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A 1929 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre

This exceptional 1929 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre, which will be sold as part of the Newton House Collection on the 11th March, offers the buyer an opportunity to become part of the great British Bentley legacy


This extraordinary vehicle has had a long and exciting life. She was first supplied to Geoffrey Joel in 1929 and still retains the open touring coachwork design by Vanden Plas, of the attractive Long Bonnet shape. Joel had a close connection to Bentley from the start, not only did he finance Bentley Motors, but he was also the cousin of Woolf Barnato of “Bentley Boys” fame. The second owner was a Mr C E A Flewitt, who was known to race Bentley cars; we have a picture of him at the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb


The third owner of this 4 ½ litre was a Lt Col Mir Haider Khan, who exported the car to India. This could have been very early in its life, the car was never registered for road use in the UK, so perhaps even in the early 1930’s. It then fascinatingly disappeared for a considerable time, to be next discovered in Afghanistan in 1971, in the possession of Hassan Hamid. After some necessary restoration carried out to a very high standard in Hamid’s factory, the owner employed his friend and member of the Bentley Drivers Club, Lt T N Allan of the RAF, to drive the car back to England. After aiding the preparations of the vehicle, Mr Allan took four weeks and over 5,700 miles to complete this remarkable expedition, the car suffering no serious problems. The story is fantastic, involving Land Rover windscreen wipers, prison time and many a slow puncture. The journey is fully documented in an article in the Bentley Drivers Club Review. This achievement is a serious testament to the durability and mechanical prowess of the vehicle. Mr Allan was to comment on ‘the incredible soundness of design, the longevity and strength of W. O.’s great cars’.


Lot 1 | 1929 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre, Coachwork by Vanden Plas | Estimate: £500,000 - 700,000 | The Newton House Collection - 11th March

 

For more information, please contact William Batt