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Bentley 3 4½ Litre Speed Model By Corsica.
A Bentley Speed model with a continuous and emotive history.
A Bentley which, after 50-year ownership and 57 years in storage, has been the recipient not of a restoration, but a painstakingly detailed and documented preservation to retain the beguiling charm which so captivated a competitive young man named Christopher Tomkinson in the late 1930’s, details of which will follow.
Chassis number BL 1604 left the Cricklewood works in April 1927, this being the final year of 3 Litre production. Carrying 3-seater “cloverleaf” coachwork it was sold to Miss Jessie Kerr Waddell of Ulverston Lancashire.
The factory service records show that maintenance was taken over in the 1930s by the celebrated Bentley engineer Lewis (Mac) Mckenzie in London. Mac knew how to make Bentleys fly and was immersed in the tuning and racing of the marque.
BL1604 was rebuilt by Mac due to crash damage, not uncommon in the period when the fastest of small cars could achieve 45 miles an hour and a Bentley could achieve three figures. One motoring trait which hasn’t changed in the last 100 years - money doesn’t necessarily buy ability!
The hallmarks of the Mckenzie stable are evident in the Bentley to this day, outrigged rear springs with the chassis braced accordingly, uprated differential and the installation, significantly of a D type gearbox from the first production Blower Bentley SM 3901 – a valuable item in its own right which remains in situ despite considerable offers from Bentley owners - rightly rejected.
Being such a figure in the Bentley world at that time as an engineer, owner and racer, Mac had amassed an unmatched stock of new and used parts. His work and the Bentleys he prepared and raced are held in high esteem. His favoured coachbuilder was Corsica – they bodied his own 4 ½ Litre racer “Bluebell” – and so BL 1604 was rebodied by them in the 1930s with the coachwork as seen today.
Bentley Driver’s Club records show the original membership document in the name of Stanley Bartlett – an early club member -in 1937 and passing to Christopher Tomkinson in 1938.
At just 22 years of age Christopher was clearly a talented amateur driver. Fastest Bentley at Donington in 1939, entrant into RAC rally 1939, winner of Kent & Sussex Speed trial in the same year and second in the Bentley mystery race in 1938. Trophies accompany the voluminous history files.
Christopher Tomkinson was encouraged into ownership by his friend Darell Berthon, secretary of the Bentley Drivers Club, later executive vice president and author of The Racing History of The Bentley (copy available).
It is unclear whether this encouragement involved a financial agreement but it was agreed, by the time he was Lt Cdr. Christopher Tomkinson CO of Fleet Air Arm 1836 Squadron, that should he not return from the war ownership would pass to Lt. Col. Darrell Berthon and vice versa.
In an intense military career, the young pilot saw service on aircraft carriers HMS Illustrious and HMS Victorious.
On March 26 1945 his Corsair aircraft was shot down by ground fire and crashed into the sea off Miyako Island.
Lt. Commander Christopher Tomkinson. Missing in action. Aged 28.
Post war, Darell Berthon and his wife Barbara actively used BL 1604 and relinquished ownership in 1956 to David Cleaton-Roberts. Mr. Cleaton-Roberts actively used the Bentley in the early days, with maintenance carried out by McKenzie garages, which carried on to the second generation in the hands of Don Mckenzie. The Bentley went into storage in the 1960s along with an 8 Litre which was bricked into a garage and a 4 ½ Litre which was dismantled.
BL 1604 emerged in 2005 complete and just as it had been almost fifty years earlier. Christies auctioneers offered the Bentley for sale where it was purchased and incredibly remained untouched until purchased by an enthusiastic Bentley owner and collector in 2017.
As referenced earlier, the conservation which followed retained all of those Mckenzie details. The Corsica body was in remarkably good order, the wings which during its competitive period had been removed in favour of cycle wings, were remanufactured to the Corsica design and any parts replaced were retained, including the engine block which accompanies the car, but has been replaced by a 4 ½ litre cylinder block providing enhanced performance. The fold flat windscreen has been retained in situ and there is also a Brooklands aeroscreen in place for the enthusiastic competitor.
The details of work are extensively and meticulously documented along with the entire history and greater details of the above. The whole documentation is in fact so extensive as to be exhaustive so please allow plenty of time when arranging a viewing.
Such work, can be likened to the conservation of a listed building and does not come cheap and requires considerable skill. Detailed invoices are on file for inspection.
Documentation includes, but is not excluded to, a plentiful supply of period photographs, invoices from McKenzie’s garage, competition results and a detailed favourable report from marque expert Dr. Clare Hay.
BL1604 has benefitted from continuous and dedicated ownership and, as long as this description is, it hardly scratches the surface of a vintage Bentley which so wonderfully represents the quality of engineering, the band of enthusiasts and the competitive heritage of the marque which continues to this day. Nor does the story end here. For here is a Bentley which, due to the attention lavished upon it, is suitable for continued competition road or rally use.
With regard to driving, this is a very sharp and nimble car on the road with strong performance and since 2019 has given sterling service on the Shamrock Rally, the Carrera Iberia, the Carrera Italia and put in commendable lap times at the Le Mans Classic. A recent article in Octane magazine features TD8966 on a night event through London.
There’s more to tell of the past and more to come in the future.
Will you be part of that future?
enquiries@ndrbentley.com
+44 1923 220370
