1928 Bentley 4½-Litre Supercharged
- Engine
- 5.3L supercharged inline-four with Phoenix crankshaft
Bentley 4½-Litre chassis TX 3227, delivered in April 1928 as a standard 10-foot 10-inch chassis with a Harrison four-seat open tourer body and close-ratio D-type gearbox, has undergone significant transformation across its long life. Originally supplied to Mrs. Boyd of East Sussex, the car passed through several hands and, by 1961, had been amalgamated with parts from a 3-Litre chassis. Subsequent work included new side rails, Vanden Plas Le Mans-style coachwork, and eventual conversion to supercharged 5.3-litre specification around 2009. The car retains TX 3227-stamped front and rear axles as its primary identity markers.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold €356,500 (≈ $392K)
- 1928-04-11 → 1932Factory deliveryMrs. Boyd of Rye, East Sussexfull documentation
Original delivery recipient; car supplied as a standard long-wheelbase chassis with a four-seat open tourer body and close-ratio gearbox. Bentley service records confirm the guarantee start date.
- 1932 →Acquisition unknownMajor Sir Robert Abercrombypartial documentation
Distinguished military figure based at Eaton Terrace who later became 9th Baronet Abercromby of Birkenbog; reportedly held the car through the 1930s and owned at least one other Bentley concurrently.
- 1961 →Acquisition unknownFifth owner (identity unknown)partial documentation
By this point the car had passed through multiple hands and its components had been merged with those of a 3-litre chassis; the vehicle continued under the original TX 3227 identity.
- 2000 → 2004Acquisition unknownCedric Charles Cook of Bude, Cornwallpartial documentation
Car appeared in the Bentley Drivers Club register under his ownership; at the time it was an incomplete project fitted with replacement chassis side rails and was sold without coachwork.
- 2004 → 2006Private saleStanley Mannpartial documentation
Coachbuilder or dealer who fitted a body styled after a Vanden Plas Le Mans tourer to the bare chassis shortly after acquiring it.
- 2006 →Acquisition unknownSouth African ownerpartial documentation
Recorded in the BDC Register by 2006; the car is believed to have been converted to supercharged specification with an enlarged 5.3-litre engine and Phoenix crankshaft around 2009 during this period of ownership.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2004Mechanical
Car was sold as a rolling project without coachwork, fitted with replacement chassis side rails believed to be new-old-stock.
Condition at time of sale by Cedric Charles Cook; no body was present.
- 2009Modification
Car was converted to supercharged specification and upgraded to an approximately 5.3-litre engine displacement, reportedly with a Phoenix crankshaft installed.
Described as the car's final transformation to its current configuration; conversion believed to have occurred around this year.
- —BodyworkStanley Mann
New coachwork constructed in the manner of a Vanden Plas Le Mans open tourer was fitted to the chassis.
Work took place shortly after the 2004 sale; car appeared in the BDC Register under South African ownership by 2006.
- —Service
Recommissioning required following an extended period of static display; mechanical condition not fully assessed.
Noted as a minimum requirement before the car could be used for circuit racing, hillclimbs, or touring events.
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