Bentley Set To Reincarnate The Speed Six
Only 12 examples will be built, all already accounted for.
Remember the 12-car Blower Continuation Series, a first-of-its-kind project to bring back a pre-war motoring icon? Well, Bentley isn’t done bringing such legends back to life. The newest such undertaking is for 12 examples of the Speed Six. For its maker, it was the most successful racing car of its era, winning Le Mans in 1929 and 1930. And, like in the previous stint, the British carmaker will involve Mulliner to ensure the reincarnation process delivers a mechanically and aesthetically authentic product.
Besides its success at Le Mans, the Speed Six also gave Bentley a mantra that the carmaker has followed ever since. It was a Grand Tourer – a comfortable and luxurious car that’s quick and is an easy mile-muncher.
The Speed Six was actually an enhanced version of the 1926 6½ Litre Bentley, which offered 147bhp. The basic recipe was used in 362 examples, covering various chassis of different lengths depending on what the customers wanted. However, the Speed Six’s chassis came into the equation in 1928, touted as the sportier iteration of the 6½ Litre. For that, Bentley introduced an upgraded engine that generated 180bhp, and 182 units were manufactured between 1928 and 1930.
But those were for personal use. The racing version of the Speed Six had the shortest wheelbase of all the options and a more powerful 6½-litre engine. With 200bhp on tap and an average speed of 134kmph, the Speed Six (winner) in 1929 Le Mans broke the lap record by a whopping 46 seconds.
Obviously, to recreate an icon, Bentley couldn’t just look at photographs. So instead, the Mulliner team created a 3D CAD model by referring to the original blueprints and two preserved specimens from those days. And those who know how Bentley does things can expect pure perfection in the reincarnated specimens.
The first Speed Six will be assembled in the second half of 2022 – 92 years after the original went out of production. It will be a prototype for the 12-car Continuation Series project and be used for engineering and development analysis. And all 12 examples, each with a starting price of GBP 1.5 million, have already found takers.
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