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1924 Bentley 3 Litre    
Original 1924 Numbers
Chassis No. 629
Engine No. 624
Registration No. MO 3458

  This car - updated
Chassis No. 629
Engine No. DE1217
Registration No. MO 3458

(Updated with information from owner Laurence Jones. - 2008)
 
April 2019
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1924 Bentley 3-Litre Red Label
77th Goodwood Members Meeting 2019, April 2019

 
     
     
  Source: Flickr, posted by user 'seberry67'
Posted: Feb 07, 2020
 
     
2012
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Ready for Peking to Paris Rally, 2012

 
     
     
  Source: Flickr, posted by user 'ctypejag'
Posted: May 05, 2014
 
     
August 2010
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Maldon UK Aug 2010

 
     
     
  Source: Flickr, posted by user 'gchurch44'
Posted: Feb 02, 2011
 
     
2008
In United Kingdom in 2008 / Owned by a BDC member
1995-2007
Current Information
 

Chassis No. 629 returned to England in 1989. I bought it in March of 1995. The steering is a 4½ litre unit from FB3303 which makes for lighter steering. The slopers are subsequently numbered 5274 and 5275. The car is mentioned in Brian Smith's book on the Vanden Plas cars. I took it to New Zealand for the 2002 tour.

The engine was replaced in the 1970/80s with DE1217 (a big sump engine) It's orginal engine, No. 624, was offered for sale in the "Bentley Drivers Club Advertiser" in July 1982 for £1500 above the picture of the 6½ that Barry Cooney was advertising.

Regarding it's "milled top" slopers - See "Bentley Drivers Club Review", No. 113, Aug. 1974, page. Six lines down it says, "'The Motor' illustrated a drawing of the new S.U. slopers . . .". Then see "Bentley Drivers Club Review", No. 115, Feb. 1975, page 33, letter from Gordon Wilcockson. If you have Michael Hay's book Factory Cars' 1919 - 1931, 1998, Revised Edition, he states in chapter 8, page 144, second paragraph that "Some of the very early slopers had the usual two point mounting to the inlet maniford, but at 90 degrees i.e. with the bolts in line with the manifold rather than perpendicular. The tops of the barrels were circular, with milled tops, rather than the more usual pattern with near - triangular tops secured by four screws." On one occasion I was over at the Moss's place (Dick & Grahams) when a German came in and seeing my 3 Litre gave the remark that the carbs were wrong. To which Dick Moss said, "You are looking at the first pair of slopers fitted to a Bentley". To which the German replied, "I was told they were wrong. I've just throw a set in the bin." Dick said, "Get them out of the bin as soon as you get home". The result was that that Bentley was shipped over to the Moss's and I lent my 3 Litre to them so that they could copy the bits that were missing (linkages). Subsequently the German owner was so pleased with the way that they were set up that he let Graham Moss race it at the first "Classic LeMans". That was Herr Wager's Chassis No. 592.

I have tried to track down those Bentleys with the milled tops but have only come upon five in total. They are Chassis Nos.:

S16 - When owned by Brock-Jest
TT233 - Owned by Richard Gayner
TT332 - Owned by Paul Sydlowski in the U.S.
SP592 - When owned by Herbert Wager (now deceased)
SP629 - Owned by Laurence Jones

It is my understanding that G. Shepherd Cross was close to one of the directors of Bentleys. That is why he bought an unknown car (Chassis No. 10), as Bentleys were then. Subsequently, he lent them his new Bentley for the 1924 Motor Show and is the further reason why he let them fit these "new" carbs onto his car. I did track down a Shepherd Cross family member a couple of years ago and he told me that "That side of the Family moved to Hodesia" - - - trial went cold at that point.

 
     
     
  Source: Laurence Jones (Owner)
Posted: Feb 07, 2008
 
     
1982-1989
 

After the death of Gordon Wilcockson the car spent from 1982 until 1989 in South Africa.

 
     
     
  Source: Laurence Jones
Posted: Feb 07, 2008
 
     
1983
 

The car took part in the 1983 Total Vintage Bentley tour (Entry No. 5) while in the ownership of Stewart Dodo.

 
     
     
  Source: Laurence Jones
Posted: Feb 07, 2008
 
     
1960s
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"These pictures were taken in the 1960s whilst chassis No 629 was in the ownership of family friend Gordon Wilcockson."

 
     
     
  Source: Paul Dale
Posted: Feb 09, 2017
 
     
Click on thumbnail for larger view
   
 
 

 

 
     
     
  Source: "The Autocar" magazine, dated Jun. 1, 1956
Posted: Mar 10, 2007
 
     
 
1924
 

Chassis No. 629 was lent by G. E. Shepherd Cross to the company (Bentley Motors) for the 1924 Motor Show. This car is fitted with the early version of slopers — know as "milled tops".

 
     
     
  Source: Laurence Jones
Posted: Feb 05, 2008
 
     
EARLIEST RECORD OF HISTORICAL FACTS & INFORMATION
 
Chassis No. 629
Engine No. 624
Registration No. MO 3458
Date of Delivery: Jun 1924
Type of Body: 4-seater
Coachbuilder: Vanden Plas
Type of Car: SP
   
First Owner: SHEPHERD CROSS G E
 
     
  More Info: According to original Vanden Plas Coachbuilder records, this car was originally fitted with Body No. 1028 with a 4-seater Sports; /1924.

Michael Hay, in his book Bentley: The Vintage Years, 1997, states: "Vanden Plas body no. 1028. Was in South Africa, now back in UK. Eng DE 1217 ex ch. DE 1215 - eng 624 sold 1982."
 
     
     
  Updated: Jul 04, 2007
Posted: Mar 01, 2007
 
     
 
 
 
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Sep 30, 2020 - Info and photograph received from Simon Hunt for Chassis No. RL3439
Sep 30, 2020 - Info and photographs received from Dick Clay for Chassis No. 147
Sep 29, 2020 - Info and photographs received from Ernst Jan Krudop for his Chassis No. AX1651
Sep 28, 2020 - Info and photographs received from Lars Hedborg for his Chassis No. KL3590
Sep 25, 2020 - Info and photograph added for Registration No. XV 3207
Sep 24, 2020 - Info and photograph added for Registration No. YM 7165
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