Bentley 3 1/2 Litre Park Ward Saloon

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Bentley’s difficult financial situation in late 1930 was a badly kept secret. Their new 4-litre model never quite hit the spot and the gargantuan 8-litre couldn’t have arrived at a worse time in the midst of the Great Depression.

Their less-sporting rivals, Rolls-Royce, came to the rescue, purchasing the ailing company in 1931, acquiring a stake in coachbuilders Park Ward in the same year. Rolls-Royce had worked with Park Ward in 1922 on an abortive plan to make standardised bodies for their owner-driver 20hp chassis and they were held in high regard. 

Rolls-Royce’s first task was to stem the flow of cash from recently acquired Bentley. They had developed a lightweight sports chassis codenamed ‘Peregrine’ which was due to house a small capacity supercharged engine which never properly materialised. The basic rolling chassis components were hastily resurrected and fitted with a mildly breathed-on Rolls-Royce 20/25 engine. By increasing the compression ratio and fitting a cross-flow head with twin-SUs and a warmer camshaft, they boosted power to a respectable yet still refined 110bhp.

The conventional chassis layout, which included a four-speed gearbox with synchromesh on the upper two ratios, was then offered to outside coachbuilders with an all-in chassis weight of 1,140kgs, sufficiently light to allow most them to top 90mph depending on the coachwork fitted.

WO Bentley was quoted as saying that he would ‘rather own this Bentley than any other product under that name’ and it was marketed as the ‘Silent Sports Car’, many of the top-flight racing drivers choosing to use one as their every-day driver. Wolf Barnato, Prince Bira, Malcolm Campbell, George Eyston and Raymond Mays being amongst the list of very satisfied customers.

Park Ward in the meantime had honed their sports saloon coachwork into a most attractive design and around 50% of Bentley 3 ½-litre production was eventually fitted with this coachwork.

Delivered in early 1935, this lovely Park Ward Sports Saloon was originally ordered in Black, a photocopy of the factory build sheet showing that it was repainted Grey/Battleship Grey at Park Ward prior to despatch. They kept its brown leather upholstery (which it carries to this day) and delivered it to a garage in Tunbridge Wells.

The car's history picks up in 1992 when it was sold by the Real Car Company to a gentleman on the South Coast. It is understood that they imported it, possibly from America, registering the car BLX 262 during that year. The new owner delivered the car to restoration specialists Scott-Moncrieff for a comprehensive bodywork restoration.

After work was well underway, the owner got into financial difficulties and after much delay, Scott-Moncrieff took the car in payment for the work already completed, finishing the bodywork restoration to their usual high standards before selling it through auction ‘by order of the Sheriff of Staffordshire’ to recoup their costs. Their work included fitting new wings, running boards and one door.

The vendor purchased it in 1994 from this auction. The bodywork was unsurprisingly in superb condition and thankfully the original interior has remained in lovely patinated condition, with the exception of the driver’s seat squab which could now do with some sympathetic restoration.

It soon became apparent that the mechanical condition of the car was not up to the standard of the bodywork and the vendor entrusted his local Derby Bentley expert, John Reynolds, with a comprehensive rebuild of the engine. Detailed notes on file show how it was stripped to its bare components and completely restored. Bills from Brunts of Silverdale from 1996 for machining, line-boring and white-metalling total £4,291, with further bills showing its meticulous reassembly.

A replacement inlet manifold was sourced, the engine being fully balanced and fitted with new pistons, rings and bearings. The water-pump was rebuilt along with the carburettors and a myriad of small details were thoroughly sorted. The end result is superb, the engine running like the proverbial ‘Swiss watch’.

Shortly after, the steering box was given a complete rebuild and with the addition of four new tyres, the vendor informs us that the steering has been transformed. The car has a stainless steel exhaust and was fully serviced in May of last year by Bradbury Engineering including balancing the wheels. It has only covered some 2,000 miles since the engine rebuild.

With its comprehensively restored bodywork by renowned marque experts Scott-Moncrieff, its lovely original interior and professionally reconditioned engine, this 3 ½-litre Park Ward Sports Saloon is as nice an example as we have seen and will make a fine addition to any collection.