Beschreibung:

Photo Credit: James Mann FROM THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM B. RUGER 1927 BENTLEY 6½ LITRE SHORT CHASSIS TOURER REPLICA COACHWORK IN THE STYLE OF VANDEN PLAS Chassis No. KD 2115 Engine No. KD 2110 (see text) Registration No. KO 3960 (UK) British Racing Green with tan leather interior and black soft top Engine: straight six, single overhead camshaft, 24 valves, twin SU carburetors, 6,597cc, c160bhp at 3,500rpm; Gearbox: four-speed manual; Suspension: front beam axle, rear live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs all round; Brakes: vacuum assisted four wheel drum. Right hand drive. Upon the announcement of Bentley's big six cylinder model in September 1926, The Autocar compared the four cylinder Bentley Three Litre, "a fierce little car...which does its work thoroughly at full power" to the new six cylinder which was, in contrast, always "working well within the power range, noiselessly and without effort, so that the great car is utterly deceptive in speed". When he designed his brilliant 3 litre of 1919, W.O. Bentley took as his inspiration the 1914 Mercedes and Peugeot Grand Prix cars. The result was a delectable, if rather expensive, sporting car. It was fast and strong and it rewarded drivers skilled in the use of the close-ratio gearbox. It was a great success, but its merits encouraged owners to have the chassis encumbered with weighty touring bodies instead of the light sports shells Bentley intended. Thus equipped, the 3 litre was robbed of much of its performance and character. Capt. Bentley bowed to the inevitable, adding litres and cylinders, thereby initially producing a smaller straight six of 4.2 litres which continental testing suggested hardly gave the necessary performance edge over his competitors. His subsequent six cylinder design of 6,597cc initially offered close to 150bhp. With its 24-valve cylinder head and near silent three-throw eccentric drive for the camshaft, it provided a unique combination of power, flexibility and mechanical silence. Installed in a chassis with powerful brakes and unrivaled handling, the result was one of the grandest of all grand-touring cars. KD 2115 was sold new in the UK to Mr. Martin Tomson of Kent in June 1927. A 'Standard' chassis car (although built on the very rare 11 foot short chassis length), its engine was number KD 2113, it carried a 13/46 ratio rear axle and wore Weymann patent Saloon Coupe coachwork by H.J. Mulliner. The original ledger notes as supplied by the Bentley Drivers' Club, record that the car was maintained by the factory up until the mid-1930s. Notable details on these sheets are that it had its radiator chrome plated in 1928 and had a major service/overhaul in 1930. By March 1934 it had covered nearly 30,000 miles in Mr Tomson's hands. By the late 1960s the car was in a sorry state and by this stage had acquired a rather crude and homemade open coachwork. Mr. Ian McVitie-Weston knew the rather eccentric owner who lived near Reigate in Surrey and after failing to negotiate to purchase the Bentley, he offhandedly suggested he should give the car to him, to which the owner agreed! In those days vintage Bentleys were not worth much money and for one in need of a major rebuild the price would probably not have been very substantial. Ian McVitie-Weston thus registered his ownership of the car with the Bentley Drivers' Club in 1969. He then commissioned the well-known restorer Dick Moss of Four Ashes Garage to build a new period style fabric tourer body and rebuild the Bentley mechanically to Speed Six specifications. At some stage during its life this car seems to have lost its original engine KD 2113, however its replacement is just three serial numbers apart, KD 2110. The work undertaken by Dick Moss occurred over a long period of time and the beautiful finished product has changed little since then. This new three door coachwork appears to have been constructed to a high standard and is replete with period instrumentation including a Jaeger 8 day clock, re