The blower is back! Bentley builds the first £ 1.5 million reborn racing driver of the 1920s

Bentley completed the first reborn Bentley Blower in 90 years as part of an ongoing auto project for wealthy vehicle collectors.

The legendary British brand used Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin’s famous 4½ liter ‘Team Blower’ car from 1929 as a template to recreate a limited edition street series of the stunning racing driver.

The first model – called “Car Zero” – took 40,000 man hours and is used as a prototype for 12 customer cars, each of which is faithfully recreated with almost 2,000 hand-made components and based on the original drawings of the vehicle. Tools and a laser-scanned 3D model of the 91-year-old Birkin competition car.

Each customer example starts at £ 1.5m pretax – so £ 1.8m including UK VAT – but will not be delivered for another two years.

Like the original Blower Bentley, the first of the reborn’s ultra-exclusive classics will use a turbocharged 4.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine.

Bentley has not yet released official performance data for the Blower continuation vehicles.

However, if it is to be an exact match to the original, it should have the same power of 242 hp and a top speed of 138 km / h.

It’s a comparable replica of the engines that powered Tim Birkin’s racing cars in the late 1920s, with the same aluminum pistons, overhead cam, dual ignition and a reworked Amherst Villiers Roots supercharger.

Every single component of the continuation vehicle was laser-scanned from the wheels as part of a “sympathetic restoration”.

From this data 1,846 individual parts were designed and handcrafted to produce the new blower.

About 230 of these parts are actually assemblies – one of which is the engine – which when fixtures and interior trim are included, adding to the total number of parts to several thousand.

The first model – called “Car Zero” – took 40,000 man hours and is used as a prototype for 12 customer cars, each of which is faithfully reproduced with almost 2,000 hand-made components

The ‘Bentley Boys’ (from left, first man in the car) Frank Clement, Joseph Dudley Benjafield, Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin, Jean Chassagne and Woolf Barnato at the 24-hour Grand Prix D’Endurance in their Bentley in Le Mans Sports car

Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin drives the # 63 Supercharged Bentley during the RAC International Tourist Trophy on August 17, 1929 at the Ards Circuit in Belfast

If the limited number of cars is to be exactly the same as the real thing – as seen here on ‘The’ Bentley Boys’ – they should have the same output of 242 horsepower and a top speed of 138 mph

The chassis is made of hand-formed heavy steel that has been hot riveted by Israel Newton & Sons Ltd – a 200 year old engineering firm that traditionally makes boilers for steam locomotives.

The blower nickel cooler sold is bespoke and identical to the original, while the timed leaf springs and shackles were made by a blacksmith with 75 years of experience in the West Midlands.

The scanned and reproduced brakes are the same as those of the original car, which are 40 cm mechanical drums.

Car Zero was produced before the 12 customer models for a reason.

Months of performance tests will soon be conducted to ensure that the products shipped to deep pocket buyers are of the highest possible and most reliable standard.

Every single component of the continuation vehicle was laser-scanned from the wheels as part of a “sympathetic restoration”. From that data, 1,846 items were designed and handcrafted to make the new blower, Bentley says

The blower nickel cooler sold is bespoke and identical to the original, while the timed leaf springs and shackles were made by a blacksmith with 75 years of experience in the West Midlands

The prototype Car Zero is finished in glossy black and has an interior made of oxblood red leather from Bridge of Weir

It undergoes a real world durability rating that spans nearly 22,000 miles in total, including 5,000 miles on a racetrack on the Bentley Chairman and CEO Adrian Hallmark will bring the blower up to its top speed.

Car Zero is finished in gloss black and has an interior made of oxblood red leather from Bridge of Weir. This will also officially create the new Bentley Motors campus in Crewe.

Made possible by the closure of Pyms Lane – Bentley’s address since 1946 – the campus adds a new, expanded presence to Bentley’s headquarters.

The chassis is made from hand-formed heavy steel that has been hot riveted by Israel Newton & Sons Ltd – a 200 year old engineering company that traditionally makes boilers for steam locomotives

The scanned and reproduced brakes are the same as those of the original car, which are 40 cm mechanical drums

The switchgear, clocks and dials are comparable replicas of the original Bentley Blower vehicles from more than 90 years ago

Mr. Hallmark has already had the honor of driving Car Zero down Pyms Lane for the occasion.

He said: ‘Today has been a truly remarkable day, not only as a milestone in the Blower Continuation Series project, but also for Bentley Motors.

‘Driving the first new blower in 90 years was a privilege and the quality of the car would make Sir Tim Birkin himself proud.

‘The craftsmanship is exquisite and I’m happy to report that the car drives as beautifully as our original team car.

‘It was also important that I could drive the new blower down Pyms Lane, which is now part of our main location, as we build the new Bentley campus.

“Investing in our headquarters is critical to the future of both Bentley and Crewe. Our new developments and buildings are a physical manifestation of the exciting future that lies ahead as we set out to become global leaders in the world to become sustainable luxury mobility. “

Like the original Blower Bentley, the first of the reborn’s ultra-exclusive classics will use a turbocharged 4.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine

Bentley has not yet released official performance data for the Blower continuation vehicles

It’s undergone a real world durability rating that spans nearly 22,000 miles in total, including 5,000 miles on a racetrack where Bentley’s Chairman and CEO Adrian Hallmark takes the driver’s seat to bring the blower up to its top speed

The Blower Continuation Series is the first customer-oriented project in the new Bentley Mulliner Classic portfolio, one of three new Mulliner divisions alongside Coachbuilt (the equally exclusive Bacalar is currently being developed) and Collections (bespoke examples for the Continental GT).

Each of the 12 customer cars has already been promised to collectors who have topped up the £ 1.5m (excluding tax) fee.

Bentley bosses said it would take the specialty department 48 months to complete the exclusive Car Zero production run.