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| 1930 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre |
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Original 1929 Numbers
Chassis
No. DS3568
Engine No. DS3565
Registration No. UV 6088
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This car - updated
Chassis No. DS3568
Engine No. DS3565
Registration No. UV 6088
(Updated with information from owner Karl Zoller. - October 2019) |
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| August
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The Former
J.H. Hanley and R.H. Dutton New-York-to-San-Francisco
Record Attempt
1929 Bentley 4.5 Litre Two-Seat Sports
Coachwork by Harrison Ltd.
CHASSIS NO. DS3568
ENGINE NO. DS3565
$1,000,000 - $1,400,000
- Exceedingly Rare Semi-Le Mans Specification
Chassis
- Exceptional Period-Competition History
- Ideal International Event Entrant
- Multiple Award-Winning Example, Including
a Class Award at Pebble Beach
- Appropriate Bentley Appeal
- An Important Vintage Bentley
- 4,398 CC OHV Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
- Twin SU G5 “Sloper” Carburetors
- 110 HP
- 4-Speed Non-Synchromesh Manual “D”
Gearbox
- 4-Wheel Mechanical Drum Brakes
- Live-Axle Suspension with Semi-Elliptical
Leaf Springs
Although the exact quantity is unknown,
a handful of cars were ordered from
Bentley as semi-Le Mans chassis. This
particular 4½ Litre is one of
those very rare cars built by Bentley
as a special order with “Le Mans
Style” penned at the top of the
original build sheet. The car was constructed
with a large 25-gallon fuel tank, extended
bonnet, spring-loaded bonnet strap,
stone guard radiator, inboard foot-brake
adjustment, adjustable Andre shock absorbers,
a low-mounted spare and P100 headlamps
with stone guards. Fitted with a “British
Flexible” Harrison sports two-seat
body with a fold-flat wind- screen,
DS3568 was delivered in August 1929.
The special, and presumably expensive,
4½ Litre was ordered by J.H.
Hanley. Mr. Hanley, who attended Oxford
University in England, was an American
descendant of English grandparents.
While at Oxford, he befriended Richard
H. Dutton, an Australian well known
for his rowing prowess. In 1908, H.H.
Dutton, Richard’s father, gained
fame as the first individual to drive
across Australia from North to South.
Although the details are lost to time,
one can only imagine the conversation
that inspired these two friends and
fellow graduates to challenge the New
York-to- San Francisco trans-American
record. At the time, the record was
held by a Studebaker, which managed
to complete the 3,200-mile voyage in
77 hours and 40 minutes.
As familiar as an American and an Australian
might be with the implications of a
cross-country drive on poor quality
roads through vast open country, the
idea was nothing less than ambitious.
Nevertheless, the decision was made
to enter the race and a car was ordered.
With triumphs at Le Mans and the playboy
appeal of the Bentley Boys, the 4½
Litre Bentley was a natural choice for
the Oxford grads.
Through the research and interest of
BDC members, a great deal is known about
the journey. On August 10, 1929, the
Morning Post noted the proposed attempt
of the two young men and their trip
to France to “run-in” the
Bentley. On that same day, the New York
Times mentioned the car and crew sailing
for New York. Period photos of Hanley
and Dutton with their new car are most
likely press images and one was printed
on August 23rd by Autocar with a brief
caption laying out the proposed record
attempt.
The young men arrived in New York and
set out on the Lincoln Highway bound
for the West Coast. They reached Chicago
in record time, unquestionably pushing
the semi-Le Mans 4½ Litre. In
their hotel room that night, Hanley
and Dutton are said to have been visited
by “two burly men who told them
that the record which they had beaten
still held.” Their sharp disapproval
of this fact was met by one of the thugs
producing a gun and yet another warning
to “forget about [their] Bentley
record.”
Hanley and Dutton carried on and a series
of photos capture the struggle. The
roads appear to have been in exceptionally
poor condition, sometimes covered in
snow. It is believed they made it across
Iowa, but in Wyoming or Colorado, just
before the Great Divide, trouble struck.
The awful roads and a supposed blizzard
ended the trek when the sump was damaged.
In one of the photos, the Bentley can
be seen being towed by two draft horses.
Back in England, factory records for
the 4½ Litre show an early 1930
reading of the mileage at 13,699 and
a new owner, Viscount Malden. Routine
work was performed on the well-used
car and in 1930 it passed to L.H.W.
Preston, who used the car in New York
for a period of months in 1931. In 1933,
Harecourt Smith purchased the 4½
Litre and factory records extend into
1939, at which time the car was apparently
sold. It is believed that during this
period, the rear of the body was opened
to accommodate another seat.
Nothing is known of this Bentley’s
war-time existence, but by 1947, DS3568
was in the hands of D.J. Garsten. In
1948, the car was purchased by BDC member
R. Elton. In the first year of Mr. Elton’s
ownership, he and the car met with an
unfortunate accident. A 1951 BDC Review
gives an account of the incident, along
with photos showing the extent of the
damage. The driver’s side of the
car apparently collided with a truck
and the axles, fenders and coachwork
were seriously impacted.
In 1949, Mr. Elton commissioned Don
McKenzie, who had purchased remaining
Bentley parts when the Bentley service
department closed, to rebuild the car.
With NOS items at hand, Mr. McKenzie
rebuilt DS3568 on a replacement frame,
MK4. In addition, the front axle was
replaced by one from a 6½-litre
Bentley. At that time, the car was re-registered
HBY 625.
After the work was completed, Mr. Elton
kept the 4½ Litre for another
six years before selling it to C.A.
West in 1955. Mr. West sold the car
some seven years later to M.A. Roberts
of New Jersey. During Mr. Roberts’
ownership, a vast amount of research
was done on the history of the car.
Mr. Roberts, the son of Montague Roberts,
was fascinated with the trans-American
record attempt, in part due to his father’s
participation in the 1908 New York-to-Paris
race in which he helped pilot the Thomas
Flyer.
In the February 1981 BDC Review, Hugh
Young recounted Mr. Roberts’ findings
on the history of DS3568. Letters between
Mr. Roberts and club members, as well
as R.H. Dutton’s brothers, helped
to clear doubt as to whether or not
the Bentley had even made the trip.
Mr. Roberts cherished the 4½
Litre, particularly for its history,
but in 1984 the car was sold to the
vendor, a dedicated Bentley enthusiast.
Understanding the importance of this
particular Bentley, he set out to restore
the car to a level it deserved. Throughout
the 1990s, work was performed by two
restoration shops in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania.
The cosmetics and bodywork were handled
by Chalfant Motor Car Company and The
Frawling Company performed the mechanical
work.
Attesting to the quality of the restoration,
DS3568 received a Second in Class at
the 2001 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance,
First Place and Best of Show at the
RROC National Meet in Calgary, Senior
and Premier 100 points at CCCA events,
and a Senior award, Senior Grand National
award and the S.F. Edge Trophy in AACA
competition. This important 4½
Litre has also participated in contemporary
Bentley Motors’ events. Additionally,
DS3568 is a multiple NAVBM veteran,
attesting to its mechanical integrity.
Although DS3568 suffered an accident
in its early life, the car received
a legitimate and necessary replacement
of parts. Well-restored and infinitely
usable, this car is poised to be a significant
entry in a host of international events.
With such an exceptional early history
as a semi-Le Mans specification chassis,
the Hanley and Dutton 4½ Litre
remains a very important Bentley. |
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Source:
Gooding & Company
Updated: Aug 19, 2011
Posted: Aug 04, 2011 |
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| 2006 |
| In
USA in 2006 / Owned by an RROC member |
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| 1984 |
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This car was purchased by Karl Zoller in 1984. |
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Source: Karl Zoller (Owner)
Posted: Oct 19, 2019 |
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Source:
Classic British Cars
Posted: Jun 15, 2006 |
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| August 15, 1976 |
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Car in the photograph
bears Reg. No. HBY 625
on the number plate |
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Bentley 4 1/2 litre, NHAS |
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Source:
Flickr, posted by user 'Alan'
Posted: Mar 14, 2018 |
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I have just been watching a British film called "Smart Alec" made in 1951 by Vandyke Productions. HBY 625 makes a cameo appearance as the aponymous villain’s car. The engine turns over and there is a clear shot of the instrument panel. Without the keys the engine will not start and so the villain runs away. It is a shockingly bad film available on Amazon. UV 6088 Is the current reg number. — Hamish Cameron Blackie, Mar 14, 2018 |
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| EARLIEST
RECORD OF HISTORICAL FACTS & INFORMATION |
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| Chassis No. |
DS3568 |
| Engine No. |
DS3565 |
| Registration
No. |
UV 6088 |
| Date of Delivery: |
Aug 1929 |
| Type of Body: |
2-seater |
| Coachbuilder: |
Harrison |
| Type of Car: |
No info  |
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| First Owner: |
HANLEY J H |
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More Info:
Hanley / Dutton car.
Michael Hay, in his book Bentley:
The Vintage Years, 1997, states:
"'Le Mans type chassis'. The trans-American
Hanley & Dutton car with "BF" ("British
Flexible") Harrison body. Rebuilt and
re-reg 1949 by McKenzie. Ch no. MK4
(McKenzie 4) re-reg HBY 625. In USA." |
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Posted: Mar 01, 2007 |
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| Submit
more information on this car |
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BACK |
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Sep 30, 2020 - Info and photograph received from Simon Hunt for Chassis No. RL3439 |
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Sep 30, 2020 - Info and photographs received from Dick Clay for Chassis No. 147 |
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Sep 29, 2020 - Info and photographs received from Ernst Jan Krudop for his Chassis No. AX1651 |
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Sep 28, 2020 - Info and photographs received from Lars Hedborg
for his Chassis No. KL3590 |
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Sep 25, 2020 - Info and photograph added for Registration No. XV 3207 |
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Sep 24, 2020 - Info and photograph added for Registration No. YM 7165 |
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