Bentley Blower

Bentley Blower
Hugh Llewelyn · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Name	Bentley Blower
Manufacturer	Bentley Motors
Production	1929–1931
Class	Sports car
Body style	Tourer, coupe
Engine	4.5 L supercharged inline-four
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Designer	W. O. Bentley; Sir Henry Birkin (racing development)

Bentley Blower The Bentley Blower is a family of supercharged Bentley Motors sports cars developed during the late 1920s and early 1930s, notable for their competition pedigree with links to Le Mans 24 Hours, Brooklands, Earl of Dudley, W. O. Bentley, and Sir Henry Birkin. Emerging amid the post-World War I automotive boom and the rise of A. C. Cars engineering firms, the Blower combined a 4.5 litre inline-four engine with a distinctive Roots-type supercharger developed by specialist firms and independent tuners associated with the Bentley Boys era.

Development and Design

Development began as a response to competition from manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Sunbeam, Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, and Riley Motors at events including Le Mans 24 Hours and Brooklands. W. O. Bentley designed the base 4½-litre chassis to compete against teams like Aston Martin, Talbot, Voisin, and Lagonda, while influence and funding from enthusiasts such as Sir Henry Birkin and patrons in the British aristocracy accelerated the adoption of forced induction. The supercharger was a Roots-type unit sourced from specialist firms and was fitted ahead of the radiator, producing relationships with engineering houses like Bentley Motors Limited, Birkin Motor Company, Ettore Bugatti-influenced coachbuilders, and chassis suppliers who had worked with H. J. Mulliner & Co., Barker, Vanden Plas, and Park Ward.

Design compromises reflected racing priorities shared with contemporaries like Riley Brooklands and Sunbeam 3-litre cars: reinforced crankcases, modified camshafts, higher compression ratios influenced by practices from Alfa Romeo P2 development, and cooling solutions parallel to those used by Mercedes-Benz SSK. The Blower’s aesthetic and functional decisions echoed the era’s engineering ethos seen in works by Herbert Austin, Sir Herbert Austin, Louis Coatalen, and coachwork trends prevalent at Goodwood Circuit and Donington Park events.

Models and Variants

Variants included factory and privateer iterations paralleling pattern seen with Bentley 3 Litre and Bentley 4½ Litre models. Notable versions emerged through collaborations with coachbuilders like H. J. Mulliner, Park Ward, Vanden Plas, Gurney Nutting, and Thrupp & Maberly. Special racing chassis were prepared by crews connected to Bentley Motors, Meadows Engineering, and independent garages patronized by Earl Howe and William Bentley. Coachbuilt tourers and closed coupes mirrored body styles seen on contemporary cars from Rolls-Royce, Rover, Sunbeam, and Lagonda.

Privateer specials and continuation cars later produced by firms inspired by period practices include enterprises associated with the revival movements led by figures from Brooklands Museum, Goodwood Road & Racing Club, National Motor Museum, and specialist companies that echo the restoration philosophies of Jensen, Morgan Motor Company, and Aston Martin Works.

Racing History and Achievements

The Blower earned reputation at Le Mans 24 Hours in the hands of drivers from the Bentley Boys network, including Sir Henry Birkin, who famously campaigned Blowers against rivals from Alfa Romeo, Sunbeam, Mercedes-Benz, and Lagonda. The cars contested endurance events like Le Mans 24 Hours alongside entries from Team Bentley, Bentley Works Team, and privateer stables, and they raced at circuits including Brooklands, Montlhéry, Goodwood Circuit, and Donington Park.

While the Blower never secured an overall Le Mans 24 Hours victory like some Bentley 4½ Litre teammates had earlier, it scored notable class placings and set lap records at Brooklands and speed trials comparable to achievements by Riley Brooklands and Sunbeam T-series entries. The competition story intersects with personalities and institutions such as W. O. Bentley, Sir Henry Birkin, Tim Birkin, John Duff, Bertie Wakefield, and organisations including Royal Automobile Club, Automobile Club de l'Ouest, Brooklands Society, and Mulliner workshops.

Technical Specifications

The Blower is powered by a front-mounted 4.5-litre straight-four engine with a Roots-type supercharger installed ahead of the radiator, a configuration reminiscent of forced-induction practices used by Mercedes-Benz SSK and Supercharged Alfa Romeo programs. Key technical elements included strengthened crankcases, four valves per cylinder in some evolution prototypes, multiple carburettor arrangements, aluminium pistons developed along lines similar to components used by Sunbeam engineers, and a dry-sump lubrication system found in high-performance cars from Bugatti and Alfa Romeo racing workshops.

Chassis and suspension arrangements followed ladder-frame construction with semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear, drum brakes comparable to units used by Rolls-Royce and Sunbeam, and weight-saving coachwork by H. J. Mulliner and Gurney Nutting. Transmission was a non-synchromesh manual gearbox, comparable to gearboxes from Rudge-Whitworth era suppliers, driving the rear axle. Performance figures varied by tune and bodywork but often placed the Blower among the fastest contemporaries, rivaling cars like the Bentley 4½ Litre Speed Six in certain tuning states.

Legacy and Cultural Impact

The Blower’s legacy persists through connections to the Bentley Boys mythos, the revival of classic motorsport at venues such as Goodwood Festival of Speed, the preservation activities of institutions like the National Motor Museum and Brooklands Museum, and commercial valuations at auctions run by houses such as Bonhams, RM Sotheby's, and Gooding & Company. It influenced later supercharged designs by manufacturers including Bentley Motors after its acquisition by Rolls-Royce Limited and inspired collectors, restorers, and homage manufacturers linked to Vintage Sports-Car Club, Historic Sports Car Club, and bespoke coachbuilders.

The model appears in cultural works celebrating interwar motoring and personalities like Sir Henry Birkin, influencing portrayals in motorsport histories alongside references to Le Mans 24 Hours, Brooklands Society publications, and documentaries produced by broadcasters such as BBC and Channel 4. The Blower remains a symbol for heritage events, period re-creations by companies connected to Goodwood Road & Racing Club, and as headline lots in major auctions reflecting the continuing fascination with pre-war racing legends.

Category:Bentley