Bentley 3.5-Litre

SALE AGREED A really lovely example, very nicely finished in deep blue with new hood in black mohair, red leather interior with matching hood cover, dark blue carpets piped in red, all recent and excellent in quality. The woodwork has an appealing satin finish, all the chrome is very good and the whole car is very smart and attractive. In 2015, the car successfully completed the Mille Miglia, and presumably may well qualify for this event again. Although mechanically good and running well, after inspection of the engine we intend overhauling the 'bottom end' before sale as a precaution. Alternatively, we can offer a discount if the car is taken 'as is'. All in all, the car is a very fine specimen, which we are proud to offer.


Chassis No. B134DG Reg. No. BXN 151

Snippets: Miss Eileen Emily Margherita Unwin
Miss Unwin was a keen enthusiast of both 4 wheeled and 4 legged items - her stable included a 1936 Bentley 3ltr tourer (DE1201), 1930 Bentley 4 ½ ltr saloon (SM3902), 1930 Bentley 6 ½ Llr saloon (SB2770) and of course B134DG. Her 4 legged residents were mainly Suffolk Punches which she bred at Palmers Farm in Billinghurst & her herd included Palmer Gaiety, Parham Prunella & Palmers Miss Muffet. The Dowager Lady Loder, a fellow breeder, encouraged Miss Unwin to buy Parham Prunella and in 1940 a portrait of Prunella and her foal (Miss Muffet) was painted by Dame Laura Knight – the painting is currently displayed at the Suffolk Punch Heavy Horse Museum. Miss Unwin’s relatives had residences in London and also in the Lake District where she often stayed, in 1903 there is a record of the Opening Meet being held at Dowdeswell Court (home of Herbert Unwin) which was attended by no less than 6 Unwin family members - one of them being the Joint-Master of the Hunt. Miss Unwin’s family money was deeply rooted in a variety industries including Soap Manufacture, Gas Supplies, Coal, Newspapers & Brewing. It would seem the Miss Unwin kept B134DG throughout WWII as in 1947 there is a record of the car being with her at the Rothay Hotel in Grasmere; when she died in 1960 her cousin Brenda Brotherton was named as executor of the estate with Miss Unwin’s home address as that of The Wyke in Grasmere. During the 1950s B134DG was with Ronald John Furlong of Harley Street - a leading hip replacement surgeon (HM the Queen Mother had one of these!) and then with a surveyor - Alastair Fairhead prior to being exported to America. Whilst in America B134DG was with Eric Bardeen of Advanced Precision Industries Ltd based in Florida, he only had the car for a short time before it was acquired by Edwin Speed an engineer who loved swapping cars – his eclectic collection included 1936 Ford Coupe, a Packard, Jeep (which he acquired in Japan and swopped for a Model A which he left in Japan), a T-Bird, MGTD, Jaguar XK120 & an Austin Healy to name just a few!