Lot details
Registration No: CF 5654
Chassis No: 747
Mot Expiry: Exempt

- Exceptionally elegant four-seater Doctor's Coupe coachwork and sibling to the 1926 Motor Show car

- First owned by F.W. Rhodes Esq of Dalham Hall, Newmarket whose uncle was the British Imperialist, diamond mining magnate and politician Cecil Rhodes

- Restored during the 1980s and sympathetically uprated for long distance touring (4.5 Litre steering box, Speed Model crown wheel and pinion, full flow oil filter etc)

"It was not the means whereby the 3-Litre Bentley performed, but the manner in which it did it, that endeared the car to sportsmen who took pride in their driving. The engine was remarkably flexible, strong and reliable, the gear ratios admirably chosen, the handling excellent and the quality unremittingly high. So, also, was the price, but an ever-growing reputation, augmented by striking racing victories - including the Le Mans 24 hours of 1924 and 1927 - ensured its success" ('Classic Sports Cars' by Cyril Posthumus and David Hodges).

A railway engineering apprentice turned aero engine designer, Walter Owen Bentley previewed his first creation, the immortal 3-Litre, at the October 1919 London Motor Show (though, he would not deem it production ready for another two years). Inspired by a 1914 Humber TT racer, the newcomer's ladder-frame chassis was equipped with all-round semi-elliptic leaf-sprung suspension and rear-wheel drum brakes (four-wheel brakes becoming the norm from 1924 onwards). The car's heart and most advanced feature was its 2996cc engine. A long-stroke four-cylinder (80mm x 149mm) that prioritized torque over top-end power, it boasted a five-bearing crankshaft, shaft-driven overhead camshaft, monobloc construction, twin ignition, four valves per cylinder and aluminium pistons.

Developing between 65bhp and 88bhp, the unit was allied to a separate four-speed gate-change gearbox. Supplied in bare chassis guise only, albeit with a choice of wheelbase lengths and engine tune, the 3-Litre remained in production until 1929 by which time some 1,621 are thought to have been made. As well as its two Le Mans victories, the Bentley enjoyed considerable success at Brooklands and even broke the 24-hour world record around Montlhery setting a 95mph average speed.

A real rarity in W.O. Bentley circles, this magnificent 3 Litre model retains its original chassis, engine (or parts thereof), registration number and coachwork. Crafted by H.J. Mulliner, the latter was not only beautifully proportioned but also featured triple-hinged doors, four retractable glass side windows (a real luxury for an open car at the time) and a snug fitting convertible hood. The ease with which its roof could be raised and lowered was purportedly the reason that H.J. Mulliner referred to the 2+2-seater as a 'Simplex Coupe'. Indeed, the London firm was proud enough of the design to exhibit a similarly bodied W.O. Bentley at the 1926 Motor Show.

Road registered by West Suffolk County Council as 'CF 5654' in late 1924, chassis 747 was supplied new via Gaffikin Wilkinson & Co of Dover Street London, W1 to F.W. Rhodes Esq. of Dalham Hall, Newmarket. The 3,475-acre estate had been bought some twenty-three years earlier by the British Imperialist, diamond mining magnate and politician Cecil Rhodes due to its super abundant nye of pheasants. The De Beers founder died before taking up residence but decreed in his will that Dalham Hall should pass to his brothers Colonel Francis Rhodes and Captain Ernest Frederick Rhodes and their male heirs. Having satisfied his uncle's desire that he be in gainful employment and not a 'loafer', F.W. Rhodes Esq was certainly able to afford the very best that money could buy.

According to its accompanying copy factory service record, the Bentley was acquired by C. Warwick Esq. of Walmar, Beech Hill Park, Hadley Wood during 1927. Thereafter, the 3 Litre is known to have passed to D. MacGregor Esq., C. Ide Esq., J. Royds Esq., F.C. Butterworth Esq., J.E. Walsh Esq., J. Ellis Esq., J.M.P. Ott Esq., B. Mather Esq., K.W. Tams Esq., R. Miles Esq., R. Brown Esq. and A. Singer Esq. before entering the current ownership in 2010. At some stage the lid of the dickey seat aperture was reversed to provide a lockable boot and a rear bench added to the main cabin (thankfully these alterations did not involve any structural work or compromise the hood mechanism).

Extensively restored between 1984 and 1988 whilst in Mr Tams' custody, the Bentley had its ash frame and aluminium bodywork refurbished prior to being repainted in Ivory over Black. New Green Connolly leather upholstery was fitted together with matching carpets and the original engine thoroughly overhauled by Brunts of Silverdale (nominal crankshaft regrind, camshaft reprofiled, block bored, fresh pistons and new white metal bearings etc).

A specification sheet on file from then custodian Robert Miles which was compiled circa 2001 declares that the Bentley sported 'a BM2391 camshaft with the rear bearing modification, B-type four-speed manual gearbox, reconditioned 3.785 (Speed Model) crown wheel and pinion, new 4.5 Litre-type water pump (with the pump drive gear running in an oil bath), negative earth electrics, Kenlowe fan, Smiths five-jet carburettor, modern full flow oil filter conversion, 4.5 Litre steering box (very desirable), replacement main thrust bearing, Stage II Perrot shafts and modern oil seals for the half shafts' extremities'. Mr Miles who completed a 3,500-mile tour of New Zealand with the Bentley Drivers' Club aboard 'CF 5654' in 1999 described it as 'quite the most comfortable, practical and charming car I have owned in forty-five years of Vintage motoring'.

Entrusted to Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialists Sargeants of Goudhurst for maintenance by Robert Brown, the 3 Litre has since been looked after by Stuart Fearnside on behalf of both Adam Singer and the vendor. Highly respected in W.O. circles, Mr Fearnside spent many years working for renowned marque specialist Stanley Mann before establishing F.S. Racing with Joe Singer (Adam Singer's son). Enjoyed by Mr Singer and the vendor on numerous BDC events in the UK and overseas including the 2014 North America Vintage Bentley Meet, the Drophead Coupe carries both magneto and coil ignition. Listed in the seminal book 'Bentley: The Vintage Years' as: 'Reconditioned for resale Bentley Motors Ltd. Still fitted original body', the 2+2-seater started readily upon inspection. The inner face of the chassis' nearside front dumb iron and front cross member are stamped with '747', the engine carries '756' and '726' stampings (engine number 726 was originally installed in another 3 Litre chassis 714) and the back axle nose piece is reportedly stamped '747'.

One of Britain's foremost coachbuilders, H.J. Mulliner has been ranked alongside Gurney Nutting for the elegance of its designs and deemed second only to Hooper in terms of build quality. Interestingly, another 'Simplex' bodied W.O. Bentley - a 6.5 Litre car (chassis TB2542) - was displayed at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance its 11ft wheelbase being a close match for chassis 747's 10ft 10in one. Said to be in rude mechanical health and highly presentable for a thirty-year old restoration, 'CF 5654' is worthy of close inspection and a real jewel among surviving 3 Litres.