Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 


Bentley Blower rides again! Image by Bentley UK.

Bentley Blower rides again!
Bentley’s Mulliner division to rebuild 12 Continuation versions of the 1929 4.5-litre Birkin Blower.
<< earlier Bentley article     later Bentley article >>

 


News homepage -> Bentley news

Bentley is going to revive the legendary 'Blower' of 1929, driven by Sir Tim Birkin, for a 12-off run of Continuation cars. Birkin, one of antiquity's Bentley Boys, had four 4.5-litre Blowers built in the 1920s, which competed in three European races - perhaps most famously at Le Mans, paving the way for Bentley's factory victory in 1930 with the Speed Six. So, four times three equals 12, hence why Bentley has chosen this number for the new project. Mulliner, its coachbuilding and bespokery department, will carry out the hand-building work in a two-year process, and to get the blueprints right Bentley has made a daring decision: it's going to dismantle its own example of an original Blower. Yes, there were only ever four in existence and Bentley has chassis number 3403, which is still regularly used - it has been to California, the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Mille Miglia this year. However, Mulliner will carefully disassemble No.3403 and then 3D-scan and catalogue every part, to build up a digital model of the componentry. Once it has those, 12 sets of parts will be created using the original 1920s moulds and tooling jigs, and then Mulliner will start building the 12 Continuations... as well as putting 3403 back together and restoring it in the process. Bentley says the Continuations will be 'mechanically, aesthetically and spiritually identical' to the originals, with only a few hidden changes to meet modern-day safety regs. For fans of the Blower, each continuation car will have the correct 4,398cc four-cylinder, 16-valve engine with an exact-replica Amherst Villiers MkIV Roots-type blower, leading to roughly 245hp at 4,200rpm. The body will be a pressed steel frame, with half-elliptic leaf-spring suspension and copies of Bentley & Draper dampers. Bentley-Perrot 17.75-inch mechanical drum brakes will be recreated, while the steering is a worm-and-sector set-up. The price for each of these Continuation Blowers? Well, it's 'on application', which means you probably can't afford it...



Matt Robinson - 9 Sep 2019


2019 Bentley Blower Continuation. Image by Bentley UK.2019 Bentley Blower Continuation. Image by Bentley UK.2019 Bentley Blower Continuation. Image by Bentley UK.2019 Bentley Blower Continuation. Image by Bentley UK.2019 Bentley Blower Continuation. Image by Bentley UK.

2019 Bentley Blower Continuation. Image by Bentley UK.2019 Bentley Blower Continuation. Image by Bentley UK.   








www.bentley.co.uk    - Bentley road tests
- Bentley news
- Blower images






'Blower' Bentley returns to racing. Image by Bentley.
Bentley Blower Continuation Series
The Blower Continuation Series has been created specially for the reborn 1929 Bentley
 
Bentley unveils one-off car to celebrate R-Type Continental’s 70th. Image by Bentley.
2023 Bentley Continental GT Azure R-Type 70th Anniversary
Bentley has revealed a one-off Continental that celebrates a very special Conti’s 70th birthday.
Bentley celebrates 2020 Bathurst win with pair of specially commissioned one-off Continentals. Image by Bentley.
2023 Bentley Continental GT S Bathurst Editions
Mulliner and Bentley Sydney have teamed up to create two special Bentley Continentals that celebrate the brand’s 2020 Bathurst 12 Hours GT3 win.

 
 215 Racing
 9ff
 A. Kahn Design
 Abarth
 Abt
 AC Cars
 AC Schnitzer
 Acura
 Aehra
 AIM
 Alfa Romeo
 Alpina
 Alpine
 Amari
 APS Sportec
 Arash
 Arden
 Ares
 Ariel
 Arrinera
 Artega
 Ascari
 Aston Martin
 Atalanta
 Atomik
 Audi
 Austin
 Auto Union
 Autodelta
 Autofarm
 Autosport
 AVA
 Avatar
 Axon
 Aznom
 BAC
 BAIC
 Bentley
 Bertone
 Bizzarrini
 Bloodhound
 Bluebird
 BMW
 Bosch
 Bowler
 Brabham
 Brabus
 Breckland
 Bridgestone
 Brilliance
 Bristol
 Bugatti
 Buick
 Burton
 BYD
 Cadillac
 Callaway
 Callum
 Caparo
 Capstone
 Carlsson
 Caterham
 CCG
 Chang'an
 Changfeng
 Chevrolet
 Chevron
 Chongfeng
 Chrysler
 Citroen
 Climax
 Connaught
 Cooper Tires
 Corvette
 Cummins
 Cupra
 Dacia
 Daewoo
 Daihatsu
 Daimler
 Dartz
 Datsun
 David Brown
 David Brown Automotive
 DDR
 De Tomaso
 Delta
 Detroit Electric
 Devon
 Dodge
 Donkervoort
 Drayson
 DS
 Eagle
 Eagle E-type
 EDAG
 edo competition
 Eterniti
 Everrati
 Evisol
 Exagon
 FAB Design

 
 Factory Five
 Faralli & Mazzanti
 Fenix
 Fenomenon
 Ferrari
 Fiat
 Fisker
 Ford
 G-Power
 Geely
 Gemballa
 General Motors
 Genesis
 Ginetta
 Giugiaro
 Glickenhaus
 GMC
 Goodwood
 Google
 Gordon Murray
 Gordon Murray Automotive
 Gordon Murray Design
 Gray Design
 Great Wall
 GTA
 GTM
 Gumpert
 Hamann
 Hartge
 HBH
 Heffner Performance
 Hennessey
 HERE
 HiPhi
 Holden
 Honda
 Hulme
 Hummer
 Hyundai
 I.D.E.A
 Icona
 IFR
 Infiniti
 Ionity
 Isis
 JAC
 Jaguar
 Jeep
 Jensen
 Jetstream
 JJAD
 Joss Developments
 Kahn
 Kamala
 Keating
 Kia
 Koenigsegg
 KTM
 Kumho
 Lada
 Lagonda
 Lamborghini
 Lancia
 Land Rover
 Lexus
 Liberty
 Lightning
 Lincoln
 Lister
 Loma Performance
 Lorinser
 Lotus
 LupiniPower
 Luxgen
 Mahindra
 Mansory
 Maserati
 Mastretta
 Maybach
 Mazda
 McLaren
 Mercedes
 Mercedes-AMG
 Mercedes-Benz
 Mercedes-Maybach
 Mercury
 Metrocab
 MG
 Michelin
 MINI
 Mitsubishi
 MMI
 Monte Carlo
 Mopar
 Morgan
 Mosler
 MTM
 Munro
 NAC MG
 Nichols Cars
 Nissan
 NLV

 
 Noble
 Novitec
 Opel
 Overfinch
 Pagani
 Perodua
 Peugeot
 Piaggio
 Pininfarina
 Polestar
 Pontiac
 Porsche
 Praga
 Preview
 Prodrive
 Project Runningblade
 Project Velocity
 Proton
 Protoscar
 Qoros
 Radical
 Range Rover
 Red Bull
 Renault
 Reva
 Rimac
 Rinspeed
 RoadRazer
 Rolls-Royce
 Ronn Motor Company
 Rover
 RUF
 Saab
 SAIC
 Saleen
 Saturn
 Scagliarini
 SCG
 Scion
 SDR Sportscars
 SEAT
 Sin
 Singer
 Skoda
 Smart
 Soleil
 Spada
 speedArt
 Sportec
 Spyker
 SRT
 Ssangyong
 SSC
 Startech
 STaSIS
 Subaru
 Suzuki
 Suzusho
 TAD
 Tamiya
 Tata
 Techart
 Tesla
 The Little Car Company
 THINK
 Thunder Power
 Tojeiro
 Tommy Kaira
 TomTom
 Toray
 Toyota
 Trabant
 TranStar
 Trident
 Tushek
 TVR
 UKCOTY
 Vanda Electrics
 Vauxhall
 Velozzi
 Vencer
 Venturi
 Veritas
 Vizualtech
 VL Automotive
 Volkswagen
 Volvo
 VUHL
 WCA
 WCotY
 Webasto
 Westfield
 Wiesmann
 Xenatec
 Yamaha
 Zagato
 Zarooq
 Zeekr
 Zenos
 Zenvo



 
 






External links:   | Irish Car Market News |

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©