Bentley Putting Depression Era Darling Back Into Production
Even if antique autos aren’t your jam, you’ve probably heard of the Blower Bentley. It’s the exceptionally rare racing variant of the brand’s pre-war 4½ Litre model. While perhaps not as iconic as the 6½ Litre/Speed Six, the Blower has become prominent for its ultra-thirsty, persnickety powertrain and straight-line performance. By attaching a Roots-style supercharger to the engine, Bentley turned the standard 4½ Litre into an absolute freight train. Upon seeing it in action, Ettore Bugatti famously referred to the gigantic car as “the fastest lorry in the world.”
Seemingly inspired by other British manufacturers’ recent foray into continuation vehicles, Bentley has decided to rerelease the 1929 Team Blower for a limited production run. Like Jaguar’s XKSS and D-Type, as well as Aston Martin’s DB4 GT, the Bentley will be recreated as painstakingly close to the original as possible.
Racing versions of the Blower Bentley yielded 240 hp, which turned out to be more than its successor — the aforementioned Speed Six — could manage in any format. However, reliability issues created by more than doubling the 4½ Litre’s power output kept its drivers from spending any time atop a post-race podium. The car never managed to win 24 Hours of Le Mans, despite that being its sole purpose for existing. That has not, however, kept the model from being a highly coveted collectors’ car. Whereas naturally aspirated versions of the 4½ Litre sometimes fetch over $1 million at auction, Blower models can sextuple that price.
Bentley said prices will be furnished upon application but it’ll be too rich for you unless you also happen to have a private jet at your disposal. The automaker only plans on building 12 examples of the car, which it said would take the firm’s coachwork division (Mulliner) at least 2 years to complete. Depending upon where you live, you can get stellar knockoff versions of the 4½ Litre (including the Blower version) for roughly the same price as a Ferrari 812 Superfast or two — and with more modern/reliable hardware. But it won’t have Bentley’s seal of approval or perfectly match the look and feel of the original. That’s a privilege you’ll likely have to pay quite a bit extra for.
That puts us out of the running, not that Bentley would sell us the supercharged behemoth even if we actually had the necessary cash. But it’s nice to see so many long-lived nameplates interested in maintaining their heritage, even if it’s multi-millionaires who exclusively get to enjoy the end result. Perhaps we’ll still get to see the supercharged 4½ occupying the occasional high-end automotive event. Even catching one continuation Blower Bentley up close will trump this author’s previous experience with the model and, considering my automotive knowledge really starts to break down a few years before World War II, I could enjoy that moment without nit picking any minor gaps in its historic authenticity.
Fortunately for pre-war auto nuts, we doubt Bentley will leave many inconstancies to fret over. The company is pulling out all the stops for its 100th birthday and wants to make sure the amped-up 4½ Litre’s recreation is absolutely perfect.
[Images: Bentley]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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There is an Argentinian company, Pur Sang, doing this for Bugatti Type35s. They started as restoration specialists and found enough of a market to locally produce the entire car, from tires on up, in a manner similar to what Bugatti did almost a century ago. The only difference is better metallurgy for the engine and standard main bearings rather than the original needle bearings that wore out every few thousand miles. IIRC, a few years ago, they were a bargain at $250K. Leno has one.
So what is the rule on these continuation cars...How old do they have to be. For example, I have no interest in pre war Bentleys, but if GM built some "new" third gen IROC-Z's I would be inclined to put on my Van Halen shirt and write a massively to big of a number for such a car check. Or a real Fox Body Mustang LX. Given where numbers are for FD RX-7s, Type R Integras, and MK IV Supras, how much could their respective manufacturers get for limited runs.