1949 Bentley B Special Speed 8

This beloved 1949 Bentley B Special Speed 8, with the chassis number B337DZ is going on auction in three days’ time at RM Sotheby’s Fort Lauderdale 2018. The lot 3159 (between $325,000 – $375,000) only had one owner since it was built in 2011.

This beloved Speed-8 once belonged to the legendary ‘Bentley Boys’ and company chairman Captain Woolf Barnato. Built using components from Bentley and Rolls-Royce, the 6.5 litre Bentley racing car with the Speed-8 has established itself as an iconic racing car to that of a Speed-6, which is said “to be W.O.’s favorite of all the cars to bear the Bentley name and became the iconic racing car of the early ’30s.”

Put to the test in the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1927 and 1930, this early day Bentley has achieved four consecutive victories on top of several other successes. Eighty years later since the last examples built, beloved will continue to make impression and command allegiance wherever they are seen.

The Speed 8 features an original 1949 Bentley Mk VI chassis, the period’s B81 6,516-cc straight-eight engine as well as Bentley’s four-speed transmission with the custom coachwork by Racing Green Engineering. The body styling follows the construction and design of the original Le Mans cars illustrated by an ash frame covered in aluminum panels and fabric. The car parts include a proper fold-flat windscreen and wind deflectors.

The interior is nicely appointed with an aluminum instrument panel, and seats enveloped in Connelly leather together with quality woven carpets, all matching with the exterior finish. Packed with modern reliability and in exceptional condition, this car is all ready to be enjoyed on the road be it in vintage tours or rallies.

This auction, only one very lucky bidder will own the period’s example of the 6.5 litre racer as this example is nearly impossible to obtain in today’s market. So if you do own one, the 1949 Bentley B Special Speed 8 is indeed the next best thing you’ll ever have.

www.rmsothebys.com