Bentley Motors competed in the 2013 Mille Miglia with two
unique 4 1/2 Litre Supercharged “Blowers” – a 1930 Le Mans race car belonging
to perhaps the most famous and daring of the Bentley Boys and a company
demonstrator that is still going strong even after nine decades on the road.
The No. 2 Team Car – raced at Le Mans by Captain Tim Birkin
– was brought by Bentley Motors in 2000 and has been regularly campaigned
across the world by the company ever since.
Richard Charlesworth, Bentley’s Director of Royal and VIP
Relations, who has helped prepare the car for its third Mille Miglia challenge
at Bentley’s Crewe headquarters, explains, “This is a fantastic car to drive
and remains extremely rapid as well. We take great pride in making sure all the
cars Bentley owns continue to regularly compete or run and are not museum
exhibits, which is very much the Bentley way, and we are all looking forward to
the unique Mille Miglia experience.”
The car is perhaps best known for its epic duel with a 7
litre ‘Kompressor’ Mercedes (also supercharged) at Le Mans in 1930 with Birkin
putting his off-side wheels on the grass as he completed a typically daring
pass of his Mercedes opponent Rudolf Caracciola at 120mph. The Blower
immediately threw one of its rear tyre treads, but somehow Birkin carried on to
set the fastest lap.
Sadly Birkin’s campaign ended after 82 laps but the immense
pressure he applied to the Mercedes is wildly credited with assisting his
fellow Bentley Boys Woolf Barnato and Glenn Kidston to win the race in their
Bentley Speed Six.
The second Bentley Blower that participated in the 2013
Mille Miglia was completed in 1930 and is fitted with a Vanden Plas Open,
Sports Four Seater body. It was owned by Bentley Motors as a customer
demonstrator car before passing into private ownership. An early review praised
it as, “a car with the strongest possible individuality and it is certain that
it is immensely likeable no matter what angle one may regard it.”
Repurchased by Bentley Motors in 1997, the car turns heads
at Bentley customer events across the world and is still faithfully fulfilling
demonstration rides well into its ninth decade.
“There are currently over 100,000 miles on this elegant Blower
Bentley but we’re certain it has completed many more than this. However,
everyone at Bentley is confident the car will run for many, many years to
come,” commented Charlesworth.
[Source: Bentley]
No comments:
Post a Comment