1930 Bentley 8-Litre two-seater special (shortened chassis)
- Engine
- 8.0L inline engine, rebuilt with new block, crankshaft, rods, and pistons
Bentley 8-Litre chassis YF5006 was delivered new following display at the 1930 Olympia Motor Show, originally clothed in H.J. Mulliner Weymann fabric-panel coachwork. At some point it was comprehensively rebuilt by a Mr. Sutherland into a stark two-seater roadster on a shortened 135-inch chassis with a lowered radiator, becoming one of the most formidable road-going 8-Litres of its era. Later owned and actively driven and raced by enthusiast Frank Sowden in the 1960s, it subsequently passed through the hands of Victor Gauntlett before entering long-term single ownership during which the engine was fully rebuilt.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate US$600,000 – US$750,000
- 1930 →Factory deliverySir William Crawfordpartial documentation
Original recipient after the car was displayed at the 1930 Olympia Motor Show; delivered as a Weymann fabric-paneled saloon by H.J. Mulliner.
- → 1983Private saleVictor Gauntlettpartial documentation
Prominent British industrialist and Bentley collector; acquired through dealer Dan Margulies, and sold on in 1983. By this point the car had been updated with fenders, headlamps, and a canvas hood.
- 1983 →Private saleCurrent ownerpartial documentation
Has maintained the car in regularly driven condition; commissioned a full engine rebuild by Neil Davies Historic Racing in 2009, including a new block, crankshaft, rods, and pistons.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownMr. Sutherlandpartial documentation
Responsible for converting the car to its current two-seat open form, including shortening the chassis, lowering the radiator, and rebuilding to a sporting configuration.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownFrank Sowdenpartial documentation
Long-term enthusiast who used the car for daily transport as well as competition; acquisition occurred in the early 1960s according to his son Peter.
Competition
- 19641964 Harewood Hill ClimbDriver: Frank Sowden3rd in class
Bettered only by two E-Type Jaguars in the same class; a notable result for a large pre-war touring car against more modern machinery.
- —Silverstone (unspecified meeting)Driver: Frank Sowden
One of several venues where the owner used the car competitively during his tenure in the early 1960s.
- —Oulton Park (unspecified meeting)Driver: Frank Sowden
Competed alongside Silverstone as part of Frank Sowden's regular motorsport use of the car.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2009Engine rebuildNeil Davies Historic Racing
Full engine overhaul comprising replacement of the block, crankshaft, crankshaft housing, connecting rods, and pistons.
Commissioned by the current owner to bring the engine back to a high standard for continued spirited road use.
- —Restoration
Car converted from its original Weymann fabric-panelled saloon body to a two-seater open roadster configuration, with the chassis shortened to 135 inches, the radiator lowered, and new coachwork fitted.
Work attributed to a Mr. Sutherland; date not recorded in the prose.
- —Modification
Car updated to open road-going trim with the fitment of cycle-type fenders, headlamps, and a folding canvas emergency hood.
Present by the time Victor Gauntlett acquired it; precise date and agent unknown.
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