After storming Bamburgh Castle with that insane amount of cash you saved from various ways and means, you get a barn find rumor and that barn find in question is located south of the castle you recently bought. What's in there is a vintage pre-war masterpiece that is worth more valuable than the Queen's royal crown. Need the answer? Follow me.
A few moments later, we have the answer...
This vintage pre-war masterpiece is a Bentley 4-1/2 Litre Supercharged, known as the Blower, and such car deserves a little bedtime story.
Ever since the original four-cylinder one won the Le Mans in 1928, W.O. Bentley wanted to make a Speed Six while some wanted to jam it with a supercharger, which Sir Bentley disliked the idea. However, Sir Henry Birkin, along with some other cohorts, managed to give it a try, despite W.O. Bentley's discouragement that could ruin its performance.
The Roots-type supercharger that the folks jammed to the four-cylinder in-line engine with single overhead camshaft results to 240HP of power at 4200rpm. Despite that added power, the Blower Bentley didn't managed to win a race. It placed 2nd at the 1930 French Grand Prix, beaten by a lighter Bugatti. Although W.O. Bentley's unhappy with that performance, Sir Henry Birkin took it to the Brooklands in 1932 and broke the Outer Circuit record at 137.96mph, which is quick in pre-war era.
Little did you know that Sir Ian Flemming made this Blower Bentley as a Bond car in his earlier novels.
Now that's some crazy pre-war story about this car. Men like Birkin are going to ignore Bentley's warning that jamming a supercharger at the 4-1/2 Litre but did it anyway and placed 2nd at the French GP and set a Brooklands speed record, that Blower Bentley really is special and there are so many people like us are going to relate with the boys behind the Blower Bentley. That is a rebel with a cause. Speaking of rebel, let's have a go at Bamburgh and since I gained control of the castle, the beach is my playpen for my newly-restored Blower Bentley to take some deep breaths and let loose. Let me see your first step.
Sandblasting at castle grounds, watching the newly-restored Blower's first step, it's the perks of being a would-be king living like royalty unless I'm not one of the dark kings plotting world domination. Huhehe... Dark king, where did I heard that before?
With all of the 15 barn finds unearthened across Great Britain, these hidden treasures are now living a new lease of life on the road and although this whole barn find hunting's complete, I feel that there could be more out there soon as the journey continues...
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