Coachwork by Abbey Panels
Chassis no. B180LS
Engine no. M9BB

HIGHLIGHTS

• Wonderfully presented and maintained example

• Fresh, show-quality bare-metal repaint and retrimmed leather interior

• Handsome Westminster Dark Blue paint and Saddle/Pumpkin interior

• Aluminum 2-Seat Roadster body coach built by Abbey Panels

• Documented in print, plus RREC chassis records and RROC registers

• Original Saloon body replaced by custom coachwork during mid-1960s

• Retaining the original chassis and engine

• Provenance includes a succession of noted marque collectors

• Prior ownership includes the renowned Blackhawk Collection

• Documented by Rolls-Royce production records and RREC chassis cards

• Depicted in Bentley: 50 Years of the Marque by Johnnie Green

• Accompanied by a complete tool kit in original fitted carrying case

• Outstanding and fascinating example of Bentley’s “Silent Sports Car”

THE SILENT SPORTS CAR

The first new Bentley chassis designed and produced following the 1931 Rolls-Royce takeover, the 3 ½-Litre was uprated and made available starting from March 1936 with a more powerful 4 ¼-Litre engine. Carefully developed and fitted with some of the most elegant and sporting bodywork available in period, the 4 ¼-Litre was well-received and very successful, accounting for nearly half of total Bentley production until the outbreak of WW II, with 1,234 chassis built.

The 4 ¼-Litre performed strongly for its time, thanks to exacting engineering, impeccable assembly quality, and extensive pre-delivery testing. Those virtues were confirmed by Sir Malcolm Campbell of Bluebird land-speed record fame, who praised the “absolute perfection” of its engine, handling, and braking. Advertised and still renowned as the “Silent Sports Car,” these late-1930s Bentleys owe much of their success to Campbell, who dubbed it “A Prince Among Cars” in the title of his detailed feature article on the model published in the British magazine The Field. This was more than just a clever exercise in high-profile product placement and celebrity endorsements, as Campbell owned and clearly enjoyed two examples of the 4 ¼-Litre.

The production of 1,234 cars consisted of more stylish 4-door sports saloons with a number of well styled variety of 2-door coupe and 4/5 passenger drop head coupes with a scant 8 2-door roadster or drop head cars built by almost as many coachbuilders.

HISTORY

Numbered B180LS, this 1938 Bentley 4 ¼-Litre is an exceptionally well-documented example Bentley’s famed “Silent Sports Car.” According to copies of its factory production records, Chassis B180LS was “off test” on January 18, 1938, and originally fitted with Standard Saloon coachwork by Park Ward. It was ordered in November 1937 and purchased new by one T. Shaw on February 4, 1938. According to RREC chassis cards, B180LS was acquired in July 1964 by the prolific British Rolls-Royce and Bentley collector Henry R. Wilkins, a resident of Shropshire in the West Midlands. Possessing an obviously fine eye for design, Mr. Wilkins designed a supremely sporting new 2-seat Roadster for the car with sweeping front fenders and a disappearing convertible top, which was coach built in lightweight aluminum by Abbey Panels.

A word about Abbey Panels is required. Established in 1941 near Coventry, England, by founding partners Edward Loades, Les Bean, Bill Woodhall and Ernie Wilkinson, the firm began by assembling Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft for the Royal Air Force. Rapid growth followed, with the firm involved in the manufacture of iconic postwar racing and production cars, including its work for Rolls-Royce and Bentley, Bristol, Lea-Francis, Jaguar including the XK-120, C- D- and E-Type, Jim Clark’s Lotus 38 Formula 1 car, and the iconic Pescara Grand Prix-winning Vanwall driven by Stirling (later Sir) Moss, not to mention the Le Mans-winning Ford GT. Later projects included rebuilding of Jaguar’s XJ13 race car and work on the revolutionary Hawker Harrier jump-jet. Listed as Loades PLC on the London Stock Exchange in 1967 by Ted Loades, Abbey Panels remained the firm’s main brand among its business interests until a phased closure began in 2002.

The new Henry Wilkins-designed, Abbey Panels-built body was completed and fitted to B180LS in time for its class-winning debut at the 1966 Bentley Drivers Club (BDC) Concours held at London’s Kensington Gardens, where a proud Mr. Wilkins was photographed at the wheel of his rakish 4 ¼-Litre Bentley. Subsequently, this image was published on page 228 of marque authority Johnnie Green’s book Bentley: 50 Years of the Marque, which has gone on to enjoy three editions in print. Other showings of B180LS by Mr. Wilkins include another class win at the 1968 BDC Kensington Concours. According to a clipped period article on file, regarding this show outing, “This is an exceptionally fast car” and “The chassis, it is thought, is one of the last pre-war chassis to be re-built by the Company at Crewe,” the latter statement suggesting the influence that Henry Wilkins and/or Abbey Panels had with the very factory that built Chassis B180LS. A true Rolls-Royce and Bentley connoisseur, Mr. Wilkins is listed in the 1971 RROC Directory with at least seven examples from both marques documented under his care, including B180LS. The Bentley is understood to have returned to the BDC Concours at Kensington Gardens in July 1986.

Subsequently, B180LS was sold to the United States, and it once formed part of the world-renowned Blackhawk Collection of the late Don Williams in Danville, California. Most recently, it was acquired by Vintage Motors of Sarasota, and as now offered, it benefits handsomely from a thoughtful cosmetic refresh performed by the seasoned McPherson College alumnus Joey Staskowski of Car Cave Restoration in Sarasota, Florida. Among the work, the mostly undamaged Roadster body received a show-quality, bare-metal refinish in Westminster Dark Blue and newly fitted Saddle/Pumpkin leather upholstery, complemented by Dark Blue Wilton carpeting, which extends to the top boot and trunk. The nicely fashioned aluminum convertible top-boot cover adds further appeal. Additionally, the engine compartment and undercarriage were methodically cleaned and detailed, enhancing the tidy overall character of this unique vintage Bentley. The Bentley rests on 18” chrome wire wheels covered with period correct unpainted Lamar aluminum wheel discs and chrome hardware with new correct sized radial blackwall tyres.

Accompanied by its factory production records, RREC chassis cards, period press coverage, and inclusion in Johnnie Green’s reference book Bentley: 50 Years of the Marque, B180LS offers something few prewar Bentleys can: a documented life spent with the marque’s most discerning custodians, from Henry Wilkins and his Kensington Gardens class wins to the Blackhawk Collection. Freshly presented and ready to be shown and enjoyed, this Silent Sports Car now awaits its next steward. Serious collectors are invited to contact Vintage Motors of Sarasota to arrange an inspection, view the document file, and prepare to take ownership.

Special Note:

If you are attending the Lake Mirror Classic Concours d’Elegance in Lakeland, Florida, on Saturday, October 17th, be sure to see B180LS in person, where it will surely be a standout among the hundreds of vehicles on display.