Bentley that raced at first-ever 24hrs of Le Mans sells for £3million

A Bentley that took part in the very first race of the 24 Hours of Le Mans a century ago has sold for a staggering £3 million.

The Bentley 3 Liter was driven by World War I veteran Captain John Duff and Bentley test driver Frank Clement at the 1923 race in the eponymous town in France, where it finished fourth.

The car set what was then a lap record of 66.69 mph, even though it only had rear brakes and was running low on fuel after stones pierced the tank.

It led to the British company’s early success in intense competition, starting five out of eight times in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930.

The 1923 Bentley, named Chassis 141, was used by another owner, an upper-class woman, in the late 1940s to transport her Saint Bernard dogs to shows.

The car then fell into obscurity and did not resurface until the 1980s, when the owner of the Donington Car Museum, Tom Wheatcroft, received a telephone call from a 97-year-old lady offering him two old cars in her barn in Leicestershire, a Bentley and a Voisin.

He bought both with no idea of ​​the Bentley’s history until it was identified by a motoring journalist as the long-lost car that had raced at Le Mans.

A deal was eventually struck with Australian collector Peter Briggs, whose Brabham Formula 1 car was on loan to the Donington Museum.

The Brabham remained in Donington and the Bentley left for Australia to be restored and eventually become the centerpiece of the Briggs’ York Motor Museum near Perth.

The recent return to Britain completes the circle.

The car was purchased by a British motoring enthusiast, after the sale was managed by Kidston SA, a company founded by the nephew of racing driver Glen Kidston, who won the 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Chassis 141 represents the beginning of the Bentley legend and the beginning of the exploits of the so-called ‘Bentley Boys’ – the group of wealthy motorists who polished the fledgling company’s reputation.

In addition to Captain Duff, Clement and Kidston, these included Sir Tim Birkin and Dr. Dudley Benjafield.

Bentley founder Walter Owen Bentley said of them: ‘The public loved to imagine them living in Mayfair flats.

“Drinking champagne in nightclubs, playing horses and at the stock exchange, and hitting the racetracks like a madman on the weekends.

“This wasn’t such an inaccurate picture of some of them.”

Chassis 141 was initially piloted by Captain Duff during the double 12-hour record at Brooklands, covering 3,300 km at 140.79 km/h and setting 38 international records.

Twenty-four hours of racing was banned on the circuit so that locals could sleep, but in France there was no such impediment.

Although WO Bentley thought the idea of ​​the car competing at Le Mans crazy, he, Captain Duff, went ahead and had factory test driver Clement go with him.

The year after finishing fourth, the pair won the race. And then from 1927 to 1930, Bentley won Le Mans four times in a row.

The wins mark one of the most dominant runs in the race’s history.

The wins also contributed a lot to Bentley’s popularity. It sold 700 vehicles in two years after the 1924 victory.

This was just three years after the company delivered its very first car.

Before being bought by the owner who used it to move her dogs around, Chassis 141 was used as a towing vehicle and then the rear body was changed by an undertaker to what is known as a shooting brake.

Commenting on the sale, Simon Kidston, Managing Director of Kidston SA said: ‘This week the world’s most famous motorcycle race celebrates its 100th anniversary and its pioneering early competitors remain as intriguing as ever.

“This Bentley is not just any old car, it is a turning point in motor racing history and a cornerstone of the Bentley legend.

And personally, the fact that I inherited a family passion for cars that was accelerated by my ‘Bentley Boy’ uncle is really satisfying to bring this Bentley home.

He will not live a quiet life: he will appear on the starting grid for the 100th anniversary of Le Mans next month’s classic car race.

“I hope the original drivers look down and smile.”