One of the rarest and oldest race cars will be reborn by its maker Bentley as a limited run built with assistance from modern technology.
And in the true sense of “if you have to ask you can’t afford it” the modern versions of the 90-year-old Bentley 4 ½ litre “Blower” don’t have a price tag.
“Prices will be on application,” said Bentley in its press release announcing the recreation of the older cars.
Suffice to say, each of a planned production run of 12 cars won’t be cheap, with original Blowers previously selling at auction for many millions of dollars.
Adding to its rarity, the “continuation series” cars will be based on the Team Blower cars, of which only four were produced to be raced in various 1920s and 1930s events, including the famous Le Mans 24 Hour.
“The four Team Blowers are the most valuable Bentleys in the world, and we know there is demand for genuine recreations that can be used, enjoyed and loved without risk to the prized originals,” said Bentley chairman and chief executive Adrian Hallmark.
Some 50 less powerful Blower road cars were also built and partly made famous by novelist Ian Fleming, who cast his fictional British secret agent James Bond as driving one of the sporty machines in Casino Royale, published in 1953 (in the 007 movies Bond typically drives Aston Martins).
While the born again Blowers will be faithful to the original and recreated using some original tooling and manufacturing techniques, modern technology will also be employed in the planning and analysis, which starts with one of those original four cars.
“Twelve lucky customers will soon be able to own a unique tribute to Bentley’s history,” said Hallmark.
The British brand is planning to strip down its own 1929 Blower race car, taking every piece off it to be 3D scanned to create a digital model of the car.
A set of 12 components will then be produced before each car is assembled, a process Bentley expects to take two years.
Powering the modern Bentley Blowers will be a 4.4-litre four-cylinder supercharged engine faithful to the original.
It is expected to make about 240 horsepower, or about 180kW — less than a V6-powered Toyota Camry.
Not that the Blower is about setting any modern lap records. Its heritage and classic design are clearly a big part of the appeal of driving a modern version of a legend.
Originally published as Ninety-year-old car to be reborn
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