First new Bentley Speed Six in 94 years
The first Speed Six customer car since 1930 is shortly to leave the Bentley Mulliner workshop. It’s the first of 12 Speed Six Continuation Series cars, each handcrafted over the course of eight months
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The completed car is soon to be dispatched to the USA – marking the first delivery of a new Speed Six since 1930. Existing Mulliner customer John Breslow will be the first person to receive his Speed Six.
Commissioned just over 12 months ago, the classically curated Speed Six is resplendent in Parsons Napier Green bodywork on top of a black-painted chassis. The iconic face of the Speed Six is dominated by the twin round headlamps, finished in Chrome with a protective mesh and separated by a large number ‘4’ on the radiator.
Crafted by hand from scratch, each car takes eight months to complete, with the expert team of Mulliner technicians working closely with a network of specialist suppliers across the UK to recreate every detail of the original Speed Six.
The cockpit is as authentic as the exterior, with every gauge, switch and control exactly as per the specification of the Speed Sixes that raced at – and won – Le Mans in 1930. Leather trimmed in a rich deep brown with dominant red tones, the Rust leather and carpet pair seamlessly with the Parsons Napier Green to the exterior.
At the start of the project, the Mulliner Classic team visited the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire, to verify the five authentic period Parsons Paints that are available to customers. Over 600 individual new parts, including a new engine block casting, were fabricated for the new 61⁄2 Litre race spec engine, which at the time developed 200 bhp. Dyno testing has shown the Continuation Series engines to develop 205 bhp.
The Speed Six is regarded as one of the most important Bentleys in history, being the most successful Bentley racing car ever produced. The completed car is soon to be dispatched to the USA – marking the first delivery of a new Speed Six since 1930. Existing Mulliner customer John Breslow will be the first person to receive his Speed Six.
Commissioned just over 12 months ago, the classically curated Speed Six is resplendent in Parsons Napier Green bodywork on top of a black-painted chassis. The iconic face of the Speed Six is dominated by the twin round headlamps, finished in Chrome with a protective mesh and separated by a large number ‘4’ on the radiator.
Crafted by hand from scratch, each car takes eight months to complete, with the expert team of Mulliner technicians working closely with a network of specialist suppliers across the UK to recreate every detail of the original Speed Six.
The cockpit is as authentic as the exterior, with every gauge, switch and control exactly as per the specification of the Speed Sixes that raced at – and won – Le Mans in 1930. Leather trimmed in a rich deep brown with dominant red tones, the Rust leather and carpet pair seamlessly with the Parsons Napier Green to the exterior.
At the start of the project, the Mulliner Classic team visited the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire, to verify the five authentic period Parsons Paints that are available to customers. Over 600 individual new parts, including a new engine block casting, were fabricated for the new 61⁄2 Litre race spec engine, which at the time developed 200 bhp. Dyno testing has shown the Continuation Series engines to develop 205 bhp.
The Speed Six is regarded as one of the most important Bentleys in history, being the most successful Bentley racing car ever produced.
Words by Mark Slack
