1936 Bentley 4¼-Litre Airflow Saloon by Gurney Nutting
- Engine
- 4.3L OHV inline-six, twin SU carburettors, 126 bhp
- Colour
- Red over beige
Chassis B118HK is one of only two Bentley 4¼-Litre cars bodied with A.F. McNeil's Airflow saloon design by Gurney Nutting, distinguished by its original open rear fenders and single sidemount spare. Exhibited at the 1936 Olympia Motor Show and delivered new to a Cornish owner in early 1937, it passed through numerous British hands before crossing to California in 1967. American ownership included prominent West Coast Bentley collector Gary Moore and Malcolm Schneer, who exhibited the car at the 1995 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$165,000
- 1937-03-01 → 1940Factory deliveryMajor C. Watson Smythefull documentation
First retail owner, resident of Venaur in Lelant, West Cornwall; car delivered via The Car Mart of London after its Olympia show appearance.
- 1940 → 1943Acquisition unknownC.J. Oppenheimpartial documentation
Second owner; acquisition details not specified beyond the year.
- 1943 →Acquisition unknownV. Motionpartial documentation
Third owner, London resident and Royal Air Force Squadron Leader at the time of acquisition.
- 1967 → 1981Private saleArt Mullalypartial documentation
Carmel, California resident; purchased from London dealer Frank Dale & Stepsons and retained the car for approximately fourteen years.
- 1981 → 1987Private saleGary Moorepartial documentation
Prominent West Coast Bentley collector who acquired the car from Mullaly.
- 1987 →Private saleMalcolm Schneerfull documentation
Newport Beach owner who researched and confirmed the car's ownership lineage, including its Olympia appearance; had the car refinished in red over beige and it was featured in a 1989 magazine article.
- → 2010Acquisition unknownWest Coast ownernone documentation
An unidentified subsequent West Coast custodian before the car moved to Orin Smith.
- 2010 →Acquisition unknownOrin Smithpartial documentation
Current owner; car has remained in his collection for approximately seven years as of the catalogue date.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownBritish owners through early 1960s including broker Bunty Scott-Moncriefpartial documentation
A succession of British owners documented via photocopies of original registration records; noted broker Scott-Moncrief held the car briefly.
Competition
- 19361936 Olympia Motor ShowExhibited
Displayed on the Gurney Nutting stand; appearance verified by a Bentley historian and documented in a period motoring publication and the show programme.
- 19951995 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Entered by Malcolm Schneer; no placing mentioned in the prose.
- 19951995 Rolls-Royce Owners Club National Meet
Also exhibited by Schneer in the same year as the Pebble Beach appearance.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Restoration
A full restoration was carried out at an undetermined date, resulting in the current red over beige colour scheme; rear fender spats were added at some later point, similar to those on the other surviving Airflow saloon.
The prose describes this as the 'original restoration' still present at time of cataloguing, with subsequent addition of spats. Both paintwork and interior trim show significant age-related patina.
- —Maintenance
The dashboard was replaced with a period-correct unit carrying appropriate instruments; Ace wheel discs were fitted to the wheels.
The original sprung steering wheel is retained. No date or workshop recorded for these changes.
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