1949 Bentley Mark VI "Blue Train Special" Recreation

1949 Bentley Mark VI "Blue Train Special" Recreation - Spectacular streamlined body, a faithful evocation of the one of the most famous Bentleys in history - Built to a very high standard, based on historic Bentley parts - Excellent condition, easier to drive than a Bentley from the period At the start of 1930, Woolf Barnato, who had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans the previous year with Henry Birkin and was the main shareholder in the company, made a daring bet: he claimed that he could arrive in London before the Blue Train reached Calais, having left Cannes at the same time as the steam express. On 13 March 1930, he set off with his friend Dale Bourne in an H.J. Mulliner-bodied Bentley Speed Six, and they reached the Conservative Club in London four minutes before the train pulled into the station at Calais. He had won the bet! Two months later, Barnato bought a Bentley Speed Six with ‘Sportsman Coupé’ bodywork by Gurney Nutting, a streamlined coupé he named the “Blue Train Special” in memory of his victory. This is one of the reasons for which this car is often, but wrongly, equated with the car that raced the train. The other reasons are the reproductions of artists such as Terence Cuneo who depict the car next to a train hurtling along, but also the car’s styling: with its streamlined roof, it is extremely spectacular and lends itself magnificently to this story, whose romantic aspect it embraces. Some consider it the most beautiful Bentley of all time. A car such as this, a unique model, inevitably created the desire to produce a recreation of it. Which is what Racing Green Engineering in Wales did, based on a commission by Thierry Dehaeck in December 2012. Completed in March 2015, the car is based on a 1949 Bentley Mark VI chassis and has a 5.6-litre Rolls-Royce/Bentley B80 8-cylinder in-line engine: fed by four SU H6 carburettors, this develops about 180bhp and dates from the 1940s. And, above all, it has an exact reproduction of the Gurney Nutting bodywork, with a wooden framework covered with aluminium and synthetic leather, and a sunroof. The shape is remarkably true to the original, while the interior offers a high level of luxury, with a dashboard equipped with instruments identical to those in period, wood trim along the top of the dashboard and doors, exquisite leather bucket seats and thick carpets. In the back, next to the sideways-facing seat, three cabinets serve as a bar for wine, champagne and whisky, with bottles and glasses with the Bentley logo safely stowed away. Such refinement is especially impressive. The construction of this special Bentley is the subject of photographs included in its history file, which also contains the build sheet for the original Mark VI, a FIVA ID card, a letter from the Bentley Drivers Club confirming the authenticity of the car’s chassis and engine, and a letter from the WO Bentley Memorial Foundation recalling the origin of the ‘B’ range engines. This car joined the other two Bentley recreations owned by Thierry Dehaeck, who explained, “When the three cars are displayed side-by-side, the ‘Blue Train’ is the one everyone looks at!” A fact he could confirm at the events in which he has taken part, such as the concours d'élégance at Nieuwpoort in May 2018, the classic car meeting at Heusden in August 2022, the Trimard Rally in April 2023 or the concours d'élégance at La Baule in August 2024. With its looks conjuring up images of speed and recalling the amazing adventure which earned the car its “Blue Train Special” name, this streamlined coupé is sure to be the centre of attention, whether on a rally, at a meeting or concours event, or simply driving down the street or along country roads. We invite potential bidders to contact the relevant authorities in the country of destination to find out about the possibilities for registering this vehicle.

Estimación:€300,000

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