Bentley reveals Speed Six continuation series by Mulliner
Bentley Mulliner’s next continuation project has been revealed here at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard. It’s the return of the Speed Six after 92 years – the car that delivered Bentley’s 1929 and 1930 Le Mans wins. These will follow in the footsteps of Mulliner’s first continuation project, the Blower. Just 12 of these Speed Six continuations will be made by Mulliner, with all spoken for at a cost of £1.5million each.
To recreate this legendary pre-war Bentley racer authentically, 3D CAD models were created using the original blueprints in combination with data from a detailed analysis of two original examples. One of the three cars entered by Bentley at Le Mans in 1930, named “Old Number 3” and leant by an owner. It joined Bentley’s own Vanden Plas-style Speed Six, GU409 – a 1929 road car wearing race-spec – which will also be used for performance and handling benchmarking.
Each of the 12 continuation cars will have their 61/2-litre straight-six engines matched to that of GU 409 for comparable performance and delivery. The first test car is expected to be completed by the end of the year and will stay with Bentley once its preparation programme is complete.
“It’s vital that we protect, preserve and develop not just this important part of our heritage, but also the knowledge we’ve gained through working with these classic Bentleys,” said Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark.
“The Speed Six is one of the most important Bentleys in our 103-year history, and the 12 cars of the Continuation Series will embody the same values as W.O. Bentley’s originals, crafted by hand with the same meticulous attention both to engineering quality and to fanatical attention to detail. The lucky owners will be able to race their cars around the world, and truly relive the exploits of the original Bentley Boys.”
The story of the Speed Six at Le Mans is legend. Its 1929 victory was the definition of dominance, with the car driven by Woolf Barnato and Sir Henry Birkin leading effectively from lap one until the close, with a new lap record set along the way by Birkin and a distance record of 2,844km set overall. Three other Bentleys finished in tow, proving at the time the pace, reliability and the raceability of the marque.
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