Pau with his supercharged 4½-Litre tourer amid a field of monoposto GP racers.

The production cars were fitted with an Amherst Villiers Supercharger Mark IV, of Roots type with twin paddle rotors, which drew mixture from twin SU carburettors and was driven off the front of the crankshaft, the latter having been substantially strengthened to accommodate the increased power. With 9½lbs boost at 3,500rpm, the blown Bentley developed 175bhp, a healthy increase over the production 4½-Litre's 110 horsepower, while with 10lbs boost at 3,900rpm, 182bhp was produced. The first production model, chassis number 'SM 3903', a sporting four-seater bodied by Vanden Plas, was exhibited on Stand 130 at The Motor Exhibition at Olympia in October 1929 and would be retained as the Company demonstrator. Although similar in many respects to the standard 4½-Litre car, the new model was immediately distinguishable by the massive supercharger protruding at the base of the radiator.

Only 50 production supercharged 4½-Litre Bentleys were built to support the homologation of five Birkin team cars; among the few cars of their day capable of 100mph on the open road, they have always been regarded as the supercars of their era. Motor Sport spoke of the Blower's 'remarkable acceleration' and 'ancestry of well-tried racers' and called it 'a car for the connoisseur of sporting cars...'

Retaining its original registration, GW 2222, chassis number 'SM 3925' was the last of the first batch of 25 production supercharged 4½-Litre cars manufactured by Bentley Motors in 1930/1931. Completed in June '31, it is one of only five 'Blowers' originally delivered with saloon coachwork: three (including 'SM 3925') being bodied by Freestone & Webb and one each by Maythorn and Gurney Nutting. The first 25 chassis, 'SM 3925' included, were fitted with a plain supercharger centre casing, which was changed to a ribbed pattern for the second batch of 25 chassis ('MS3926-3950'). Most of the earlier cars were converted but 'SM 3925' is one of the few still fitted with a plain-case supercharger, albeit not its original unit; the supercharger fitted (number '121') is from the 1930 Olympia Show car, 'SM 3920'. The engine originally fitted to chassis 'SM 3925' was 'SM 3928', this sort of variation between engine and chassis numbers being typical of Bentley Motors' production practice.

This particular 'Blower' was ordered from Jack Barclay's London showroom by one Terence Byron of Whaley Bridge, Cheshire, as evidenced by a copy of the original order document on file. Chassis records (copies available) list the next owner as one L K Cornish of London N9 followed by G J Dawson of Lambeth, Southwest London.
In 1935, apparently still owned by Dawson, the Bentley was returned to the works for repair following an accident. As was Bentley Motors' practice, many of the parts used in the rebuild had been taken from other cars and reconditioned before being put back into service.

The factory record states 'chassis frame reconditioned', which usually indicates the fitment of a previously used replacement chassis frame from Bentley Service Department stock. Further parts also fitted at this time included a new front axle bed, new dumb irons, new top steering arm and front anchor plate, new offside stub axle, new steering wheel and worm wheel shaft. Two new Lucas headlights and a pair of new front road springs were also fitted and the radiator reconditioned. Later, in November 1938, the factory supplied a replacement D-Type gearbox: D-7015 for the car.

Component swaps are by no means uncommon among Cricklewood-era Bentleys, and this car's original engine later found its way into 3-Litre chassis number 'HT1633', while the reconditioned front axle and steering box taken from 'SM 3925' were fitted to 4½-Litre chassis 'HF 3196'. Fitted with a two-seater body and owned by Kemp Place, 'HF 3196' was raced by him throughout the late 1940s/1950s.

In 1984, the ambitious project to return 'SM 3925' to it's former glory commenced, sourcing and ultimately utilising as many of the original components as possible, a Herculean task that would take many years to complete. During this period of ownership a genuine and original period heavy gauge chassis frame was fitted with engine 'SM 3928', sourced in 1989 and then a few years later, the sale of the ex Place racer, known as 'Black Bitch', brought with it the opportunity to acquire the original front axle and steering box. A suitable D-type gearbox was found - 'D-7026 - amazingly only 11 numbers away from the 1938 replacement.

The rear axle was sourced using the common practice of using an original and genuine Bentley 6½-litre unit - the differential unit was originally fitted to Speed Six chassis number 'NH 2728' - and the rear axle banjo is from a 6½-litre saloon - chassis number 'FW 2602' - which had been subject to a rear axle change at the factory in November 1934, suggesting this axle had been already been recycled, reprocessed and subsequently used in another car in the interim time.

Of all the components that make up a 'Blower' Bentley it is the supercharger, that presents the greatest difficulty for restorers; fortunately, the Olympia Show car's unit was located in the USA and purchased. It was decided to rebuild the car with the enduringly popular Vanden Plas Team Car-style tourer coachwork.
Since the rebuild's completion in 1993, 'SM 3925' has been enthusiastically enjoyed by only two owners, and in 2010 joined 17 other 'Blowers' in Switzerland to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the model's debut at Le Mans. 'SM 3925' performed faultlessly on this fabulous Alpine tour, of course driving down from England and taking the long way home to include a visit to the LM Classic, where it was immediately waved straight through and directed in to the paddock with the competing Vintage Bentleys that year. Accompanying documentation includes the 1990 FIVA card, 1994 FIA papers, 2012 FIVA Identity Card, and the aforementioned copy factory records, etc.

'Blower' Bentleys rarely come on the market and thus 'SM 3925' represents a possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of these charismatic cars, presented in excellent condition throughout, 'on the button', and ready to drive away. A welcome invitee to the world's most prestigious and exclusive historic motoring events, there can be no better way to enjoy the many celebrations planned for Bentley's 100th anniversary in 2019.

This car is for sale as of May 16, 2018.

Found on STANLEY MANN RACING website on Feb 23, 2016

"1931 VINTAGE BLOWER BENTLEY No 25 (ONE OF THE ORIGINAL 50)
Registration Number: GW 2222 Chassis Number: SM3925 Engine Number: MS3928
Price: £ POA

1931 BLOWER BENTLEY ONE OF THE ORIGINAL 50 (VERY RARE)
There were a total of just 50 of the immortal Blower Bentleys to be manufactured, split across two specific series. The first batch of 25 cars carried an SM chassis number suffix and were more readily identified by a smooth finish blower casing.

Chassis SM 3925 was the last of this first batch and was originally one of just two cars to wear a Freestone and Webb panelled four-door saloon body, as pictured in Fifty Years of the Marque (Johnnie Green, p. 105 - 3rd Edition)

A reference to Hay’s various works, including the GT Foulis Autofolio book on the 4.5 litre Supercharged Bentley’s confirms that these cars led a very colourful life in their early years. With so much power and relative lack of stopping authority on the first examples it seems that a handful of cars caught out their pilots on the unforgiving roads of the 1930’s. In fact, it lists two chassis within this batch as believed to have been broken up and a further one which has been scrapped. Of the remaining 22 cars, one was written off and later rebuilt without a supercharged engine, and three were crashed within the first three years of their life and were returned to the factory to be rebuilt, incorporating a "reconditioned chassis frame" from stock. SM 3925 was one of these three cars.

On 24th June 1935 the car suffered an accident that required the frame to be changed by the Bentley factory, as documented in the original Factory Service Records. This would almost certainly have been an original heavy gauge, chassis as also fitted to the 4.5 litres from late 1929, but modified to the blower spec by changing the front dumb irons and the cross member - these being the only two items that carried the original chassis number for that particular frame. It is this precise specification, which exactly matches the chassis fitted to the car today. The front axle and some steering components were also changed at this time, with the originals going in to the recycling division for repair and reuse in another car in the future. The original D-Type gearbox was also changed for a Bentley Factory supplied replacement unit - D- 7015 - also recorded in the Factory Service Record in November 1938. At some point, the car’s original engine was used for a 3 litre conversion to 4.5 litres - another common practice at the time, ending up in 3 litre chassis HT 1633 for many years, owned by highly respected BDC members Gordon MacDonald then Kay McCosh.

The reconditioned front axle and steering box from SM 3925 were later used in a 4.5 litre - Chassis HT 3196, which was modified with two seater body and raced by Kemp Place throughout late 1940’s & 50’s These components stayed with the car all the way through until the late 1980’s.

In 1984, under the stewardship of its then privateer owner, the decision was made to track down all the surviving components from SM 3925 and commence on a 6-year project to reunite everything and rebuild the car to its former glory.

The starting point was exactly as in 1935, with an original and genuine reconditioned frame, modified in precisely the same way with the front dumb irons and cross member conversion to blower specification. The ex-Kemp Place 4.5 litre competition two seater - HT 3196 - was acquired and gave up SM 3925’s original front axle and steering box - both having survived remarkably well decades of competition use without damage. At the same time, the original engine was acquired, fully rebuilt and installed.

The attention to detail was so intense that an original D-type gearbox was sourced that was just 11 numbers out from the 1938 replacement. The rear axle was sourced using the common practice of using an original and genuine Speed 6 unit - the differential unit was originally fitted to Speed 6 chassis number NH 2728 - and the rear axle banjo is from a 6.5 litre saloon - chassis number FW 2602 - which had been subject to a rear axle change at the factory in November 1934, suggesting this axle had been already been recycled, reprocessed and subsequently used in another car in the interim time.

And so to the Supercharger Unit. Clearly the ‘Blower’ in a Blower Bentley was to be the most difficult item to try to locate - probably almost impossible, in truth, to find one of the first smooth cased units that were specific to these first cars - and even more so when you see how many cars lost their blowers early in their life when referring to Hay’s fantastically detailed records in various publications.

Amazingly, after a worldwide search, blower unit number 121 was located in the USA, acquired - with great difficulty - and fitted. This, in itself, has a great history, having been originally fitted to the original Olympia show car, itself an original Vanden Plas bodied tourer that still exists today and is considered to be one of the most original and important of all the blowers to survive.

With all major components sourced, present and correct, the restoration and rebuild could now be completed to bring the car as close as possible to its pre-war specification.

Given the immortalisation of the Team Car bodies, the decision was made to rebody in the style of a VDP Le Mans Tourer and also to fit an overdrive unit for long distance relaxed touring. Sometime later, the project was finally completed and ready for the road again. The all-important FIVA card was issued for SM 3925 on 6th June 1990, with older style FIA papers dated 14th May 1994 also on file. A new FIVA card was granted in 2012, an essential document to support an application to take part in such blue ribband events as the gruelling Mille Miglia which we’ve no doubt this Blower could tackle with ease...

This car became a centre piece of the ‘Stradale’ collection in 2009 and took part in the 80th anniversary Blower rally in 2010 covering a trouble free 3,000kms and taking in the Le Mans classic on the way home!

Now ready for the next adventure, where’s your first stop?...."

Found on STANLEY MANN RACING website on Oct 6, 2015

"1931 BLOWER BENTLEY No 25 NUMBERS MATCHING
Registration Number: GW 2222 Chassis Number: SM 3925 Engine Number: MS 3928 ORIGINAL MATCHING
Price: £ POA

1931 BLOWER BENTLEY ONE OF THE ORIGINAL 50 (VERY RARE)
The Blower Bentley. Well these were the car for motoring heroes and this one was the subject of a heroic seven year rebuild commencing in 1984 with painstaking attention to detail. Back in 1935 when lots of money didn’t necessarily mean lots of driving skill this Blower joined the ranks of work in progress at the Bentley works. That work included the fitting of a reconditioned chassis frame, front axle, front dumb irons and a new steering wheel! Whilst they were at it they relined the front brakes.

By 1984 the supercharger had gone and the engine had found its way into another vintage Bentley. Well our enthusiastic hero decided he wanted a Blower Bentley and instead of rebuilding his own 4½ decided to do it the hard way. Travelling the world he reunited GW 2222 with her original engine, steering box, the front axle and had a splendid VDP Le Mans body made by the very best. Not content with a new supercharger he purchased with great difficulty (expense) supercharger number 121 the correct smooth casing item from the original Olympia show car. The attention to detail continued through to an original D type gearbox and a genuine Speed Six differential as fitted to all of the fifty original blowers ensure the complete vintage Bentley motoring experience.

And it does. Press the starter button for one of the greatest British engine soundtracks ever. This doesn’t stir your soul - it steals it!

A guaranteed entry into great motoring events across the world.

HERE IS MORE DETAILED INFO
There were a total of just 50 of the immortal Blower Bentleys to be manufactured, split across two specific series. The first batch of 25 cars carried an SM chassis number suffix and were more readily identified by a smooth finish blower casing.

Chassis SM 3925 was the last of this first batch and was originally one of just two cars to wear a Freestone and Webb panelled four-door saloon body, as pictured in Fifty Years of the Marque (Johnnie Green, p. 105 - 3rd Edition)

A reference to Hay’s various works, including the GT Foulis Autofolio book on the 4.5 litre Supercharged Bentley’s confirms that these cars led a very colourful life in their early years. With so much power and relative lack of stopping authority on the first examples it seems that a handful of cars caught out their pilots on the unforgiving roads of the 1930’s. In fact, it lists two chassis within this batch as believed to have been broken up and a further one which has been scrapped. Of the remaining 22 cars, one was written off and later rebuilt without a supercharged engine, and three were crashed within the first three years of their life and were returned to the factory to be rebuilt, incorporating a "reconditioned chassis frame" from stock. SM 3925 was one of these three cars.

On 24th June 1935 the car suffered an accident that required the frame to be changed by the Bentley factory, as documented in the original Factory Service Records. This would almost certainly have been an original heavy gauge, chassis as also fitted to the 4.5 litres from late 1929, but modified to the blower spec by changing the front dumb irons and the cross member - these being the only two items that carried the original chassis number for that particular frame. It is this precise specification, which exactly matches the chassis fitted to the car today. The front axle and some steering components were also changed at this time, with the originals going in to the recycling division for repair and reuse in another car in the future. The original D-Type gearbox was also changed for a Bentley Factory supplied replacement unit - D- 7015 - also recorded in the Factory Service Record in November 1938. At some point, the car’s original engine was used for a 3 litre conversion to 4.5 litres - another common practice at the time, ending up in 3 litre chassis HT 1633 for many years, owned by highly respected BDC members Gordon MacDonald then Kay McCosh.

The reconditioned front axle and steering box from SM 3925 were later used in a 4.5 litre - Chassis HT 3196, which was modified with two seater body and raced by Kemp Place throughout late 1940’s & 50’s These components stayed with the car all the way through until the late 1980’s.

In 1984, under the stewardship of its then privateer owner, the decision was made to track down all the surviving components from SM 3925 and commence on a 6-year project to reunite everything and rebuild the car to its former glory.

The starting point was exactly as in 1935, with an original and genuine reconditioned frame, modified in precisely the same way with the front dumb irons and cross member conversion to blower specification. The ex-Kemp Place 4.5 litre competition two seater - HT 3196 - was acquired and gave up SM 3925’s original front axle and steering box - both having survived remarkably well decades of competition use without damage. At the same time, the original engine was acquired, fully rebuilt and installed.

The attention to detail was so intense that an original D-type gearbox was sourced that was just 11 numbers out from the 1938 replacement. The rear axle was sourced using the common practice of using an original and genuine Speed 6 unit - the differential unit was originally fitted to Speed 6 chassis number NH 2728 - and the rear axle banjo is from a 6.5 litre saloon - chassis number FW 2602 - which had been subject to a rear axle change at the factory in November 1934, suggesting this axle had been already been recycled, reprocessed and subsequently used in another car in the interim time.

And so to the Supercharger Unit. Clearly the ‘Blower’ in a Blower Bentley was to be the most difficult item to try to locate - probably almost impossible, in truth, to find one of the first smooth cased units that were specific to these first cars - and even more so when you see how many cars lost their blowers early in their life when referring to Hay’s fantastically detailed records in various publications.

Amazingly, after a worldwide search, blower unit number 121 was located in the USA, acquired - with great difficulty - and fitted. This, in itself, has a great history, having been originally fitted to the original Olympia show car, itself an original Vanden Plas bodied tourer that still exists today and is considered to be one of the most original and important of all the blowers to survive.

With all major components sourced, present and correct, the restoration and rebuild could now be completed to bring the car as close as possible to its pre-war specification.

Given the immortalisation of the Team Car bodies, the decision was made to rebody in the style of a VDP Le Mans Tourer and also to fit an overdrive unit for long distance relaxed touring. Sometime later, the project was finally completed and ready for the road again. The all-important FIVA card was issued for SM 3925 on 6th June 1990, with older style FIA papers dated 14th May 1994 also on file. A new FIVA card was granted in 2012, an essential document to support an application to take part in such blue ribband events as the gruelling Mille Miglia which we’ve no doubt this Blower could tackle with ease...

This car became a centre piece of the ‘Stradale’ collection in 2009 and took part in the 80th anniversary Blower rally in 2010 covering a trouble free 3,000kms and taking in the Le Mans classic on the way home!"

Found on STANLEY MANN RACING website on Mar 23, 2015

"1931 BLOWER BENTLEY ONE OF THE ORIGINAL 50
Registration Number: GW 2222 Chassis Number: SM 3925 Engine Number: MS3928 ORIGINAL
Price: £2,350,000

1931 BLOWER BENTLEY ONE OF THE ORIGINAL 50 (VERY RARE)
The Blower Bentley. Well these were the car for motoring heroes and this one was the subject of a heroic seven year rebuild commencing in 1984 with painstaking attention to detail. Back in 1935 when lots of money didn’t necessarily mean lots of driving skill this Blower joined the ranks of work in progress at the Bentley works. That work included the fitting of a reconditioned chassis frame, front axle, front dumb irons and a new steering wheel! .Whilst they were at it they relined the front brakes.

By 1984 the supercharger had gone and the engine had found its way into another vintage Bentley. Well our enthusiastic hero decided he wanted a Blower Bentley and instead of rebuilding his own 4½ decided to do it the hard way. Travelling the world he reunited GW 2222 with her original engine, steering box, the front axle and had a splendid VDP Le Mans body made by the very best. Not content with a new supercharger he purchased with great difficulty (expense) supercharger number 121 the correct smooth casing item from the original Olympia show car. The attention to detail continued through to an original D type gearbox and a genuine Speed Six differential as fitted to all of the fifty original blowers ensure the complete vintage Bentley motoring experience."

Blower Rally, July 2010

This car has been marked as 'Sold' on Stanley Mann Racing website. We do not know the exact date of sale but it would somewhere between June 23 - July 17, 2009.

This car has been on sale on the Stanley Mann Racing website since May 2008.

Quoting from Stanley Mann's website as of March 14, 2009:
Registration Number: GW 2222; Chassis Number: SM 3925; Engine Number: MS 3928; Price: POA

"Fully rebuilt and yes, one of the original 50 blowers made by the factory... For sale with her original engine (which runs great), so for those who need this, yes they match; engine and chassis... Lots of history. Millie Miglia eligible."

This car has been on sale on the Stanley Mann Racing website since May 2008.

Quoting from Stanley Mann's website as of January 24, 2009:
Registration Number: GW 2222; Chassis Number: SM 3925; Engine Number: MS 3928; Price: POA

This car has interesting history. Stanley Mann narrates events of 1984 when his friend (and enthusiast) George Dodds found this vintage Bentley in chassis form and decided he would rebuild her to her original specifications. This search-and-find was to virtually take over his life for six years at the end of which he had found most of her original parts and then fully rebuilt her to a magnificent Blower Bentley.

Says Stanley Mann: "Having started with the Blower chassis, he set about obtaining the original engine (no. MS 3928) which had found its way to another 4½ litre. After some major haggling, a deal was done and George then fully rebuilt the engine and now chassis and engine were one again.

The Supercharger was the next to find and to George, only an original would do. Well, finally this was found and in perfect condition. Blower no 121 was duly fitted.

In June 1935 this Blower Bentley was involved in a major accident which the service records show as needing a new front axle, chassis frame recondition etc so heaven knows what damage was done to the supercharger etc. So now lets get back to the story of the rebuild.

In 1991 ADT Auctions were selling a 3/4½ litre 2 seater sports Brooklands race Bentley known as "Black Bitch". I was fortunate to by her. The relevance of this was that this Bentley had the steering column and box and the front axle from this blower.

In 1991 Stanley Mann Racing, having bought "The Black Bitch" racing Bentley from the auction, George and I swapped the steering column and front axle so that this Blower got back her original steering column and front axle now reunited with this blower and duly refitted.

Now as "Black Bitch" was built up in 1936 to race at Brooklands, this all tied up with the accident that this blower had in 1935.

Bentley service would take damaged parts in and rebuild and use for the next rebuild.

Keeping parts to fit on their original Bentley were not considered as important so this is why a lot of parts came to find their way on to other vintage Bentleys.

With an original D type gearbox and the big type Speed Six/Blower rear axle George could now start the job of putting her back together.

A complete rebuild of her original brake system, new wiring, and the making of a new to-pattern radiator etc.

George decided he wanted a Le Mans type as this would suit him best.

Complete with FIA and FIVA papers she’s ready to race or rally."

Lastly Mann says: "Now some 15 years and less than 5000 miles later we have here one of the best rebuilt Blowers to come to the market."

Further details offered on Stanley Mann Racing website as on June 29, 2008:

"One previous brave owner, having found the chassis, rebuilt this original Blower by spending some nine years sourcing all her original parts and building here as a full Birkin team rep VDP... This Bentley has passed all inspections and not only has its original chassis, but engine, front axle and steering box and an original Blower unit (No 121)...

Complete with D type gearbox and big back axle as fitted to Blowers and an overdrive for high speed cruising."

Stanley Mann further says that the car is in "concourse" condition at this time. He drove her last week and she "performed faultlessly with loads of grunt".

Found on STANLEY MANN RACING website on May 5, 2008

"On May 3, 2008 Stanley Mann states on his website that "This Blower is one of the original 50 built by the factory... Fully rebuilt, and less than 3000 miles since, she is full Le Mans specification with enough instruments on the dash to fill the Philharmonic Orchestra and all the other goodies like Le Mans 50 gallon tank, long racing bonnet, etc, etc."

He further states that it is fitted with overdrive which makes it an "excellent long range Tourer" and is complete with FIA and FIVA papers."

Still from 'Top Marques' documentary, 1996

The first 25 production Supercharged 4½ Litre cars where Chassis Nos. SM3901-SM3925, all with "smooth-case" blowers. The next 25 were Chassis Nos. MS3926-MS3950 and had "rib-case" blowers.

Production Blower Bentleys had handbrake handles made from rectangular stainless steel, whereas the five 4½ litre race cars for Tim Birkin had the "H" section handle, but were drilled for lightness.