They simply don’t make them like they used to. This is a Bentley Speed Six, a marvel of British engineering from 1930, which was restored to its glory in honour of the legendary 1930 Bentley ‘Blue Train’.
In 1930, British motor company Rover advertised that it beat the world-famous ‘Train Bleu’, a luxury express train, designed to take British aristocrats and celebrities from Calais to the French Riviera.
Bentley Speed Six.
Originally, the Bentley Speed Six was introduced in 1928 as a more sporting version of the Bentley 6½ litre.
Following the advertisement, Captain Joel Woolf Babe Barnato, a British playboy millionaire and chairman of Bentley, wagered £100 that his Bentley Speed Six could beat the train as well. (Back in 1930, the average annual income in the UK was £165)
The Blue Train version produced 200hp, reached a top speed of 200km/h (125mph), and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1929 and 1930. In both races, the driver was none other than Barnato – the Chairman of Bentley Motors.
