Bentley 4½ Litre Tourer

The 4½ Litre was W.O. Bentley's development of the original 3 Litre, with a 4,398cc four-cylinder engine and a four-speed gearbox, and it took Le Mans wins in 1928 and 1929. This example is one of the last handful built, completed in 1931 with Mayfair tourer coachwork.

The history is partly a puzzle. The file goes back to 1992, with the previous owner keeping it for thirty years and the current one for just over four. Earlier clues point to time in the US: an Iowa-plated photo, a 1967 Gettysburg Meet image held by the Vintage Bentley Register and a 1973 advert placing it in Seattle. A note in the file says it was apparently rebodied in the 1960s.

Presentation is described as good, with the wings and ironwork refinished in 2016 and the bonnet repainted to bare metal in 2017. The interior is patinated rather than restored, and an Auster screen was fitted in 1997 for rear passengers. The odometer reads 23,104 miles, and the car has specialist service history.