THE CAR
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Our car, a Bentley 4.5 L Le Mans Tourer from 1928, is a similar model to the Le Mans winning car back in 1928. Since 1969 the car has participated in several races and exhibition like:
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During the past two years the car has been prepared especially for this trip. In 2011 the differential and engine received an overhaul, which included new bearings, piston rods, pistons, valves, valve tilt system, oil pump and clutch. The magneto ignition was looked through and the coils were replaced with new ones. Afterwards the journey went to Le Mans, Normandy, Poole, Dartmoor, Lands' End, Bath, New Market and Harwich, in total 3.500 km, where we only had to tighten a few bolts and nuts every night and we had single visit to a garage, to tighten the exhaust mounts. In Dartmoor we slipped off a muddy road into a ditch, however with no damage done to the car This year the gearbox was renovated. New carburators have been mounted, as there was no possibility to install an air filter on the old SU "sloapers". The wiring has been replaced and all joints have been mounted underneath the dashboard. A modern generator has been fitted. The suspension has been taken apart, bolts and nuts renewed and new softer leaf springs have been mounted. We have increased the hight underneath the car by 6 - 8 centimeters. There have been mounted new friction shock absorbers from a Bentley Blower. The brakes have been checked and the steering has been renovated and enhanced. The Autovac fuel pump has also been renovated and an electrical fuel pump has been installed. We have established two parallel fuel wires, so we can shift between the two pumps by simply turning two taps and activate a switch. |
The Chassis has been reinforced in both front and back with a strong frame. A7 mm hardened aluminum plate has been mounted to protect the engine and gearbox. We have chosen not to change the original fuel tank of 110 liters, and instead had two 20 liter jerry cans mounted on each side of the car. Should it happen that we will get bad fuel, we can connect the two cans, so the car can keep on driving. Furthermore there has been a fuel filter installed before the pumps, and a water separator before the carburetors. The headlights mirrors have been polished and new sockets have been installed. Beam spotlights have also been mounted. We have manufactured a special funnel for refueling, in which we have integrated a filter including a 10 cm long tube, which works like an overflow, this allows us to see if there is sand, rust or water in the petrol. Upcomming exhibition You can visit Prototyp Museum, Hamburg on 13th - 14th of April on the occation of Long Night of the Museums, where the Bentley 4.5 L, dressed up for Peking to Paris will be exhibited. After returning from Paris, the car, from the 10th of July and till the middle of August will be exhibited at Egeskov Castle, where we will finish of with a presentation and photos from the trip and hand over the donations to the foundations. |
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