Priceless; Bentley that raced in first Le Mans 100 years ago, makes millions

This is the first Bentley to ever have raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours. It participated in the inaugural race, held 100 years ago. The Bentley just sold privately for over £3 million (3.5 million euros).

Bentley and the Le Mans 24 Hours go back a long time. Between 1927 and 1930, the Bentley Boys notched up four consecutive victories. But the first entry of a Bentley in the very first Le Mans 24 Hours race, held on May 26 – 27, 1923, was a private entry.

Private entry

Canadian WWI veteran and Bentley dealer John Duff had used the Bentley, a 3 Litre model with chassis number #141, previously at the Double 12 Hours at Brooklands, UK (a 24-hour race was not permitted, allowing the locals their sleep). Duff then asked Bentley to prepare the car for the Le Mans 24 Hours, which seemed a crazy affair to Bentley. Nonetheless, they agreed to lend factory test driver Frank Clement for the race.

Fastest lap

The car came with rear-wheel brakes only, and the duo saw their progress hindered by stones puncturing the fuel tank, which caused them to run out of fuel. Nonetheless, Duff and Clement ended up fourth and Clementt set fastest lap, with an average speed of 96 mph (107.328 kph). More than anything, the 3 Litre’s performance changed W.O. Bentley’s mind about the chances his cars would have at finishing at Le Mans. In 1924, Duff and Clement came back to Le Mans, this time backed by the Bentley factory. The pair raced another 3 Litre Sport, an improved version, and this time victory was theirs. The first victory for a Bentley in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Abandoned

The 1923 Bentley 3 Litre would later be used as a towing vehicle, with a different body, and ended up with a woman who used chassis #141 to transport her dogs to shows. She kept the car, but forgot about it. In the eighties, she called Tom Wheatcroft of the Donington Collection, who scooped it up without knowing the history of the car. That only came to light later on, and Wheatcroft swapped it for a Brabham F1 with Australian collector Peter Briggs. After restoration, the Bentley became a centrepiece in his collection in Perth.

Just recently, Simon Kidston – the nephew of one of the original Bentley Boys, Glen Kidston – brokered the sale of the car for over £3 million. It now sits with a British collector and will be on the parade for the Centenary of Le Mans next weekend.