By Bentley The Mulliner division will revive the Speed Six as its second follow-up project. Announced on the sidelines in 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speedthe reborn classic car will be almost identical to the cars that won 24 hours Le Mans in 1929 and 1930.
The cars continue to be a significant source of controversy among enthusiasts; Ralph Lauren is one of the famous collectors who wrote an angry letter to Bentley after the company announced the implementation plan 12 copies of four 1929 Team Blower models. Criticisms did not reduce the model’s popularity; All 12 were sold in record time, and this success encouraged Bentley to bring the Speed Six back to life.
Why Speed Six? According to the company’s archives, it is one of the most important models in Bentley’s history, largely due to its success at Le Mans. It was an evolution of the 6½ Liter model which had a 6.5 liter inline six tuned to develop around 180 hp, a huge figure in the 1920s. It was offered with three wheelchairs, and 182 were produced between 1928 and 1930. Only a few of them were modified for racing; they were built on a 132-inch wheelbase and were powered by a 200-horsepower six-cylinder engine.
Bentley started the follow-up project by sourcing two of the original cars. One was the third of three racing at Le Mans in 1930, and it was nicknamed Old Number Three. It is in private hands. The second is a 1929 model in the automaker’s collection and has previously been fully restored. Mulliner completed a 3D CAD model of the Speed Six using those cars and period materials.
Prices for the Speed Six follow-up car start at £1.5 million, which is about $1.8 million at current exchange rates. Production was limited to 12 pieces, and collectors took the entire lot before the project was announced to the public.
Bentley will start building the first car, which is not part of 12 and will be used as a test and engineering mule, in the second half of 2022.
