A14| Wednesday, April 8, 2020 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
TED7 (4)
Ltd. I fell in love with that
car, so I commissioned the
company to build one for me.
It took a little over a year,
and I imported the car into
the United States in 2011.
It was built in the style of
a 1928 Bentley racing car to-
tally out of Bentley parts.
During the 1920s, Bentley
became very famous for its
success in international rac-
ing. Although the car is built
in the style of a 1928, some
systems have been updated.
For example, it has Bentley
hydraulic brakes on the
front wheels from a later
era, far more dependable
than mechanical brakes
from the ’20s.
As a car collector, I have
driven all kinds of eclectic
cars, vintage and modern.
But this Bentley is the most
fun because it has the feel
of an authentic vintage race
car. My wife and I have
driven this car in rallies all
over the country—not rac-
ing, but gatherings of vin-
tage car enthusiasts driving
from point A to point B, on
scenic roads.
We have done a Bentley
rally on the East Coast,
three Bentley rallies on the
West Coast, plus the Califor-
nia Mille and the Colorado
Grand rally, among others.One time my wife, Ellen,
and I were driving through
Montana when we ran into a
hailstorm. We were wearing
helmets and goggles, and
the ice pellets were ham-
mering our foreheads. Nei-
ther of us complained and
we got through it fine.Too many collectors like
me are getting older, and we
worry about young people.
Will they want to drive vin-
tage cars? We hope so. That
is one of the reasons we like
to campaign these cars in
rallies and why we are often
active promoting museums.
[Mr. Weitman is on the
board of the Checkered Flag
200, which supports the Pe-
tersen Automotive Museum
in Los Angeles.]
When people see 25 vin-
tage Bentleys going down a
scenic road, it is a beautiful
thing and it is inspiring.
We try to keep the hobby
alive and the spirit of these
cars going.LIFE & ARTS
MY RIDE| A.J. BAIME
The Spirit of the 1920s, Alive Today
This Bentley Special 3/8 Racer has the feel of an authentic vintage race car, with some key updates
Doug Weitman, top, in his Bentley Special 3/8 Racer,
photographed at the Thermal Club in Thermal, Calif., in 2017. A
look at the steering wheel and the instrument panel, right, and
an overhead view, above. The car from the rear, bottom.Doug Weitman, 76, a
Malibu, Calif.-based real es-
tate investor, on his Bentley
Special 3/8 Racer, as told to
A.J. Baime. The photo-
graphs were shot at the
West Coast Vintage Bentley
Tour in 2017.
Obviously the world is
facing a great crisis right
now. So the vintage car
hobby is not on peoples’
minds. But when we get
through this, we hope to re-
turn to our hobby. Vintagecars represent the genius
and ambitions of the people
who worked so hard to build
them, and they bring his-
toric eras to life.
About 10 years ago, I was
at a car event in Germany
called the Techno-Classica
Essen when I saw this beau-
tiful car. It had been built by
a company in Wales called
Racing Green EngineeringThis car—built out
of real Bentley parts
—has even made it
through a Montana
hailstorm.Showroom
ADVERTISEMENTTo advertise: 800-366-3975 or WSJ.com/classifiedsPORSCHE
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