Throughout the 1920s, Bentley built a stern reputation for producing fine race-bred motor cars. Each of its 3-Litre, 4½-Litre, and Speed Six models had won at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while the popular Bentley Boys personified the company’s vibrant spirit. The Wall Street crash of 1929 and ensuing Great Depression hit the firm hard, however, as demand dipped for its relatively expensive creations. Company bosses looked to the 4-Litre as a smaller, more affordable car to compete against the Rolls-Royce 20/25. Woolf Barnato, one of the Bentley Boys and Chairman of Bentley Motors, notably used his 4-Litre as a daily driver. The model proved to the swansong for Bentley in its earliest form based in Cricklewood, though, as only 50 cars were made before its main competitor, Rolls-Royce, bought the marque out of receivership.

The model’s 3,900-cc, straight-six engine was designed by Sir Harry Ricardo’s eponymous engineering concern; Walter Hassan, W O Bentley’s most senior engineer, was very complimentary about the engine despite W O Bentley’s initial reservations. The inlet-over-exhaust configuration was adopted by later Bentley and Rolls-Royce engines up to the end of the 1950s, however, as the fundamental design of the engine proved robust. The engine had a claimed output of 120 brake horsepower at 4,000 rpm, while the model utilised a double-drop chassis based on the contemporary 8-Litre car. Owing to its many technical similarities shared with sister models, lots of 4-Litre models were converted into 6½- or 8-Litre ‘Special’ cars, with very few remaining in their original form.

The example offered here, chassis number VA4089, is one such car that remains true to its appearance intended by the Cricklewood factory, and it is now believed to be the sole remaining 4-Litre Sports Tourer in its original configuration. As noted in the seminal marque reference Bentley: The Vintage Years by Dr Clare Hay, the 4-Litre was sold as a complete chassis to the dealer Jack Barclay Limited. It was then delivered in March 1932, wearing Sports Tourer coachwork by Vanden Plas and registered as EV 5330, to Mr Ernest Dudley Wall of Epping. Significantly, this is one of the final 15 cars completed by Bentley’s Cricklewood concern before it was acquired by Rolls-Royce. An accompanying copy of the hand-written period service records is dated from new to 1939, when it is believed the Bentley was placed into storage amid the outbreak of World War II. The car was retained by its first owner until 1952, when it was listed for sale by Richards & Brown and acquired by Captain Fabling, who took the Bentley to the United States. The car was later sold to Mr John Milchik, based in California, who enjoyed the 4-Litre in club events.

Later returning to the United Kingdom, chassis number VA4089 is believed to have been subject to a detailed restoration between 1994 and 2001. Since then, the Bentley has participated in concours events and rallies, notably winning its class at the Annual Concours an event hosted by the Bentley Drivers Club in 1998, and topping its class again at a gathering presented by Rolls Royce Enthusiasts’ Club and Bentley Drivers Club in 2008. In 2012 the 4-Litre won its class for “Originality and Restoration” at the Unique Special Ones concours d’elegance in Florence and, in 2021, the car achieved first place in the Vintage “WO” Class as part of the Bentley Drivers Club attendance of the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace in 2021.

Further to its registry listing in Dr Hay’s book, the 4-Litre has appeared in other literature including Michael Hay’s title Bentley Factory Cars, 1919–1931 (1998, revised edition), in which the car features in the centrefold colour pages and the author remarks: ‘Not many original 4 Litres survive in as original form as this one. The body is by Vanden Plas on the short, 11’2” wheelbase chassis … this car has recently been thoroughly restored.’ Chassis number VA4089 has appeared in other important books and magazines, including Coachwork on Vintage Bentleys by Nick Walker, Vanden Plas, Coachbuilders by Brian Smith, Bentley Drivers Club Review, Motor Sport Magazine, and more.

Now offered with its matching-numbers engine and original Vanden Plas body, this historically significant and rare 4-Litre model awaits its next owner for enjoyment at concours events, rallies, and more. Very few examples of the 4-Litre exist from its limited production run—especially those still in the original form that the Cricklewood factory intended—making this a must-have for any collector of W O Bentley-era cars.