Upon learning about the sale of VMF 944 recently, Mona Nath of VintageBentleys.org contacted Detlef on February 22, 2016: "Hello Detlef, Do you still own this car? We ask because VMF 944 has just sold at Stanley Mann Racing. But the Chassis no. has been listed as 708. Please confirm this is your car. And why the chassis number is now 708. According to Michael (Clare) Hay, in the 1997 book "Bentley: The Vintage Years", chassis 708 was last heard of in 1946. I look forward to hearing from you. - Mona Nath"

We received a prompt reply from Detlef on Feb 23, 2016, "Hi Mona. Yes my car has been sold a few weeks ago by "Stanley Mann Racing". Previous the car had been entered in the H & H Auction in Oct. 2015 but did not sell at the price I was looking for and I did give it to Stanley Mann in commission. Prior to this auction a detailed and minute check and test-drive had been carried out by H&H and according to H&H a number was found on the chassis which seems to read 708.

This car was always known as "Syd Lawrence Special" chassis No 102 ML 50 and Engine No. 102 ML 50 and was first registered by Syd Lawrence in 1950 with this numbers. These numbers are also stamped on the Engine and car. There are indications that the chassis could be 708 and the engine could be number 3088 because the steering box is clearly marked as KM 3089 which was part of this engine and there is a photo from 1950 titled "Chassis chasing its engine" whereby a another Bentley which had engine KM 3088 previously is chasing VMF 944 on the race track.

It is presumed that Syd Lawrence was using these original Bentley components beside other original parts such as back and front axles D type gear box etc. from his own stock to build the racer VMF 944 and restamped it with 102 ML 50 for (102 Modified Lawrence 1950). 1950 was the year Syd Lawrence registered this car first in the UK.

Sorry for the confusion, but surely without this it wouldn't be a BENTLEY. — Detlef"

Hungry for more information we got right back to Detlef with: "Hi again Detlef, Just so we learn more about the Syd Lawrence Special: It's so amazing that the chassis turns out to be 708! And quite astonishing that this information doesn't figure anywhere in the old registration book scans you sent us. And no one noticed it all these years... I don't suppose you have pictures of the '708' stamp found on the chassis? In your 2012 email to us you had stated - "The chassis is stamped No. 102 and additional with 50 ML."

Just checked the H&H archives. Their page has a lot of photographs of the Syd Lawrence Special including close-ups of the '102/50' stamp and also 'KM 3089', another chassis this car is associated with. But no picture of the '708' stamp.

And while it was H&H that discovered the '708' thing, they still chose to print "Chassis Number: 102/50ML" at the top of the auction page. But Stanley Mann Racing has used "Chassis Number: 708" at the top of their For Sale page (despite all the paper work showing 102/50). Do you know what made Stanley Mann Racing designate the new chassis number so unequivocally?

I noticed that historian Clare Hay has absolutely no extra information on 102. Although for 708 she says it wasn't heard of after 1946, but rebuilt on a new frame after 1930 accident. — Mona Nath"

Detlef responded with a document titled 'History' (for VMF 944) saying, "Dear Mona, Enclosed a short but not complete history of the above car. Unfortunately I have given all records (two big files) via Stanley Mann to the new owner, one of them having more than 25 black and white photos from 1950s of the car racing at Silverstone, Goodwood and 4 other race tracks in the UK including programs giving starter numbers and position in which the car finished. Hope the enclosed history will answer a lot of your questions. — Detlef Heyer"