Maryland Concours, 2009

The Bentley girls... Jenny Cook, of Arrowtown, and Bentley Drivers Club International chairwoman Jenny Ford, from England, with their 4.5 litre Bentleys during the Vintage Bentley Tour of New Zealand, 2008. (Photo by Felicity Wolfe)

Read article here.

South Africa 2007

1930 4.5 litre, Reg No: PG 8850, Engine No: AD 3654, Chassis No: AD 3654

PG 8850 now known as Barny to his friends was built and first registered in 1930 and sold to a Miss Lucas Tooth who owned him until she married in 1947 and became Mrs Booth.

In 1947 Mr & Mrs Booth went to live in South Africa and took the car with them, owning it until deciding to sell in 1959.

The new owner in 1959 was Mr Rudi Reitz who kept Barny for 3 years selling him to Mr Kirschmann in 1962. He then had the car rebuilt with a new body. A record of which exists in the BDC records with photographs of the work.

In 2001 the car was purchased by Mr G Klepp who exported it from South Africa back to England. He used Barny occasionally whilst deciding whether to carry out another rebuild. Mr Klepp decided to sell to Jenny & Richard Ford in 2003, who have since spent 4 years during the winter months rebuilding the engine and replacing the body to Le Mans specification. Barny is totally original and has extremely low mileage.

Although Barny spends most of his time living in sunny Warwickshire he has once again been on his travels, undertaking the recent Australian tour from coast to coast and will be off to France for the BDC wine tour this summer, ending the year revisiting old territory with the tour of South Africa.

Colerne, 2003