Bentley 4½ Litre

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Bentley 4½ Litre
1929 "Blower" Bentley from the Ralph Lauren collection
Bentley 4½ Litre No. 10 took third at the 1929 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Manufacturer Bentley Motors Limited, Cricklewood, London
Production 1927-1931
(supercharged model from 1929)
720 produced
Assembly Cricklewood, United Kingdom
Predecessor Bentley 3 Litre
Successor Bentley 6.5 Litre
Class Sports car
Body style Tourer, Drophead Coupé and Sporting Four Seater
Engine 4.4 L I4
4.4 L supercharged I4
Transmission 4-speed manual
Wheelbase Standard: 130 in (3,300 mm)
SWB (8 made):[1] 117.5 in (2,980 mm)
Length 4,380 mm (172.4 in)
Width 1,740 mm (68.5 in)
Kerb weight 4½ Litre: 1,625 kg (3,580 lb)
Blower: 1,727 kg (3,810 lb)
Related Blower Bentley (supercharged model)
Designer Walter Owen Bentley

The Bentley 4½ Litre is a British sports car built by Bentley Motors. Replacing the Bentley 3 Litre, it is famous for epitomizing prewar British motor racing and for its popular slogan "there's no replacement for displacement", created by the founder of Bentley, Walter Owen Bentley. Bentley sought to produce a more powerful race car by increasing engine displacement.

At the time, noted car manufacturers like Bugatti and Lorraine-Dietrich focused on designing cars to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a popular automotive endurance course established only a few years earlier. A victory in this competition quickly elevated any car maker's reputation.

A total of 720 4½ Litre were produced between 1927 and 1931, including 55 models with a supercharged engine known as the Blower Bentley. Some of these Bentleys did win a few competitions, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Though its overall competitive performance was not particularly outstanding, the 4½ Litre Bentley managed to beat several speed records, most famously in 1932 at Brooklands with a recorded speed of 222.03 km/h (138 mph).

Contents

[edit] Background and Development

[edit] Bentley at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race is a 24 hour race around the Circuit de la Sarthe. The inaugural race was held May 26–27, 1923, and attracted many drivers, mostly French.[2] There were two foreign competitors in the first race, Frank Clement and Canadian John Duff, the latter winning the 1924 competition in his personal car, a Bentley 3 Litre.

"Made with precision and the finest material,"[3] and with recent success, the luxurious Bentley cars attracted attention. After two years without success, Bentley convened a group of wealthy British men, "united by their love of insouciance, elegant tailoring, and a need for speed," to renew Bentley's success.[4] Both drivers and mechanics, these men, later nicknamed the "Bentley Boys", drove Bentley automobiles to victory in several races between 1927 and 1931, including four consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and forged the brands reputation.[3][4]

It was within this context that, in 1927, Bentley developed the Bentley 4½ Litre. Two cylinders were removed from the 6½ Litre model, reducing the displacement to 4.4 litres. At the time, the 3 Litre and the 6½ Litre were already available, but the 3 Litre was an outdated, under-powered model and the 6½ Litre's image was tarnished by poor tyre performance.[3][5][6]

[edit] Tim Birkin and the Blower Bentley

A Blower Bentley from the collection of Ralph Lauren.
A Blower Bentley from the collection of Ralph Lauren.

Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin, described as "the greatest Briton of his time" by W.O. Bentley, was one of the Bentley Boys.[4] He refused to adhere strictly to Bentley's assertion that increasing displacement is always preferable to forced induction. Birkin, aided by a former Bentley mechanic, decided to produce a series of five supercharged models for the competition at the 24 Hours de Le Mans;[7] Mercedes-Benz had been using compressors for a few years.[8]

Thus the Blower Bentley was born. It was officially presented in 1929 at the British International Motor Show in London and 55 copies were produced by Birkin and his team in a workshop in Welwyn Garden City to comply with 24 Hours de Le Mans regulations.[9] Despite his dislike of the Blower, W.O. Bentley couldn't object to Birkin's actions, the latter having garnered the support of Woolf Barnato, the "chief" Bentley Boy, whose fortune helped Bentley avoid filing for bankruptcy in May 1926,[10] as well as that of Dorothy Paget, a wealthy horse racing enthusiast.[6][11]

[edit] Specifications

[edit] Bentley 4½ Litre

Photograph of the dashboard of a Blower Bentley.
The dashboard of a Blower Bentley.

Although the Bentley 4½ Litre was heavy, weighing 1,625 kg (3,580 lb), and spacious, with a length of 4,380 mm (172 in) and a wheelbase of 3,302 mm (130.0 in), it remained well-balanced and steered nimbly[12]. The manual transmission, however, required skill, as its four gears were unsynchronised[12].

The robustness of the 4½ Litre's latticed chassis,[12] made of steel and reinforced with ties,[13] was needed to support the heavy cast iron inline-four engine[12].

The engine was "resolutely modern"[8] for the time. The displacement was 4,398 cc (268.4 cu in): 100 mm (3.9 in) bore and 140 mm (5.5 in) stroke. Two double carburetters and dual ignition with Bosch magnetos were fitted. The engine produced 110 hp (82 kW) for the touring model and 130 hp (97 kW) for the racing model. The engine speed was limited to 4,000 rpm[8][12]. A single overhead camshaft actuated four valves per cylinder, inclined at 30 degrees. This was a technically advanced design at a time where most cars used only two valves per cylinder[12][13].

The Bentley's tanks - radiator, oil and petrol - had filler caps that did not unscrew but were easily removed with one stroke of a lever. This saved time during stops[14].

The 4½ was equipped with a canvas top stretched over a lightweight Weymann body. The structure was very light but still resistant to wind. (The rules of the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1924 and 1928 dictated a certain number of laps for which the hood needed to be closed). The steering wheel measured about 45 cm (18 in) in diameter, and was a solid braided rope held tight for optimal operation[clarification needed].

By contrast, the brakes were conventional, consisting of 17-inch (430 mm) drum brakes, finned for improved cooling and operated by cable. Semi-elliptic leaf springs [12][13] were used at front and rear.

[edit] Blower Bentley

Photograph of a Blower Bentley's compressor, placed in front of the grill.
The Blower Bentley's compressor is placed in front of the grill.

The essential difference between the Bentley 4½ Litre and the Blower was that the Blower engine was supercharged by a Roots-type compressor designed by engineer Amherst Villiers. W.O. Bentley was hostile to forced induction and believed that "to supercharge a Bentley engine was to pervert its design and corrupt its performance."[11] He refused to allow the engine to be modified to incorporate the compressor, which was therefore placed at the end of the crankshaft, in front of the radiator, giving the Blower Bentley a unique and easily recognisable profile and exacerbating its understeer.[12] A guard protected the two carburetters located at the compressor intake. (Similar protection was used (both in the 4½ Litre and the Blower) for the fuel tank at the rear, because a flying stone punctured the 3 Litre of Frank Clement and John Duff during the first 24 Hours of Le Mans, possibly depriving them of victory).[14][15]

The crankshaft, pistons and lubrication system were special to the Blower engine.[8] It produced 175 hp (130 kW) at 3,500 rpm for the touring model and 240 hp (177 kW) at 2,400 rpm for the racing version—more powerful than the Bentley 6½ Litre despite lacking the two additional cylinders.[16]

[edit] Competition performance

A 4½ Litre open tourer
Tim Birkin's red Blower Monoposto shown on a grass lawn.

Between 1927 and 1931 the Bentley 4½ Litre competed in several competitions, primarily the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The first was the Old Mother Gun at the 1927 24 Hours of Le Mans, driven as a prototype before production.[17] Favored to win, it instead crashed and did not finish. Its performance was sufficient for Bentley to decide to start production and deliver the first models the same year.[8]

Far from being the most powerful in the competitions, the 4½ Litre of Woolf Barnato and Bernard Rubin, raced neck and neck against a Blackhawk Stutz DV16, setting a new record average speed of 111.12 km/h (69 mph); Tim Birkin and Jean Chassagne finished fifth. The next year, three 4½ Litres finished second, third, and fourth behind another Bentley, the Speed Six, which possessed two more cylinders.[10][17][18]

The naturally aspirated 4½ Litre was noted for its good reliability. The supercharged models were not; the two Blower models entered in the 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans by Dorothy Paget, one of which was co-driven by Tim Birkin, did not complete the race.[18] In 1930, Birkin finished second in the French Grand Prix at the Circuit de Pau behind a Bugatti Type 35.[10][18][19] Ettore Bugatti, annoyed by the performance of Bentley, called the 4½ Litre the "fastest truck in the world." The Type 35 is much lighter and consumes much less petrol.[7][8] Blower Bentleys consume 4 liters per minute at full speed.[14]

Although ill-suited for endurance events, Mildred Bruce, a British female racer, achieved a 24-hour distance record at Montlhery, with an average speed of 89.4 mph (143.89 km/h).[20] In 1930, the Daily Herald offered a trophy for the fastest driver at an event at Brooklands. The first year, Tim Birkin and Don Kaye competed and Don Kaye won with a speed of 137.58 mph (221.41 km/h). In 1932, Tim Birkin won driving his red Blower "Monoposto," clocking 137.96 mph (222.03 km/h).[21]

Major victories of Bentley 4½ Litre
Year Competition Position Drivers Team Model
1928
24 Hours of Le Mans
1
 United Kingdom Woolf Barnato
United Kingdom Bernard Rubin		 United Kingdom Bentley Motors Ltd. Bentley 4½ Litre
1929
24 Hours of Le Mans
2
 United Kingdom Jock Lawson Dunfee
United Kingdom Glen Kidston		 United Kingdom Bentley Motors Ltd. Bentley 4½ Litre
3
 United Kingdom Dr. Dudley Benjafield
France André d’Erlanger		 United Kingdom Bentley Motors Ltd. Bentley 4½ Litre
1930
French Grand Prix
2
 United Kingdom Sir Henry (Tim) Birkin United Kingdom Bentley Motors Ltd. Blower Bentley
500 miles of Brooklands
2
 United Kingdom Dr. Dudley Benjafield
United Kingdom Edward R. Hall		 United Kingdom Bentley Motors Ltd. Bentley 4½ Litre

[edit] End of production

In November 1931, after selling 720 copies of the 4½ Litre - 655 aspirated and 55 supercharged - in three different models (Tourer, Drophead Coupé and Sporting Four Seater), Bentley was forced to sell his company to Rolls-Royce for £125,175, a victim of the recession that hit Europe following the Wall Street Crash of 1929.[8][22]

[edit] Current status

Today, Bentley 4½ Litre automobiles from this pre-war period, the "Belle Époque" of the automobile for some,[23] sell for around €100,000 and Blowers can fetch more than €1.5 million. The Blower is the most iconic pre-war Bentley and is coveted by collectors despite never winning a single race.[8][9] For many, the 4½ Litre is to automobiles what the Spitfire is to aircraft.[8][14]

Ian Fleming's character James Bond drives a 1930 Blower Bentley in three of the 007 Novels, Casino Royale, Live and Let Die and Moonraker[24]. In the books, Bond drives one of the last Blower Bentleys built, a battleship grey Convertible Coupé, with French Marchal headlamps.

[edit] 4½ Litre gallery

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bentley 4,5-Litre

  • 1929 Bentley 4½-Litre Sporting Four Seater

  • 1929 Bentley 4½-Litre Tourer

  • 1930 Bentley 4½-Litre Drophead Coupé

  • A black 4½ Litre Tourer in a field.

    4½ Litre Bentley touring car

[edit] 4½ Litre Supercharged (Blower Bentley) gallery

  • 1930 Bentley 4½-Litre SC Tourer

  • 1931 Bentley 4½-Litre SC Drophead Coupé

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rogliatti, Gianni (1973). Cyril Posthumus. ed. Period Cars. Feltham, Middlesex, UK: Hamlyn. pp. 132–133. ISBN 0600334015. 
  2. ^ (French) Bellu, Serge (1998). Histoire mondiale de l’automobile. Flammarion. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-2-0801-3901-6. 
  3. ^ a b c (French) Bonnafous, Gilles (24 November 2006). "Historique Bentley avant-guerre". p. 1. http://www.motorlegend.com/histoire-automobile/saga-bentley/historique-bentley-avant-guerre/8,13491,13486.html. 
  4. ^ a b c Husband, Stuart. "The Fabulous Bentley Boys" (pdf). http://www.timothyeverest.co.uk/assets/files/Articles%20-%20Bentley%20Boys-opt.pdf?phpMyAdmin=B5%2ClznOUnUbRvMviYMVaJUCX-wb. 
  5. ^ "Bentley 4,5 Litre". Christies.com. http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=4328863. Retrieved 17 August 2010. 
  6. ^ a b "1927 Bentley 4.5 Liter". ConceptCarz.com. http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z15034/Bentley-45-Liter.aspx. Retrieved 23 December 2010. 
  7. ^ a b Martin, Fraser (25 July 2010). "1930 Bentley Blower". Car Middle East. http://www.carmiddleeast.com/article-2-1838-1930_bentley_blower. Retrieved 17 August 2010. 
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i (French) "Bentley Blower : le temps des géants". Classic Drivers. 13 October 2000. http://www.classicdriver.com/fr/magazine/3600.asp?id=358. Retrieved 17 August 2010. 
  9. ^ a b "Bentley 4 1/2-Liter "Blower"". Sports Car Market. 31 August 1995. http://www.sportscarmarket.com/car-reviews/english/1728-bentley-4-1-2-liter-blower/. Retrieved 19 August 2010. 
  10. ^ a b c (French) van Damme, Stéphane. "Bentley 4 1/2 Litre". Histomobile. http://www.histomobile.com/dvd_histomobile/fr/32/1927-Bentley-4_1_2_Litre-.asp?id1=8976299. Retrieved 17 August 2010. 
  11. ^ a b Melissen, Wouter (29 May 2008). "Bentley 4.5 Litre 'Blower' Birkin Monoposto". Ultimatecarpage. http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/3734/Bentley-4.5-Litre--Blower--Birkin-Monoposto.html. Retrieved 23 December 2010. 
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Cheetham, Craig (2006). Vintage Cars: Five-View Series. MotorBooks International. ISBN 978-0-7603-2572-8. 
  13. ^ a b c (French) Gunn, Richard (2006). Supercars : les voitures les plus extraordinaires au monde. Gremese Editore. p. 320. ISBN 978-8-8730-1623-6. 
  14. ^ a b c d Purdy, Ken W. (September 1969). "The Big Green Bentley". Boys' Life 59 (9): pp. 72-73. ISSN 0006-8608. 
  15. ^ (French) Chargé, Thierry. "Histoire : Le Mans 1924 - John Duff". les24heures.fr. http://www.les24heures.fr/index.php/pilotes/139-john-duff. Retrieved 27 August 2010. 
  16. ^ "Bentley 4½ Litre and 4½ Litre Supercharged (1926 -1930)". Thoroughbred and Classic cars. http://www.thoroughbred-cars.com/cars/UK/Bentley/Bentley%204.5%20litre.htm. Retrieved 17 August 2010. 
  17. ^ a b (French) Bonnafous, Gilles. "Bentley et la compétition". Motorlegend. pp. 1–4. http://www.motorlegend.com/histoire-automobile/saga-bentley/bentley-et-la-competition/9,13527,13486.html. 
  18. ^ a b c (French) L’Atlas des bolides : 100 ans de voitures de course. Atlas. 2003. p. 240. ISBN 978-2-7234-4315-9. 
  19. ^ (French) Bellu, Serge (1998). Histoire mondiale de l’automobile. Flammarion. ISBN 978-2-0801-3901-6. 
  20. ^ Bouzanquet, Jean Francois (2009). Fast Ladies: Female Racing Drivers 1888 to 1970. Veloce Publishing Ltd. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-8458-4225-3. 
  21. ^ "Record Breaking at Brooklands 1920-1939". Brooklands Museum. http://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/index.php?/history/record-breaking-at-brooklands-1920-1939/#axzz0wwl5kmOG. Retrieved 18 August 2010. 
  22. ^ "Rolls-Royce Ltd.". British Motor Manufacturers. http://www.britishmm.co.uk/history.asp?id=767. Retrieved 17 August 2010. 
  23. ^ (French) Sparke, Penny (2003). Un siècle de design automobile. Flammarion. ISBN 978-2-0801-1083-1. 
  24. ^ (French) de Geyer d'Orth, Niels (30 October 2008). "Un demi-siècle de James Bond cars". Autonews. http://www.autonews.fr/News/Retro/Un-demi-siecle-de-James-Bond-cars-65065/. Retrieved 18 August 2010. 
Bentley timeline, 1920s–present
type /
class		 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
Bentley Motors Limited
(1919–1931)		 Rolls-Royce
Bentley Motors (1931) Limited
(1931–1980)		 Vickers plc
Rolls-Royce
Bentley Motors (1931) Limited
(1980–1998)		 Volkswagen Group
(1998–>)
coachbuilder's
open
2/4 seater		 3 L 4½ L
6½ L
Speed Six
coachbuilder's
large saloon
coupé or
convertible		 6½ L
Speed Six
8 L		 4L
3½ 
4¼L
Mark V		 Mark VI R S1
S2
S3		 T
C
o
n
t		 Continental S1
Continental S2
Continental S3
cars with Bentley own-factory coachwork
large
saloon
 Mark VI R S1
S2
S3		 T1 T2 Mulsanne Brooklands Arnage Mulsanne
Turbo R
coupé Continental R/S/T
convertible Azure
Bentleys on the Volkswagen platform
large
saloon
 Continental
Flying Spur
coupé Continental GT
convertible C GTC
founder: Walter Owen Bentley • A marque of the Volkswagen Group • Bentley Boys

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