CAR /
NEWS
September 15, 2019
A limited reissue of 12 "Blower" models, the legendary car that raced at Le Mans in 1930 | Bentley
Bentley
A limited reissue of 12 "Blower" models, the legendary car that raced at Le Mans in 1930
Bentley announced on Sunday, September 8th, UK time, at the Salon Privé Concours d'Elegance, Britain's premier concours event, that it would reissue the "Blower," originally built in 1929 at the request of Sir Tim Birkin, as a "Continuation Series" with a limited production of 12 units.
The Blower, which competed on European circuits, faithfully recreated by Mulliner
In the late 1920s, four original "Team Blowers" were manufactured for the racing team of Sir Birkin, a racer and industrialist, one of the "Bentley Boys."
All models equipped with the 4.5-liter supercharged engine competed on circuits across Europe. Among them, the most renowned was car number 2, "UU5872," driven by Sir Birkin himself, which also participated in the 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans. This model was instrumental in the Bentley works team's victory.
Now, as a "Continuation Series" embodying the concept of "continuation," this "Blower" will be meticulously handcrafted one by one by specialists from Bentley's bespoke division, Mulliner, and reissued in a limited run of 12 units.
The parts will be produced by disassembling chassis number HB3403 of the Team Blower owned by Bentley, measuring it with a 3D scanner to create a digital model. Then, using 1920s hardware and traditional tools from the original model's manufacturing era, along with the latest manufacturing technology, parts for 12 units will be fabricated.
While the basic mechanics, appearance, and even the spirit will be carried over from the original as much as possible, only minor, unobtrusive modifications will be made for modern safety standards.
The engine is a 4-cylinder, 16-valve unit, identical to the original Blower, featuring an aluminum crankcase, cast iron cylinder liners, and a non-removable cast iron cylinder head. An intricate replica of the Amherst Villiers Mk IV Roots-type supercharger is used, and the 4,398cc engine produces 240ps at 4,200rpm. The chassis will also be faithfully reproduced.
The completion of these 12 Continuation Series cars is scheduled for approximately two years from now. The price is yet to be determined and will be set at the time orders open.
