Imagine, if you can, racing this car at Le Mans in 1929. You are doing 130MPH down the Mulsanne Straight. Your car weighs 2 and a half tons and has rod-operated drum brakes. You are driving on dirt (the circuit wasn't paved then). There's a corner coming up. And just to make things interesting, it's night. Terrifying stuff. No wonder the "Bentley Boys" are regarded as such heroes. At last night's Porsche Club meeting we were treated to a talk by one of our members. He spoke of his love of cars in general, but particularly Porsches and 'big' Bentleys. The tech specs on this car are amazing. Six and a half litres. 200BHP. Two and a half tons. Overhead cams. Four valves per cylinder. 130MPH top speed. Twin spark. Aluminium pistons. Dry sump. 44 gallon (200 litre) fuel tank. A steel chassis with a wood frame body covered in fabric. It's valued at AUD$1,500,000.00. The owner also owns the 1929 Olympia Motor Show Bentley Sedanca De Ville. He shipped that car to the UK to run in a classic rally and called in to Bentley to show them the car. They were so impressed that they offered to put the car on display in the factory museum, where it still is. The owner also has an MG TC, visible in the overhead shot, and a 911 Carrera from back in the days when the Carrera name meant something, and didn't just appear on every engine lid to leave the factory. It was a rare opportunity to see & hear this big Bentley, and when he drove it up the road it sounded like a Spitfire aircraft. Fabulous! The French quote on the brass plate is from Ettore Bugatti, who called Bentleys "The fastest trucks in the world."
