Bentley meticulously recreated its 1930 Speed Six using original design drawings
New designs for cars are flashy, shiny and manufacturers display their futuristic ideas in the form concept cars and new-generation technology. Bentley is not an exception. In the last couple of years the British luxury brand has rolled out a high-tech thermal imaging system, seats that know you’re going to sweat before you do, and a zippy V8 hybrid.
Concurrently, Bentley has been working on a time machine, faithfully and painstakingly recreating its iconic Speed Six from 1930. The car is a continuation and not a copy. This means that Bentley used the original design drawings to create it, as well as the materials they used. Woolf Barnato, the Bentley chairman at the time and three-time Le Mans winner, bet he would beat the Blue Train from Cannes to Calais in his Speed Six. Bernato, along with his co-driver Dale Bourne travelled 570 miles to beat the train from Cannes to Calais. He was so successful that he loaded the Speed Six onto the ferry and drove across the English Channel. Bernato still arrived in London four minute before the train reached Calais. The French police fined the Bentley executive later for racing on public highways. He averaged 43 miles per hours.
Unapologetically old school
Bentley says its classic Speed Six is one of the most important models in its history, as it was the winning car in the iconic Le Mans races in 1929 and 1930. The engine is a W.O.-designed 6.5-liter straight 6-cylinder. Bentley himself back in the 1920s and recreated exactly to the original specification, says Bentley’s Mike Sayer, head of product communications.
I took a spin in the Speed Six Car Zero with Sayer at the wheel; he is currently the only person cleared to drive it in the United States. It’s partly due to the fact that driving it is as different as taking a photo with an old Kodak No. 2 Brownie versus capturing a quick snap on your iPhone. Car Zero was the test car and development vehicle for a 12-car run, says Sayer. It completed over 8,000 kilometers in testing. The mule vehicle also underwent a six-hour simulation of a race and was tested at 115 mph. This is also in accordance with the period specifications.
Bentley’s Speed Six is a replica of the 1930 Le Mans winning vehicle. Image: Kristin shaw/Popular Science
“And most importantly, given that this was a Le Mans design, it was incredibly reliable.” “And most importantly, given this was a Le Mans design it was incredibly reliable.”
Building the continuation car was a multi-stage process, with six months dedicated to the research and development of the chassis and crossmembers alone.
A $2M work of art
A miniscule subsection of car collectors will own the Speed Six, a hand-built $2 million machine. It’s not surprising, given the amount of work that goes into each model. Every single Speed Six has been claimed already, with a build time of about 10 months each, and Bentley will retain Car Zero for its archives.
Eighty percent of the original drawings were provided by the WO Bentley Memorial Foundation, accompanied by mechanic’s notes outlining the modifications made between the 1929 and 1930 races. However, the attention to detail extends beyond the mechanical heart. The body is constructed in the traditional manner from ash by Lomax Coachbuilders, and then covered with a period-correct cloth stretched across the frame. Vintage Headlamp Restoration International, a father-son team, creates the round lights, while the Vintage Car Radiator Company makes the gas tank and radiator. Each customer will also be able to order a Speed Six according to their own specifications (as one would expect from a $2 million vehicle). On top of that, each customer will order a Speed Six to their own specifications (as one might expect from a $2 million vehicle).
The first build will begin in October, and all 12 are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025; each car takes 10 months to complete.
Bentley’s Speed Six continuation car is an exact reproduction of the 1930 Le Mans-winning vehicle. The 1930 Le Mans-winning car is an exact replica of Bentley’s Speed Six continuation car. Image: Kristin shaw/Popular Science
