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Bentley Boys: Difference between revisions
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The '''Bentley Boys''' were a group of gentlemen racers who drove [[Bentley]] [[Sportscar|sports cars]] to victory in the 1920s. In 1925, as the marque foundered, Bentley Boy [[Woolf Barnato]] bought the company, leading to the creation of the famous supercharged [[Blower Bentley|Bentley Blower]] car. | The '''Bentley Boys''' were a group of gentlemen racers who drove [[Bentley]] [[Sportscar|sports cars]] to victory in the 1920s. In 1925, as the marque foundered, Bentley Boy [[Woolf Barnato]] bought the company, leading to the creation of the famous [[supercharged]] [[Blower Bentley|Bentley Blower]] car. | ||
The Bentley Boys included: | The Bentley Boys included: | ||
* [[Woolf Barnato|Woolf "Babe" Barnato]], heir to Kimberley diamond magnate Barney Barnato | |||
* [[Woolf Barnato|Woolf "Babe" Barnato]], heir to Kimberley diamond magnate Barney Barnato | * [[Dudley Benjafield|Dr. J. Dudley "Benjy" Benjafield]] | ||
* Dr. J. Dudley "Benjy" Benjafield | * [[Henry Birkin|Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin]] | ||
* [[ | * [[Dale Bourne]] | ||
* Dale Bourne | * [[Frank Clement (racing driver)|Frank Clement]] | ||
* Frank Clement | * [[S. C. H. Davis|S. C. H. "Sammy" Davis]], automotive journalist | ||
* S. C. H. "Sammy" Davis, automotive journalist | * [[John Duff]] | ||
* [[John Duff]] | * [[George Duller]], steeplechaser | ||
* George Duller, steeplechaser | * [[Clive Dunfee]] | ||
* Clive Dunfee | * [[Jack Dunfee]] | ||
* Jack Dunfee | * [[Baron d’Erlanger]], playboy | ||
* Baron d’Erlanger, playboy | * [[Clive Gallop]], engineer | ||
* Clive Gallop, engineer | * [[Glen Kidston]], aviator | ||
* Glen Kidston, aviator | * [[Bertie Kensington Moir]] | ||
* Bertie Kensington Moir | * [[Bernard Rubin]], pearl fishery magnate | ||
* Bernard Rubin, pearl fishery magnate | |||
At one point, on a bet, Barnato raced [[Le Train Bleu]] from Cannes to Calais, then by ferry to Dover and finally London, travelling on public highways with normal traffic, and won; the special-bodied 6.5 L car became known as the Blue Train Bentley. | At one point, on a bet, Barnato raced [[Le Train Bleu]] from Cannes to Calais, then by ferry to Dover and finally London, travelling on public highways with normal traffic, and won; the special-bodied 6.5 L car became known as the Blue Train Bentley. | ||
Latest revision as of 05:02, 15 January 2007
The Bentley Boys were a group of gentlemen racers who drove Bentley sports cars to victory in the 1920s. In 1925, as the marque foundered, Bentley Boy Woolf Barnato bought the company, leading to the creation of the famous supercharged Bentley Blower car.
The Bentley Boys included:
- Woolf "Babe" Barnato, heir to Kimberley diamond magnate Barney Barnato
- Dr. J. Dudley "Benjy" Benjafield
- Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin
- Dale Bourne
- Frank Clement
- S. C. H. "Sammy" Davis, automotive journalist
- John Duff
- George Duller, steeplechaser
- Clive Dunfee
- Jack Dunfee
- Baron d’Erlanger, playboy
- Clive Gallop, engineer
- Glen Kidston, aviator
- Bertie Kensington Moir
- Bernard Rubin, pearl fishery magnate
At one point, on a bet, Barnato raced Le Train Bleu from Cannes to Calais, then by ferry to Dover and finally London, travelling on public highways with normal traffic, and won; the special-bodied 6.5 L car became known as the Blue Train Bentley.
Thanks to the dedication of this group to serious racing, the company, located at Cricklewood, north London, was noted for its four consecutive victories at the 24 hours of Le Mans from 1927 to 1930. Their greatest competitor at the time, Ettore Bugatti, whose lightweight, elegant, but fragile creations contrasted with the Bentley's rugged reliability and durability, referred to them as "the world's fastest lorries".
A great deal of Barnato's fortune went to keeping Bentley afloat after he became chairman in 1925; but the Great Depression destroyed demand for the company's expensive products, and it was finally sold off to Rolls-Royce in 1931.
