1931 Bentley 8-Litre two-seater sports, Barker coachwork
- Engine
- 8.0L inline-six
- Colour
- Black (originally bare polished aluminum body with black wings)
Chassis YR5099 is the 49th of 100 Bentley 8-Litres constructed and the sole example originally bodied as a two-seat open speedster, with coachwork by Barker & Company built to the order of Sir P. Malcolm Stewart. One of 34 cars on the shorter 144-inch sporting wheelbase, it carries its original chassis, engine, and gearbox. Its history spans distinguished British and American ownership, a concours restoration in the late 1970s that returned the body broadly to its Barker origins, and a first-place award at the Bentley Drivers Club Concours in 1983.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$2,205,000
- → 1935-02-01Factory deliverySir P. Malcolm Stewartfull documentation
Original purchaser, head of the UK's largest brick manufacturer; commissioned bodywork closely mirroring his earlier Barker-bodied Speed Six. Factory records document minor servicing in 1934 and fitment of a jacking system.
- 1935-02-01 → 1936Acquisition unknownG. Stewart Fergusonpartial documentation
Birmingham-based owner; held the car briefly before selling it on.
- 1936 → 1962Private saleAndrew Tindallpartial documentation
Scottish owner who retained the car for roughly 26 years; had the rear bodywork altered in the late 1930s to create a four-seat configuration.
- 1962 →Private saleJ.A. MacHargpartial documentation
Used the car in its modified four-seat form for a period; sold it during the late 1970s.
- → 1983Private salePeter Aggpartial documentation
Motor-racing figure associated with McLaren; commissioned coachbuilder Crailville to reshape the rear bodywork toward the original Barker appearance, with a dickey seat and revised fenders. Documented the work in a published article.
- 1983 → 1990Private saleFrank Millerpartial documentation
US-based Bentley specialist who exhibited the car at Pebble Beach in 1987.
- 1990 → 2004Private saleJonathan Proctorpartial documentation
Acquired the car as part of a transaction involving a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost; had the coachwork refinished in black. Car remained in the United States.
- 2004 → 2006Acquisition unknownEuropean pre-war collector, first tenurepartial documentation
Acquired the car after Proctor's ownership, then sold it to a fellow collector the same year.
- 2006 → 2012Private saleDeceased collectorpartial documentation
Purchased the car from the current owner in 2006; ownership reverted on this person's death.
- 2012 →Private saleEuropean pre-war collector, second tenurepartial documentation
Reacquired the car following the previous owner's passing; houses it in a noted European pre-war collection, with engine work carried out by RC Moss specialists around 2017–2018.
Competition
- 1983Bentley Drivers Club Concours, Kensington Gardens1st place
Won first prize at this competitive club concours following the Crailville restoration overseen by Peter Agg.
- 1987Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Displayed by owner Frank Miller; no placement recorded in the prose.
- —Pebble Beach Concours d'EleganceBest of Show
This result relates to a Barker-bodied Mercedes-Benz S referenced in the prose as a stylistic comparison piece, not to the Bentley YR5099 itself.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1934Service
Minor servicing carried out, noted in factory records.
- 1934Modification
A D.W.S. jacking system was added to the car.
Recorded in factory documentation.
- —Modification
Rear bodywork altered to convert the car from a two-seat to a four-seat layout.
Carried out between 1937 and 1938 on the instruction of owner Andrew Tindall.
- —RestorationCrailville
Comprehensive body restoration undertaken, with coachbuilder Crailville reshaping the rear section to approximate the original Barker two-seat configuration, though made somewhat longer and wider to accept a dickey seat and spare wheel; rear wings were also reshaped accordingly.
Commissioned by Peter Agg during the late 1970s or early 1980s; the project was documented by Agg in a published article titled 'Bentley 8-Litre Reborn'.
- —Bodywork
Car refinished in black.
Carried out during Jonathan Proctor's ownership from 1990 onward; the car retains this finish at time of cataloguing.
- —Engine rebuildRC Moss
Full engine rebuild completed by marque specialists RC Moss.
Work carried out over the period 2017 to 2018 while the car was in the current owner's European collection.
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