- Make: Bentley
- Model: 3 1/2 Litre 3 position drophead.
- Year: 1934
- Price: £78,500
1934 Derby Bentley 3 1/2 Litre 3 position drophead with coachwork by Swallow of Jaguar fame!! Chassis number B-97-BL
A stunning & rare car. Originally ordered in 1934 by one Major Burman as a Hooper saloon & shipped to India. The car was repatriated to the UK immediately after the war & in the late 1940s sent to Swallow car bodies where its current body was fitted.
The body is a 3 position drop-head & is pure elegance. It is beautifully proportioned with a slightly over-long bonnet, that accentuates the car's already rakish lines. Indeed the bonnet is so long that the engine fan has a spindle extansion to move it away from the engine & closer to the radiator!
The body is resplendent in black over burgundy. The paintwork is in very good order, & as we write the car is at the painters to have a few minor chips etc attended to.
The roof was replaced just a few years ago; is mohair & is in perfect condition. It may be used fully closed,with just the front portion rolled back & furled, or fully down in convertible mode. Raising & lowering is a two minute one man affair. Stylish pram irons are mounted to either side of the hood.
The interior is beautifully original with patinated but excellent faded red leather to the front & rear seats. The door panels are from the same, & have a lovely art deco motif pattern to them. The side stripes were re-chromed along with the bumpers, & assorted other items. The wheel discs were also re-enamelled. The boot is quite commodious & finished in red carpet. To the inside of the boot is the tool drawer, located in a recessed compartment in the boot lid.
Under the bonnet the engine bay is tidy. The engine benefitted from a major rebuild in 2002, when the crank shaft was line bored. New pistons, valves etc were also fitted, with the car not having covered many miles since. The engine starts readily & settles down to an even idle. On the road it pulls strongly in all gears & is more than able to keep pace with modern traffic.
The car has been the property of the last owner for 2 decades where it has been sparingly used, mostly for a yearly trip to France. Care has been lavished upon it, resulting in it being in the wonderful condition we find it in today.
