1928 Bentley 4½-Litre 'Bobtail' Works Team Le Mans Racer

Built for works racing use; following Le Mans retirement the car was repaired and kept at the Racing Shop, then advertised for sale in August 1928 before being retained for further competition in 1929.

Acquired after the 1928 Le Mans advertisement; co-drove the car in works entries while keeping it maintained at the Bentley Racing Shop through early 1930.

Purchased from Kensington Moir's showroom in the first half of 1930; fitted a new gearbox and replaced the wire-mesh windscreen with glass; documented his tenure in two BDC Review articles.

RAF Ground Instructor who kept the car largely unaltered apart from a new steering wheel; wartime pressures led to a sale in 1939, after which the car's whereabouts became unclear.

Car was out of sight during the war and stored in damp conditions, resulting in significant deterioration including mildew and rust.

Rediscovered the car post-war in poor condition; commissioned restorations by Bill Shortt and later Tony Townshend's Elmdown Engineering to return it to original Le Mans specification.

Noted pre-war collector who also owned the companion Six Speed team car GF 8507; the Bobtail was sold by his son following Lake's death in 2004.

Commissioned a preservative restoration by VBE Restoration to reinstate the car's historic specification; invoices retained in the history file.

Has kept the car in well-maintained condition, preserving its age-appropriate patina.

Retained within the Rose family for approximately 25 years after Lauchlan Rose's ownership before passing to Bill Lake.

Co-driven by Dr. J. Dudley Benjafield; ran as car #2 and led the race before a loose water pipe drained the radiator, forcing retirement to the dead-car park.

First outing after repair following the Le Mans retirement.

Co-driven by Sir Ronald Gunter as car #6; ran in second place early on and finished just behind the leading Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 of Giulio Ramponi by a handicap margin of 0.003.

Co-driven by Baron André d'Erlanger as car #10; endured battery, water pump, and lighting issues, and front brakes were disconnected by mechanics during the race; Bentley achieved a historic 1-2-3-4 finish.

Post-race repairs carried out by Bentley Motors following the 1928 Le Mans retirement; the extent of chassis frame replacement is uncertain.

Whether an entirely new chassis frame was installed or the original was repaired remains undocumented.

Installation of the then-new 'D'-type four-speed gearbox and replacement of the original wire-mesh windscreen with a glass unit.

Carried out during Lauchlan Rose's first ownership period; documented in his BDC Review articles.

Replacement of the throttle cable; last entry recorded on the factory Service Report.

Full restoration commissioned by Lauchlan Rose after rediscovering the car in deteriorated post-war condition; work carried out by Bill Shortt with further work by Elmdown Engineering to return the car to its original Le Mans specification.

Undertaken after Rose's post-war reacquisition; approximate date unknown but after 1949. Tony Townshend's firm completed the finishing work.

Preservative restoration undertaken to conserve and return the car to its historically correct specification; invoices retained in the history file documenting the scope and detail of work performed.

Commissioned by Bill Lake's son following the 2004 inheritance; invoices form part of the supporting documentation.