Click photo for more information.
A 1923 vintage, race winning Bentley 3-Litre with continuous vehicle history from new, and a current sixty-year ownership, is going under the hammer at H&H’s auction on 15 March at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford UK with an estimated value of £140,000 – £180,000.
The Bentley 3-Litre 90, chassis number 110, spent the first part of its life racing at Brooklands, picking up a win in a 90mph Long Handicap recording two laps at 92.23mph. It also went on to claim a third-place finish at the 35th 100 mph Short Handicap in the hands of Captain Cecil Wingfield Twisleton-Wykeham Fiennes – relative of explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and actor Ralph Fiennes.
“Very rarely do we find cars with such racing pedigree and over sixty years of continuous ownership,” comments James McWilliam, senior motorcar specialist, H&H Classics*. “From winning events at Brooklands, to eventually finding its way to an owner who has looked after ‘Wilfred’ for over sixty years, it’s a real delight to bring this car to auction.”
Only 1621 examples of the Bentley 3-Litre were built between 1921-1929. This one comes with a continuous vehicle history from new and has had numerous upgrades and restorations throughout its life – with period pictures showing chassis 110, christened ‘Wilfred’, running at Brooklands with a prominent side-exit exhaust and sans wings.
After finding success at Brooklands, the Bentley 3-Litre found its way through several owners and survived the Second World War before an accident in 1947, with enough damage to require a replacement chassis frame (ex-chassis 712). Despite having another chassis frame fitted, the original identity, that of chassis 110, was never relinquished and the car still has a number of early original features such as the switch plate (numbered 110), engine crankcase (numbered 104) and petrol tank.
‘Wilfred’ comes with an extensive vehicle history, including a copy of its original Kingsbury factory service record, and a handwritten log detailing the late 1940s rebuild. It also includes a Three Litre Bentley handbook, Technical Facts of the Vintage Bentley manual and numerous photos and receipts relating to past work – including a bodywork restoration in the 1980s and a valve gear overhaul in 2004 by Fopp d’Hane with additional focus on the magnetos, tires and carburetors.
*H&H Classics says it is the only employee owned, and longest continually trading auction house in the UK and Europe. “With centuries of collective market expertise in the automotive and classic vehicle industry, H&H Classics prides itself on delivering the highest levels of commitment and service to its buyers and sellers, ensuring an experience which is easy and enjoyable.”
During the past 30 years, H&H Classics claims it has achieved world record prices for classic motorcycles, cars, and competition cars such as a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB, 1968 Lotus 49B, 1996 Subaru Impreza WRC, as well as royal cars including Queen Elizabeth II’s Daimler, Prince Phillip’s Lagonda and Princess Anne’s Bentley. More about H&H Classics, upcoming auctions or for inquiries, see www.handh.co.uk
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Brooklands Winning 100-year-old Bentley to be Auctioned
Click photo for more information.
A 1923 vintage, race winning Bentley 3-Litre with continuous vehicle history from new, and a current sixty-year ownership, is going under the hammer at H&H’s auction on 15 March at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford UK with an estimated value of £140,000 – £180,000.
The Bentley 3-Litre 90, chassis number 110, spent the first part of its life racing at Brooklands, picking up a win in a 90mph Long Handicap recording two laps at 92.23mph. It also went on to claim a third-place finish at the 35th 100 mph Short Handicap in the hands of Captain Cecil Wingfield Twisleton-Wykeham Fiennes – relative of explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and actor Ralph Fiennes.
“Very rarely do we find cars with such racing pedigree and over sixty years of continuous ownership,” comments James McWilliam, senior motorcar specialist, H&H Classics*. “From winning events at Brooklands, to eventually finding its way to an owner who has looked after ‘Wilfred’ for over sixty years, it’s a real delight to bring this car to auction.”
Only 1621 examples of the Bentley 3-Litre were built between 1921-1929. This one comes with a continuous vehicle history from new and has had numerous upgrades and restorations throughout its life – with period pictures showing chassis 110, christened ‘Wilfred’, running at Brooklands with a prominent side-exit exhaust and sans wings.
After finding success at Brooklands, the Bentley 3-Litre found its way through several owners and survived the Second World War before an accident in 1947, with enough damage to require a replacement chassis frame (ex-chassis 712). Despite having another chassis frame fitted, the original identity, that of chassis 110, was never relinquished and the car still has a number of early original features such as the switch plate (numbered 110), engine crankcase (numbered 104) and petrol tank.
‘Wilfred’ comes with an extensive vehicle history, including a copy of its original Kingsbury factory service record, and a handwritten log detailing the late 1940s rebuild. It also includes a Three Litre Bentley handbook, Technical Facts of the Vintage Bentley manual and numerous photos and receipts relating to past work – including a bodywork restoration in the 1980s and a valve gear overhaul in 2004 by Fopp d’Hane with additional focus on the magnetos, tires and carburetors.
*H&H Classics says it is the only employee owned, and longest continually trading auction house in the UK and Europe. “With centuries of collective market expertise in the automotive and classic vehicle industry, H&H Classics prides itself on delivering the highest levels of commitment and service to its buyers and sellers, ensuring an experience which is easy and enjoyable.”
During the past 30 years, H&H Classics claims it has achieved world record prices for classic motorcycles, cars, and competition cars such as a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB, 1968 Lotus 49B, 1996 Subaru Impreza WRC, as well as royal cars including Queen Elizabeth II’s Daimler, Prince Phillip’s Lagonda and Princess Anne’s Bentley. More about H&H Classics, upcoming auctions or for inquiries, see www.handh.co.uk
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.