1937 Bentley 4.25 Litre Cabriolet by Franay

1937 Bentley 4 ¼ Litre Franay Style Tourer
Chassis No. B55HM
Engine No. R7BR
1999 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – 3rd in Class
1999 Dana Point Concours d’Elegance – 2nd in Class

Rolls-Royce acquired Bentley Motors from Walter Owen Bentley in 1931, then struggled for two years to design and build an appropriate car, one that would honor the “W.O. Bentley” sporting and racing heritage yet not be confused with the statelier cars wearing the Rolls-Royce emblem. Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motors Works’ manager at Derby, E.W. Hives, CH MBE, developer of the Merlin aero engine, was later the chairman of Rolls-Royce, Ltd. He headed the team tasked with designing the all-new Bentley: a sports car that would appeal to a wide range of prospective buyers. His personal notes read, “…answer to the moods of the driver…be driven fast with safety…tour without fuss and noise…maximum speed should not be obtained at the expense of acceleration…controls, steering and brakes shall be light to operate and the braking shall be adequate for a fast car…maximum speed of the car on the road should be 90 mph, 75 mph in third gear…”
The first Derby-built Bentley, the 3½-Litre model, appeared in 1933 with a modified chassis and engine used in the Rolls-Royce 20/25 HP. Fitted with a new cross-flow head, twin SU carburetors, and a re-profiled camshaft, the result was a very sporting motor car, as Hives intended.
Motor magazine reviewed the new 4¼-Litre Bentley in April of 1936— “…an altogether extremely satisfactory car, which provides a unique combination of verve with docility, speed with comfort and performance with silence.”
In an era of noisy, almost agricultural cars, it was referenced as the “silent sports car” and attracted a long list of notable buyers.
This car started life with a 4-Door Sports Saloon body by Mann Egerton. It was delivered to its first owner, A.A Hall, in Cricket St. Thomas, England on 4 February 1937. Copies of registration show the car remained in England into the late 1960s before being acquired by a collector in West Vancouver, BC Canada who restored the car with the beautiful coachwork it wears today. The car was shown at the 1999 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance where it placed 3rd in Class. This Bentley looks as good today as it did when shown on the lawn at Pebble Beach.