1923 Bentley 3-Litre Boat-Tail Roadster (Short Standard chassis)
- Engine
- 3.0L inline-four, single five-jet carburettor, original 1923 specification
A very early Bentley 3-Litre on the Short Standard chassis, completed in February 1923 with saloon coachwork and delivered to its first owner in West Bromwich. After passing through several hands it reached the Isle of Man around 1948, where it spent over a decade laid up before being acquired in 1963 for the Manx Motor Museum. Prior to display, the car was rebodied in a boat-tail style inspired by Briggs Cunningham's 3-Litre and mechanically restored to its original 1923 specification, including removal of later front-wheel brakes. It remained on museum display for approximately six decades.
Ownership
- 2023-12-15Auction saleSold £90,000 (≈ $113K)
- 1923-02-01 →Factory deliveryS Wilkinsonpartial documentation
First registered owner, based in West Bromwich. Original registration OK 6928 assigned at this time.
- → 1936Second through fifth ownerspartial documentation
Names recorded in the documents file; four successive owners between Wilkinson and the sixth owner, all preceding 1936.
- 1936 →Acquisition unknownGordon Dales Simcoxfull documentation
Sixth recorded owner, listed in the original buff logbook with three consecutive Welsh addresses before relocating to Peel on the Isle of Man around 1948, where the car was re-registered as MN 3000.
- 1963 →Private saleRichard Evanspartial documentation
Acquired the Bentley for his Manx Motor Museum collection following roughly 12 years of storage on the island. Prior to display, the car was rebodied with a boat-tail replica and mechanically restored to its original 1923 configuration.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1963Restoration
Full mechanical rebuild returning the car to its original 1923 specification, including removal of all later modifications such as front-wheel brakes. The original saloon coachwork was assessed as beyond saving and replaced with a boat-tail body replicating that associated with Briggs Cunningham's 3-Litre.
Work carried out before the car entered the Manx Motor Museum collection.
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