THE vintage Bentley: the 4 ½ litre ... now in Knokke!
We at Marreyt Classic Cars attach a lot of importance to authenticity.
Therefore we are very proud to develop for you the new “Vintage Bentley” theme in our Knokke Experience Room by exhibiting chassis RC42, easily recognisable by its British registration DMX417, one of the last genuine 4 ½ Bentleys produced.
All Bentley enthusiasts will agree that the 1927 development of the 4 ½ litre model offers the best balance on the basic Bentley 3 litre design that has been schemed in 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley.
First tested in 1927 at the 24 hours of Le Mans race, the 4 ½ won this endurance race in 1928 with the drivers team of Bentley chairman Woolf Barnato and Bernard Rubin.
It must be remembered that though, in a sense, the 4 ½ litre is a sports model, it is not so truly a sports model as to be outside the consideration of the average driver who wants a quiet, flexible and comfortable car. As a matter of fact, the machine is two cars in one, according to the type of driver at the wheel.“The Autocar” magazine of June 1928
Despite being five-time winner at Le Mans, Bentley, one of the most famous car manufacturers, went broke on the 10-th of July 1931.
Four months later, Rolls Royce Ltd bought the assets, and the name of Bentley was saved from extinction.
This is where the story of our Bentley 4 ½ litre, RC42, begins.
This Bentley is one of the six 4 ½ litres built in 1936 using original parts produced prior to the closure of the Bentley Cricklewood factory after the take-over by Rolls Royce in 1931 and recognised as an original vintage Bentley.
Allocated the chassis numbers RC41 - RC46, the six 4½ Litre cars were built to a highly desirable specification.
Between 1992 and 1994 this Bentley RC42 was completely rebuilt by Mark Huckle (Lincolnshire – GB) to a Le Mans body.
An apparently much appreciated restoration since the car was the Vintage Champion at the BDC 1994 Blenheim Palace Concours.
- This Bentley is well documented and registered by the Bentley Drivers Club.
- All successive owners are known between 1936 till today.
- Still matching numbers for all mechanical components exactly as the car left the RR & Bentley factory in 1936.
Interested to have a closer look at this 4 ½ litre vintage Bentley?
Come and admire this exceptional Bentley in our Knokke Experience Room until end of May 2022.