OLDTIMER GARAGE AUSTRALIA P/L

Details:
Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale this very elegant 1935 Bentley 3½ Litre E Series Sports Tourer.
The build sheets on file show the rolling chassis was on test on the 15th June 1935 and delivered on 24th June 1935 to Lillie Hall ready for the body to be fitted. The car was fitted with a Thrupp & Maberly four door sports saloon body and Rudge-Withworth wire wheels. The delivery date for the completed car was the 29th August 1935.
The cars first owner was Walford Turner Esq. from Birmingham, UK. There are a few subsequent owners mentioned on the build sheet, the last one being DA Claxton from Havant in South East Hampshire in the UK. He acquired the car on 6th October 1959.
At some stage the car found its way to the USA where it was acquired by the father of the current owner in December 1987. He acquired the car from Cyril A Conrad in La Jolla, California. There is a Californian registration card in his name on file for the car. At that time the car was tired and in need of a restoration. It was then shipped to Australia, arriving here in February 1988.
Upon arrival in Australia the car was assessed and the original body was found to be in poor condition. The owner had kept a photo of a Bentley 3½ Litre fitted with a Vanden Plas Sports Tourer body and quickly decided that he would rebody his car in that style rather than rebuild the existing Thrupp & Maberly body.
The original body was removed from the chassis and the car was completely disassembled for a ground up restoration. The first job was to strip and repaint the chassis. Next, the engine, gearbox and differential were sent to Bruce Ross Automotive in Pennant Hills, Sydney to be overhauled.
The next challenge was to find the right person to build the new body for the car. The owner knew Geoff Smedley from well respected restoration shop Classic Cars in Launceston who was working on a similar project at the time. He contacted him to see if he was interested in building the body for his car. Smedley accepted the challenge. The rolling chassis, engine, gearbox, differential, wheels, fuel tank and othere parts were all shipped to Launceston and Smedley started his work creating the Vanden Plas tourer body for the car. By June 1992 the restoration was completed. The end result was stunning.
The car has remained in the same family ever since.
There were some complications with the engine that necessitated a rebuild in 2008. That work was carried out by Bargwanna & Sons in Como south of Sydney. At that time a new engine block was sourced and installed. Subsequently, the cylinder head was also replaced.
Post restoration the car was used and enjoyed, however, in recent times it has been used sparingly. Importantly, this car has always been regularly maintained, mostly in house, by its knowledgeable and experienced owners.
Although this car was restored 30 plus years ago, it still presents and drives beautifully today. This is a testament to the quality of the restoration and how the car has been subsequently cared for. This Bentley 3½ Litre is presented in a shade of Bentley green, with black guards and a red interior, a colour combination that suits the car very well. The body is a work of art and it remains tight with excellent panel gaps all around. Everything opens and closes easily and the doors have not sagged. The paint work has withstood the test of time and the quality of the body and paint ooze that old school craftsmanship. The paint has retained its deep gloss finish and strong depth of colour. You would not believe the car was painted in the early nineties. Yes, if you look up close you will notice a few very minor imperfections and the odd stone chip.
You cannot miss the bright work on this car especially the big headlights and grill with the iconic Bentley badge at the front. The chrome work is generally in good condition. The lights, horns, windscreen surround and the grill are all in good condition. The bumpers are showing some light pitting and minor flaking in certain areas.
Like the exterior of this car, the interior is also beautifully preserved. The red upholstery presents really well. The leather seats are in very good condition with no rips or tears evident. They are firm and quite comfortable. The red carpets also present well. The wooden dashboard is a real feature and all the instruments are clear and in good condition. On our test drive they were all working as they should.
Out on the road this car is an absolute delight to drive. In fact, this Bentley is one of the most impressive prewar cars to drive that we have had the pleasure to offer for sale in a long time. The car starts easily, even from cold. The starting procedure is simple . . . turn the ignition on, advance the hand throttle a touch, retard the ignition, set the choke to the start position and press the starter button. Bam . . . the engine starts immediately. After following the starting instructions we patiently wait for the engine to warm up before we edge the car out into the traffic. It immediately becomes obvious that this car has a presence. We are getting a lot of thumbs up from both pedestrians and other drivers.
This car is surprisingly easy to drive, especially when you consider that you are driving a 90 year old car. The engine ticks over like a Swiss watch and it has more than enough power on tap to keep up with modern traffic. The four speed gearbox only has synchros on third and fourth gear, so you have to be considered when using first and second gear. The reality is that first and second gear are only required when taking off from a standing start. If slowing down the engine has more than enough torque to pull the car from a low speed in third gear. You very quickly master the gear changes, which are unexpectedly smooth and precise both up and down the box. The steering is also precise and quite direct. It is not as heavy as one might expect. The mechanical brakes have a good feel and pull the car up easily and in a straight line when needed. On our test drive the ambient temperature was around 30 degrees Celsius. Importantly, all the vitals were all very good. The temperature gauge stayed between70 and 80 degrees Celsius the whole time and the oil pressure stayed around 25 psi.
Accompanying the car is a tool kit, jack, spare wheel and an excellent history file containing a copy of the build sheets, a US title, photos of the restoration and some invoices for miscellaneous works completed over the years.
What a great car!
Highlights:
- Beautifully presented Bentley 3½ Litre Sports Tourer.
- Elegant Vanden Plas body built by Geoff Smedley.
- Stunning colour scheme.
- Single family ownership since 1987.
- Drives exceptionally well.
- Ready to use and enjoy.
Price $199,950.
Background:
The Bentley motor car company was founded back in 1919 by brothers WO and HM Bentley. The Bentley brothers were involved in the motor industry having acquired the agency to sell French built DFP (Doriot, Flandrin & Parant) cars in 1912, however, they desperately wanted to build their own cars.
WO Bentley had established himself as a brilliant engineer during World War I when the French made DFP in which he competed, achieved a number of wins in various races and hill climbs. He was one of the first engineers who realised the advantage of using aluminium to create pistons. W.O Bentley was discharged from the army in 1919 and he set about creating his own car. His experience with aircraft engines proved an excellent starting point. He was also heavily influenced by two pre-war designs, the 1914 Grand Prix Mercedes and the 1913 Coupe de lAuto Peugeot.
Bentley developed a 3.0 litre monobloc engine which featured four valves per cylinder, twin spark plugs and twin magnetos. He made extensive use of aluminium and magnesium which were quite exotic materials in the 1920s, especially for road going cars. The first prototype, EXP1, was tested by The Autocar and received a glowing report. It was described as For the man who wants a true sporting type of light-bodied car for use on a Continental tour where speed limits are not meant to be observed the 3 Litre Bentley is undoubtedly the car par excellence.
The second prototype, EXP2, made its debut at the 1919 Olympia motor show. The new Bentley 3.0 Litre attracted a lot of attention however it wasnt until September 1921 that the first model rolled of the production line. Between the 1919 motor show and September 1921 much work had been done to further refine the chassis. EXP2 was the first Bentley to record a race win at Brooklands on May 16th 1921. Bentley continued to use it for further testing in 1921 and 1922 before it was sold in 1923. EXP2 still exists today and is the oldest surviving Bentley.
Initially, production of the Bentley 3.0 Litre was slow but they got the formula right and their cars proved to be luxurious, reliable and fast thus attracting buyers from the elite of society. it didnt take long for the order books to be filled with names of wealthy and aristocratic clients, including Prince George (later the Duke of Kent), the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII) and the Duke of York, later King George VI.
Just like other manufactures in that period, Bentley supplied the engine, drive train, suspension and chassis, letting the client decide which coachbuilder they wanted to use to supply the body. Bentley offered three versions of their 3.0 Litre and they were identified by the colour of the badge on the radiator the blue label, the red label and the green label. The blue label was the standard engine, the red label was powered by a higher compression engine and the green label was the high-performance model. Bentley had great confidence in their cars and offered a five year warranty on the blue and red label model. The green label, however, only came with a one year warranty because it really was a race car.
The cars were also incredibly successful on the race track with Bentley achieving the ultimate success winning Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. The Bentley 3.0 Litre was able to beat the the much smaller and more nimble Bugattis, prompting Ettore Bugatti to call it the fastest lorry in the world.
The difficult economic times in the late 1920s had a major impact on Bentley and they stopped motor racing soon after winning Le Mans in 1930 and ultimately fell into receivership in 1931. Rolls-Royce acquired the assets of Bentley in late 1931. In this period Bentley produced some fabulous motor cars including the 3.0 Litre, 4½ Litre, Blower Bentley, 6½ Litre and 8.0 Litre models that are all today highly sought after by enthusiasts and collectors all over the world. The first new Bentley produced following Rolls Royces acquisition was the Bentley 3½ Litre which evolved into the Bentley 4¼ Litre. Bentleys of this era are also known as Derby Bentleys as they were built at Rolls Royces factory located in Derby in the north of England.
The Bentley 3.5 Litre was built from 1933 through until 1939 and in total 1,177 examples were built.

1935 BENTLEY 31/2 LITRE Sports Tourer

Details:
Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale this rare and unique 1955 Cooper T-39 Bobtail works race car.
This car, chassis CS11/12/55, is one of the two works race cars which were built for the 1955 season.
The car made its debut at Goodwood on the 11th April 1955 in the Sports Car Race for cars up to 1,500cc. The car, carrying number 55, was entered by the Cooper Car Company and driven by Ivor Bueb. It finished 3rd behind two Connaught ALSRs.Bueb continued to race the car with great success in the UK until September 1955. The car finished first in class an impressive 6 times of the 16 races it participated in.
The car then found its way to the US where it was acquired by Harry Banta. He first raced the car at the Govenors Trophy race held at the Windsor Field Road Course in Nassau (Bahamas) on 9th December 1955. Banta finished 19th overall and 1st in class. Two days later he participated in the Nassau Trophy Race held at the same venue and finished 27th overall but again 1st in class.
In 1956 Banta continued to successfully campaign the car on the US West Coast. In April 1956 he participated in the SCCA National Sports Car Championship round at Pebble Beach and finished 13th overall and 2nd in class. He also raced at Santa Rosa in May 1956 where he finished 2nd, Buchanan Field in July 1956 (DNF), Sea Fair in August 1956 where he finished 3rd, Arcata in August 1956 where he finished 4th, Sacramento in September 1956 where he finished 2nd and Palm Springs in November 1956 where he finished 3rd.
Banta had the car painted yellow and usually raced under the number seven. There are a number of period photos on file showing the car at the various events in the US.
In 1958 Banta purchased another Cooper Bobtail which used to belong to Lance Reventlow and put his own Bobtail up for sale. The car was advertised in California Sports Cars magazine and subsequently sold to Fred (Jock) Ross. Interestingly, Ross had been a close friend of Ivor Bueb and had raced for and been involved with the Border Reivers Team in the UK before arriving in Los Angeles. He was working as a Lotus mechanic for Jay Chamberlain. Ross ran the car at Pomona, Riverside and Laguna Seca, He changed to colour scheme on the car from yellow to Border Reivers navy blue with white circles.
In 1959 the car passed on to Bill Watkins, who ran the car at the Indy Speedway, Lexington Mid-Ohio, Meadowbank in Chicago, Lawrenceville in Illinois, Willow Springs, Riverside and Pomona in California. Subsequent owners were Chuck Cornett, Gordon Keller of Victory Lane magazine also in California and Dick McGovern.
McGovern sold the car in 1997 to Paul Moxham from Coffs Harbour in NSW who imported it into Australia.
Over the years the car had been fitted with a variety of engines and several other modifications has been made. Moxham decided to restore the car to its former glory. He engaged the services of Harry Galloway, a UK trained race engineer, who restored the chassis and engine bay to its original configuration. A new body was made for the car in alloy.
The current owner acquired the car from Moxham in 2008 and has used it at various historic events over the years.
In 2019 the car suffered an engine failure. At that time the car was running a 1,460cc four-cylinder Climax FWB engine. That engine was severely damaged and a decision was made to rebuild a correct engine to the original specifications from 1955.
A correct Climax FWA engine block was sourced and was completely rebuilt with a new billet steel crankshaft, new con rods and pistons, new cylinder liners etc. All the work was done by McKernan Restoration in Queensland.
Running a correct FWA Climax engine with a capacity of 1,098cc, the car presents in a configuration very close to the way it was when it first left the Cooper factory in 1955.
The car is now best described as an older restoration, but it still presents very well. The paint is generally in good condition but this is a car that has been raced regularly and as a result there are some stone chips on various panels.
Getting into the car is somewhat of an exercise but once you are in, the seating position is surprisingly comfortable. As a race car, there is limited instrumentation on the small dashboard. The most important instruments are the tacho and temperature gauge.
The starting procedure is simple, turn the battery isolator off, insert the key, turn the ignition on and then press the start button. The car starts easily and after youve feathered the accelerator to warm the engine up, it will settle into a smooth idle. The exhaust note is spectacular and that little four cylinder engine behind you just wants to rev. The engine feels really strong which is not surprising as it is essentially brand new.
Theo Page, a well respected technical artist working for Autosport, Britains motor sporting weekly, used the car to create a very detailed cutaway drawing. This was published in the May 6th 1955 edition of Autosport supporting an article about the new Cooper 1100 written by John Bolster.
It is not often a car like this is offered for sale in Australia. This world market car is eligible for a host of prestigious international historic events including Goodwood and the Le Mans Classic.
This iconic sports racer is offered for sale with a voluminous history file and other sundry documentation. There are a number of original race programs, including the Goodwood meeting held on the 11th April 1955, period photos and period car magazines (featuring the car). Also accompanying the car is a CAMS certificate of description, the original 1956 Kellison fibreglass body, the original seat and the original steering wheel.
Highlights:
- First works Cooper T-39 Bobtail built by the factory and raced by Ivor Bueb.
- First Cooper to be powered by a Coventry Climax Engine.
- CAMS certificate of description.
- Recent rebuild of original spec 1,098cc FWA Climax engine.
Price $ 324,950
Background:
To quote Doug Nye from an article written for Goodwood Road Racing dated 30th August 2019 . . . The Cooper Car Company grew out of bubbling, infectious enthusiasm displayed by young tousle-haired John Cooper and his equally-keen former schoolfriend Eric Brandon. In the depths of our countrys immediate post-war austerity and gloom, they simply wanted to go motor racing.
Their ambitions were aided by the fact that bubbly Johns father, Charles Cooper, had served a full apprenticeship in motorsport as mechanic and had also run cars for Brooklands racer Ginger Hamilton. Hed also built up a decent, if compact, garage business based in Hollyfield Road, Surbiton, Surrey.
The Cooper Car Company born.
The first cars they built in 1946 were single seater 500cc formula 3 racing cars powered by a JAP engine. Interestingly due to the shortage in materials immediately after World War II the first prototypes were created by joining two Fiat Topolinos front ends together. As the car was powered by a motorcycle engine, out of practicality the Coopers decided to mount the engine behind the driver. This turned out to be a stroke of genius.
Their first car was called the Cooper 500 and it had lots of success on tracks and in hill climb events. Two such cars were built initially, one for John and one for Eric. Both proved themselves very competent young drivers, their cars arguably the best in the new class. Brandon won one of the first post war race meetings at Granson Lodge Airfield in the car. This quickly created demand from other drivers. Over the years drivers like Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, Jim Russell, Ivor Bueb, Ken Tyrrell, and Bernie Ecclestone ended up driving Coopers.
In the 1940s and 1950s Cooper built some 300 single and twin cylinder cars. Cooper dominated the F3 category winning 64 of the 78 races between 1951 and 1954.
At the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix, Cooper made its first appearance at a Formula 1 race. American driver Harry Schell qualified his Cooper T12 in 20th place but unfortunately had to retire after a collision on the first lap.
In 1952 Cooper introduced a front engined Formula 2 car powered by a Bristol engine. These were driven by the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio and Mike Hawthorn and furthered the companys growing reputation.
In 1955 the company began building rear engined sports cars based on the 500cc cars. These cars were powered by a modified Coventry Climax fire pump engine. The Bobtail Cooper sports car had been born. These cars really started the rear engined revolution, not just in their class but also in other categories.
In 1957 Jack Brabham raised eyebrows when he finished 6th at the Monaco Grand Prix with a rear engined Formula 1 Cooper. The first race of the 1958 Formula 1 season was held in Argentina on the 19th January 1958. After qualifying in 8th place, Stirling Moss piloted his Cooper first to the chequered flag giving Cooper its first Formula One victory. Frenchman, Maurice Trintignant replicated Moss achievement winning the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix.
The Coopers became more successful leading to Jack Brabham and the Cooper Works team winning the Formula One World Championship with their T51 in 1959. This was a first for a rear engined race car and the sign of things to come. Brabham and his Cooper T51 dominated the 1960 Formula 1 race season taking back to back championship wins.
The Cooper T-39 Bobtails were very successful in sports car racing. Developed by Own Maddock the first T-39, driven by Ivor Bueb made its debut at the Easter race at the Truxton circuit near Andover in the UK. Between 1956 and 1962 Bobtails managed to rack up and tally an incredible streak of domination and competitiveness, scoring 91 total wins and clinching 236 podiums finishes, an incredible record.

1955 COOPER T39 BOBTAIL

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1935 BENTLEY 31/2 LITRE Sports Tourer

1955 COOPER T39 BOBTAIL

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