1928 Bentley 6½-Litre Tourer
- Engine
- 6.5L inline-six, triple SU carburettors, tuned for enhanced output
A 1928 Bentley 6½-Litre on the rare short ST1 11-foot chassis, one of only 21 so built, originally bodied by Freestone & Webb for its first owner H B Pope of Woking. The car was subsequently modified and tuned by renowned Bentley specialist L C 'Mac' McKenzie — reportedly exceeding the output of factory Speed Six engines — and competed in the inaugural BDC all-Bentley race at Brooklands in 1936 as well as at the Lewes Speed Trials. It passed through several hands before being acquired in 1990 and stored in a climate-controlled facility for roughly 25 years; it requires recommissioning before use.
Ownership
- 2021-12-04Auction saleSold £400,000 (≈ $500K)
- → 1984Acquisition unknownR T E Creswellpartial documentation
Recorded as prior keeper on an old V5 in the history file; noted as owner in the 1985 edition of a reference work on vintage Bentleys. The registration was restored to the original mark in 1984.
- 1990-02-01 → 1996Private saleVendor's deceased husbandfull documentation
Purchase invoice survives in the history file. The owner drove the car regularly, attending shows and rallies, and aimed to use each vehicle in his collection at least monthly. He died in 1996, after which the collection was largely unused.
- 1996 →InheritanceVendorpartial documentation
Inherited the collection following her husband's death. The cars were kept in a purpose-built climate-controlled storage facility but have been largely laid up for around 25 years.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownH B Popepartial documentation
Original first owner, based in Woking. The car was bodied by Freestone and Webb as a drop-head coupe in this period.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownNoel Sissonspartial documentation
Car was rebuilt and tuned by McKenzie specifically for this owner, including raised compression and triple carburettors, ahead of competition use in 1936.
Competition
- 1936First BDC All-Bentley Race, Brooklands
Car had been modified and tuned by McKenzie with elevated compression and triple carburettors for this event.
- 1937Lewes Speed Trials
A photocopied period photograph inscribed with this event and date, showing the original registration, survives in the history file.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1932Repair
An accident recorded in the Bentley factory ledger; this may have prompted the first body replacement.
Reference found in a photocopy of the Bentley ledger covering the car's history to 1937.
- 1984Maintenance
Original registration mark PF 6205 formally restored after a period when the car had been running with plates belonging to a different chassis.
According to an auction listing in the history file, the re-registration to PPH 222 had been done to take advantage of a £10 tax concession.
- —ModificationL C 'Mac' McKenzie
Original Freestone & Webb coachwork removed and replaced with a lighter sports body to suit competition use; engine tuned by L C 'Mac' McKenzie with raised compression and triple SU carburettors, reportedly exceeding the power output of factory Speed Six units.
Work carried out in the mid-1930s in preparation for Brooklands and the Lewes Speed Trials.
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