Three-quarters Front-view of a Black,1937 Bentley 2-Door Drophead Coupe on display in the Paddock Area of the 2019 London Classic Car Show
The Bentley 4½ Litre was a British car based on a rolling chassis built by Bentley Motors. Walter Owen Bentley replaced the Bentley 3 Litre with a more powerful car by increasing its engine displacement to L (270 cu in). Bentley buyers used their cars for personal transport and arranged for their new chassis to be fitted with various body styles, mostly saloons or tourers. However, the publicity brought by their competition programme was invaluable for marketing Bentley's cars. At the time, noted car manufacturers such as Bugatti and Lorraine-Dietrich focused on designing cars to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a popular automotive endurance course established only a few years earlier. A victory in this competition quickly elevated any car maker's reputation. A total of 720 4½ Litre cars were produced between 1927 and 1931, including 55 cars with a supercharged engine popularly known as the Blower Bentley. A 4½ Litre Bentley won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1928. Though the supercharged 4½ Litre Bentley's competitive performance was not outstanding, it set several speed records, most famously the Bentley Blower Monoposto in 1932 at Brooklands with a recorded speed of km/h (138 mph) Although the Bentley 4½ Litre was heavy, weighing 1,625 kg (3,583 lb), and spacious, with a length of 4,380 mm (172 in) and a wheelbase of 3,302 mm ( in), it remained well-balanced and steered nimbly.[16] The manual transmission, however, required skill, as its four gears were unsynchronised.[16] The robustness of the 4½ Litre's lattice chassis,[16] made of steel and reinforced with ties,[17] was needed to support the heavy cast iron inline-four engine.[16] The engine was "resolutely modern"[10] for the time. The displacement was 4,398 cc ( cu in): 100 mm ( in) bore and 140 mm ( in) stroke. Two SU carburetters and dual ignition with Bosch magnetos were fitted.
Size: 5002px × 3459px
Location: ExCel London, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock,
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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