This Standard bodied Continental Saloon by Park Ward was purchased by the current owners in 1990 from the third owner, a mr. Samson from Edinburgh and has remained in commission ever since.
In 1995 a partial restoration was carried out, the front axle, brakes and kingpins receiving attention while the engine was overhauled. In 2001 the interior has been completely refurbished.
Finished in Black with Black leather upholstery and matching carpets, the car is described as in outstanding condition, very reliable and driving well.
Offered for sale in order to make place for an older Bentley she comes with original instruction book, old-style logbook and restoration invoices.
Although Rolls-Royce's acquisition of Bentley Motors in 1931 robbed the latter of its independence, it did at least ensure the survival of the Bentley name.
Launched in 1933, the first of the Derby Bentleys, as they would come to be known, continued the marque's sporting associations but in a manner even more refined than before. Even W.O Bentley himself acknowledged that the 3½-Litre model was the finest ever to bear his name.
Based on the contemporary Rolls-Royce 20/25hp, the 3½-Litre Bentley was slightly shorter in the wheelbase and employed a tuned 115bhp twin-SU-carburettor version of the former's overhead-valve six.
Add to this already remarkable package an all-synchromesh four-speed gearbox and servo assisted brakes, and the result was a vehicle offering the driver effortless sportscar performance in almost absolute silence.
The Silent Sports Car, as it was swiftly dubbed, had few peers as a tireless long-distance tourer, combining as it did traditional Rolls-Royce refinement with Bentley performance and handling.
The Derby Bentley was, of course, an exclusively coachbuilt automobile and as befitted its sporting nature was almost always fitted with owner-driver saloon or drophead coupé coachwork, the standard designs being the work of Park Ward.
Of the 2,442 examples manufactured including the subsequent 4¼-Litre model almost 50% were bodied by the respected London-based firm.
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