1928 Bentley 4½-Litre Drophead Sports Coupe
- Engine
- 4.5L inline-four with shaft-and-helical camshaft drive
Chassis XL3114 is a 1928 Bentley 4½-Litre Drophead Sports Coupe built with an aluminium body personally commissioned by Fred Salmons of the Newport Pagnell coachbuilding firm Salmons & Sons, who used the car as his own and whose nickname 'Mr. Fred' it carries to this day. Notably, it is the sole example to bear polished Tickford wings on its doors at Salmons' own specification. After wartime and a period in the United States, the car was restored at the original Salmons & Sons works in the early 1980s. It retains its numbers-matching engine, axles, and steering column, and was invited to the 2020 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate US$500,000 – US$600,000
- 1933 → 1940Acquisition unknownFred Salmonsfull documentation
Head of Newport Pagnell coachbuilder Salmons & Sons, he acquired the car while still under factory guarantee and had a bespoke lightweight aluminum drophead coupe body built to his personal taste; ownership confirmed in Bentley service records through 1940.
- 1985 →Acquisition unknownD.P.L. Benyonpartial documentation
Enthusiastic owner who used the car extensively in Bentley Drivers Club events and international rallies over more than thirty years; a major engine rebuild was carried out in 2000 during his tenure.
- Date unknownFactory deliveryS.K. Thornleypartial documentation
Original recipient of the car when new, based in Birmingham, England; the car was initially bodied by Vanden Plas.
- Date unknownVarious owners, including a period in the United Statesnone documentation
After WWII the car changed hands multiple times and spent time in the US before returning to England in the early 1980s.
Competition
- 19321932 Monte Carlo RallyDriver: Fred Salmons
Fred Salmons participated as a gentleman driver; it is not confirmed whether XL3114 was the car used for this entry.
- 20202020 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court PalaceInvited participant — displayed among 50 selected vehicles
The car was among a curated group of fifty vehicles invited to be driven and exhibited in the royal gardens; a pre-event mechanical inspection costing around $30,000 was completed beforehand.
- —Irish Gordon Bennett Rally
One of several Bentley Drivers Club and international rally events in which D.P.L. Benyon entered the car during his long ownership.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2000Engine rebuild
Full engine rebuild including a rebore, fitting of new Arias pistons, replacement liners, and new valves.
- 2020ServiceCarl Ford (formerly of Hoffman & Burton)
Pre-concours tune-up and thorough mechanical inspection, with approximately $30,000 spent in preparation for long-distance continental rallying.
Carried out ahead of the Hampton Court Palace Concours of Elegance.
- —ModificationBentley Motors
The original 'D'-type gearbox was replaced in-period by Bentley Motors with a 'C'-type unit, considered an appropriate period-correct substitution.
- —RestorationAston Martin Works
Comprehensive restoration carried out at the original Salmons & Sons building in Newport Pagnell, then operated by Aston Martin Works. The work is extensively documented photographically in a published book on the coachbuilder.
Restoration took place in the early 1980s after the car was returned to England from the United States. Documented in Dennis C. Mynard's book on Salmons & Sons.
- —Modification
An overdrive unit was fitted to raise the effective cruising speed for modern road use.
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