1924 Bentley 3-Litre Speed Model

584roadUnited Kingdom

Engine: 4.5L (enlarged from original 2,996cc), inline configuration, twin SU carburettors
Colour: Green

Chassis 584 is a 1924 Bentley 3-Litre Speed Model, one of roughly 1,600 examples produced by W.O. Bentley's Cricklewood factory, originally bodied as a four-seat tourer by Vanden Plas on the short-chassis high-compression specification. Its early life included a series of accidents under a 1928 owner that left the frame beyond repair; a subsequent custodian commissioned a full rebuild with a replacement Vanden Plas body. After passing through several post-war hands, the car entered The Best of British Collection in 2014, receiving over £196,000 in restoration work including an engine displacement increase to 4½-litre capacity. Original numbered components including the crankcase, front axle, and differential nose-piece are retained.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Sold £218,500 (≈ $273K)
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
1924-05-01 →Factory delivery
AR Edwards
partial documentation
Original recipient of the car at delivery; specified as a short-chassis Speed Model with Vanden Plas four-seater Tourer coachwork.
1928 → 1930Acquisition unknown
Mrs Rose Lancaster
partial documentation
Ownership marked by a series of accidents causing progressive damage to the rear axle, front end, chassis, engine, and ultimately the frame, which was declared irreparable.
1930 →Private sale
E Bowler
partial documentation
Purchased the car in a damaged state and arranged a comprehensive rebuild; the original body is believed to have been swapped for a period-correct Vanden Plas replacement at this stage.
2002 →Acquisition unknown
AJ Carpenter
partial documentation
Based in Moreton Pinkney, West Northamptonshire; one of several keepers following the post-war period whose full chain of custody is unrecorded.
→ 2014-08-01Acquisition unknown
Melwood Partnership
partial documentation
Stockport-based entity that held the car prior to its acquisition by the final pre-auction owner.
2014-08-01 →Private sale
The Best of British Collection
full documentation
Current consignor; commissioned over £196,000 of documented restoration work including a full repaint, engine enlargement to 4.5-litre capacity, and interior retrim, with invoices on file.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Cedric Charles Cook
partial documentation
Registered the vehicle while based in Stratton, Cornwall; succeeded AJ Carpenter in the ownership chain.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

1928
Repair
Rear axle banjo housing replaced following an accident during Mrs Lancaster's ownership.
1930
Repair
Engine damaged and chassis ultimately condemned as beyond repair following a major incident.
2013Engine rebuild
VBE Restorations
Original 3-litre engine enlarged to 4½-litre displacement by vintage car specialist VBE Restorations; work formed part of a broader restoration programme.
Invoices on file; VBE Restorations' charges alone totalled £171,458.
—
Repair
Front-end damage repaired after a second incident, occurring in May the year following the axle replacement.
Dated to the May after the April 1928 axle incident, implying May 1929, though the prose does not confirm the year explicitly.
—
Repair
Chassis straightened after a further separate accident the month following the front-end repair.
—
Restoration
Full rebuild commissioned by E Bowler after acquiring the car in its severely damaged state; body believed replaced with a period-correct Vanden Plas unit.
Likely carried out in the early 1930s following the February 1930 incident, but no precise date is given.
—Restoration
Haslams Body Repairs
Complete strip-down carried out with exterior finish changed to green, and interior retrimmed in green Quartz Wilton carpet and Bank of England Green leather.
Part of the same multi-year programme exceeding £196,000 in total expenditure; bodywork element performed by Haslams of Bolton.

Are you the owner of this car?

This car's public record is built from its auction and competition history. Register your ownership and privately add your own records to make it a verified Legacy Metrics passport — provenance that backs your car's value at sale and gives your insurer evidence to price against. Roy reviews and verifies every registration personally.