Bentley 4½ Litre
| Bentley 4½ Litre | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Bentley Motors Limited |
| Production |
|
| Assembly | Cricklewood, UK |
| Designer | Walter Owen Bentley |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Sports car chassis |
| Body style | as arranged with coachbuilder by customer |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related | Blower Bentley (supercharged model) |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
|
| Transmission | 4-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase |
|
| Length | 4,380 mm (172.4 in) |
| Width | 1,740 mm (68.5 in) |
| Kerb weight |
|
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Bentley 3 Litre |
| Successor | Bentley 6.5 Litre |
The Bentley 4½ Litre was a British car based on a rolling chassis built by Bentley Motors.Walter Owen Bentley replaced the Bentley 3 Litre with a more powerful car by increasing its engine displacement to 4.4 L (270 cu in).
Bentley buyers used their cars for personal transport and arranged for their new chassis to be fitted with various body styles, mostly saloons or tourers. However, the publicity brought by their competition programme was invaluable for marketing Bentley's cars.
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 cars were produced between 1927 and 1931, including 55 cars with a supercharged engine popularly known as the Blower Bentley. A 4½ Litre Bentley won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1928. Though the supercharged 4½ Litre Bentley's competitive performance was not outstanding, it set several speed records, most famously in 1932 at Brooklands with a recorded speed of 222.03 km/h (138 mph).
The 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race is a 24-hour race around the Circuit de la Sarthe. The inaugural race was held 26–27 May 1923, and attracted many drivers, mostly French. 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," 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. 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.
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Wikipedia