154 | THE GOODWOOD REVIVAL SALE
However, by the middle of the decade the 3-Litres competitiveness was
on the wane and this, together with the fact that too many customers
had been tempted to fit unsuitably heavy coachwork to the excellent
3-Litre chassis, led to the introduction in 1926 of a larger car: the
ñ-Litre. Known as the Silent Six, the latter perpetuated the 3-Litres
mechanical theme but with greatly increased refinement.
Although the 6½-Litre had been conceived as a touring car to compete
with Rolls-Royces New Phantom, in Speed Six form it proved
admirably suited to competition: in 1929 Barnato/Birkin's Speed Six
won the Le Mans 24 Hour Race ahead of a trio of 4ñ-Litre Bentleys,
and BarnatoKidston repeated the feat in the following years Grand
Prix d'Endurance at the Sarthe circuit ahead of similarly-mounted
ClementWatney. Small wonder then, that the fast yet refined ñ-Litre
Speed Six was W O Bentley's favourite car. The 6½-Litre was produced
for four years, during which time 544 chassis were completed, 182 of
these to Speed Six specification.
According to Michael Hays authoritative work, Bentley The Vintage
Years, this ñ-Litre car was originally fitted with four-seat sports saloon
coachwork by Hooper Co.
0ts first owner is recorded as Captain G R C Wyndham, otherwise known
as Dick Wyndham, father of celebrated writer Joan Wyndham. Hay
records that MD24 1 was rebuilt in 1992 as a two-seater sports with
an -Litre cylinder block, hydraulic brakes, and body by Stanley Mann.
The Bentleys accompanying F0A Historic Vehicle 0dentity Form lists the
following owners: Wyndham (192 -1933)" W B Thompson (1933-1947)"
F J Cobb (1947-1990)" S 0 Mann (1990-199 )" and P Godehardt (2 th
December 199 onwards).A copy of an old V5 on file shows that there have been two additional
owners, both in the 1990s: George Minden (former co-owner of
Aston Martin) and Dr. Michael Rudnig, from whom the car was
purchased by Peter Godehardt. A F0VA 0dentity Card (on file) was
issued to Peter Godehardt in 2000, and he competed with the
Bentley at Montlhtry in 2001.The current owner (now deceased) purchased YW 3277 in 2004
and used the Bentley as his daily driver around Monaco() where it
was registered until recently. 0t now has a current <K V5C Registration
Certificate and is MoTd. Benefiting from a recent service by marque
specialists Clark Carter, this magnificent Vintage-era supercar also
comes with an album of photographs recording events attended and
works carried out.
£320,000 - 380,000
€470,000 - 590,000MD 24 1 racing at Montlhtry, 2001