Bentley 3 litre

(1921-1926)


The 3 litre Bentley in the pits after victory at Le Mans in 1924 with from left to right, F C Clement, W O Bentley and J Duff


Years in production : 1921 - 1929

No. Made : 1,622

Engine : 4 cylinder in-line configuration

Bore & Stroke : 80 x 149 mm

c.c. : 2,996

Transmission : Cone type clutch, 4 speed gearbox

Chassis : Pressed steel, parallel girder with four crossmembers

Dimensions : Wheelbase 117 1/2"

Performance : Max. speed 80 mph (129 km/h)


Backed by a well developed idea Bentley started work on the first Bentley to be built. He wanted to create the first typically all English sports car and fill a niche that was only satisfied at that time by suppliers from the European continent. He acheived fulfilment of these requirements in a four cylinder engine of 3 litres capacity. Cylinder block and head were cast in one piece.

The crankcase was made from light alloy because, apart from the obvious savings in weight, Bentley believed that the beter heat conduction would minimize cooling difficulties.

With three simultaneously prepared prototypes extensive test runs were undertaken and during a long period of improvement the original design received numerous changes.

The firt report about the new 3 Litre Bentley was published on 29 Novmeber 1919 in the press, followed by a sympathetic description about a run with the new type published on 24 January 1920. Not until the following January, however, was the first 3 Litre Bentley delivered to a waiting customer; regular sales didn't start before 1929.

Bentley entered his new cars in motor races without delay. By winning the team prize in the 1922 Ise of Man he gained wide spread publicity for his motor cars. Bentley was soon considered worthy of attention in racing circles.

The growing circle of Bentley customers demanded improvements to the vehicles - high priority had been the wish for a chassis with a longer wheelbase allowing bigger and more roomy coachwork. Although more weight and higher wind resistance reduced the performance of the car drastically, the company fulfilled the wish and offered in addition to the standard model a longer version of 130 inches.

Desperately needed improvements occurred in 1928 in the form of a redesign of the chassis and front axle, after the car had been in production for nearly a decade. This, however, did little to boost sales and the car ceased production the following year.One important reason for the model's decline was competition from the company's own products in the form of the more powerful 6 1/2 and 4 1/2 Litre.

Four 3 Litre Bentleys were produced after 1936 built from spare parts. Some parts from other models were used and, therefore, cannot be considered authentic cars of the original type.