Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) NotaMog...BUT..?

Thanks chaps!

The ultimate (can you say the "Rolls Royce" of Bentley books ... no, of course not!) ... let's say the definitive work of reference is Clare Hay's "Bentley - The Vintage Years", which details the known history of every W.O. Bentley chassis. The 3rd and most recent edition costs £400! I long harboured an ambition to own a copy but even the previous editions fetch 3 figure sums when they turn up so I doubt I ever will. In the meantime, I content myself with regular browsing of vintagebentleys.org which contains a lot of the same information.

Hay is the acknowledged marque guru and was an expert witness in the Brewer v Stanley Mann trial.

"Full Throttle" is a very entertaining read, at a much more accessible price. It was dramatised by the BBC some years ago with Rowan Atkinson as Birkin.

What a wonderful thread about Bentleys.
My late father always admired them, but as he said ‘my pre-war budget only extended to a Gordon England Austin 7’
I was lucky enough to get my first, post-college employment with a relatively small company, with a history in the motor industry.
My boss was related to the founder, was an enthusiast and a delightful man,
Amongst his small collection of cars and bikes was a Bentley 3 litre ‘sloper’
On a sunny day, he would drive it the 25 miles from his home to the office,
A lunchtime trip to the pub was occasionally on the agenda.
Glorious car, which he used and which showed its patina.
I’ve loved 3 litre Bentleys ever since.


Bud
4/4 - Stanley

Mr Wegg, I hoped you might be the one to throw a little light on the matter relating to Bentleys.... Thanks.

Also thanks for posting the URL to the wonderfully detailed Bentley web sight Ian, I suspect I will enjoy spending time perusing it`s content.

Having just watched a vid on an Series One E Type Jag supposedly a recent product of the Jaguar works and available for circa £300k, or a Helm restomod of the same year/model model E for £400k +vat.... Or pick a similar value Vintage Bentley Hmm..?

Fortunately, not a decision I have to make, my hand-built alloy bodied three and a half litre Morgan +8 has provided me with a goodly proportion of pseudo vintage driving emotions over many a mile and without bursting the bank, what`s more to want..

Bud, thanks for taking the time to share your Bentley story.. I am pleased you enjoyed the thread.

I've got a few Bentley books on the older models. Not sure how easy it would be to find copies now but I can recommend them all.

Bentley - The Vintage Years 1919-1931 by Michael Hay. A very detailed reference work. Everything you need to know.
Bentley - 50 Years of the Marque by Johnnie Green - A fair bit on the Vintage stuff and used to be quite a sought after tome.
The Other Bentley Boys by Elizabeth Nagle - Behind the scenes with the Vintage Bentley Racing Teams.

Thanks for that! All available on abebooks.co.uk at the moment.

I would add to mph's list:

"A Pride of Bentleys" by John Adams and Ray Roberts.

This is a similar format to the Johnnie Green book in that it details a number of specific cars, but covers fewer models in greater detail and with superb colour photographs. Both "Pride" and "50 Years" cover the full Bentley years (up to their publication dates) but over half of each book is dedicated to the vintage ("W.O.") period 1921-1931.

As I mentioned earlier, the Hay book is the definitive work but prices are eye-watering. Even the "standard" first edition (published by Dalton Watson) is about £150 while the "deluxe" version (limited to 200 signed copies) command high prices, curiously well more than the latest version (Bonhams sold one at a Goodwood auction for over £1000), I can only assume it's because of the magic words "first edition". I see Abe have a deluxe 2nd edition for £450, which makes no sense as it is neither a desirable first edition nor a much-improved 3rd, and makes the latest tome at £400 (also signed by the author*) look like a bargain.
*The author, for those not aware, is the same for all three editions. Dr. Hay produced the first book at the tender age of 23 and has had a change of name in the intervening years.

Luddite - I always enjoy a Bentley discussion. My love for the W.O. cars goes back further than I can remember but I suspect has its genesis in a certain Mr John Steed. My 4/4 is probably as close as I will ever get to Bentley motoring but is good enough for me and my wallet.