Lot details
Registration No: KU 5705
Chassis No: 954
Mot Expiry: June 2009

"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.

The registration number 'KU 5705' was first issued to a Long Standard Chassis Bentley 3-Litre in March 1925 (Chassis Number '954'). Supplied new to a Miss F.E. Ingelby and bodied as a Vanden Plas 4 / 5 seater Tourer the car was involved in a serious accident many years ago. In his book 'Bentley, The Vintage Years 1919 - 1931', Michael Hay states 'KU 5705' was scrapped and that its chassis used to repair another smashed-up 3-Litre, 'YX 5984' (Chassis Number 'DN1729'). However, the vendor believes part of chassis '954' was mothballed until recently and that it forms the basis of the reincarnated 'KU 5705' (citing a chassis stamping as proof).

We have not compared 'YX 5984' and 'KU 5705' side by side, nor would we pretend to be in a position to authenticate the chassis of either one. The Bentley that we are offering for sale here today is (a) accompanied by a V5C registration document issued to '954' and (b) carries the UK registration number, 'KU 5705'. Regardless of the exact provenance of its chassis, the four-seater has recently benefited from a painstaking restoration. Sitting on a shortened 'Red Label'-esque 9ft 9.5in wheelbase, its Boat-Tail body is said to have been "acquired from another 3-Litre at enormous expense".

Adding a touch of glamour, the engine now fitted to 'KU 5705' began life in the ex-Brooklands Fire Tender / ex-A.F.C. Hillstead 3-Litre 'EC 5874'. While, renowned Bentley racer / restorer Russell 'Rusty' Turner supplied the aluminium back axle. Finished in green with red leather upholstery, 'KU 5705' is described by the vendor as being in "very good overall" condition. Sporting a new radiator, the four-seater is still in the process of being run-in having covered circa 300 miles since its major mechanical components were refurbished. Like many a W.O. Bentley, 'KU 5705' has rather a chequered past. Something akin to the proverbial 'woodman's axe', this rejuvenated 3-Litre is nonetheless 'on the button' and offered for sale with MOT certificate valid until June 2009.