Bentley 8 Litre Vanden Plas Style Tourer

The 8 Litre was W.O. Bentley's last great design, launched in 1930 just as the Depression hit luxury car sales. Only around 100 were built, and about 78 are thought to survive. Many of those, like this one, have swapped their original saloon coachwork for open tourer bodies.

Chassis YM5045 began life with a Freestone & Webb saloon body and was delivered new to Major C.H. Stevens, who kept it until 1949. Leyland Motors then used it as a test mule for an experimental diesel engine. It was sold on in 1964, and in 1972 it received its current Vanden Plas-style tourer body from Elmdown Engineering, along with an engine rebuild. A Sydney owner bought it in 1981 and shipped it to Australia in early 1982.

A 2015 inspection by VBE Restorations found the engine, axles, steering column and differential housing all stamped with the chassis number. It described the chassis as unaltered, with no evidence of damage or repair, and the original Dewandre servo brakes as working well. Recent work of close to £50,000 included a retrimmed black hide interior, new carpets, a new hood and tonneau covering, electric cooling fans and a full service. The page notes a minor oil leak from the final drive front seal at the time of the report. Mileage is not stated.