Discussion
I finished his autobiography last night. A delightful old world read using words like 'gay' and 'chap'. Some good stuff on the Bentley Boys but there were many wide ranging and interesting observations which I shall share:
WO did his apprenticeship on the railways.
He was influential in aero engine design to help the then RAF gain air superiority or at least stop them losing so many pilots through engine failure.
Early forays into Le Mans stipulated that a car must carry the equivalent ballast of one passenger, it must be a four seater and have a hood which must be raised for at least 20 laps. During the race all maintenance, refuelling and pitstops had to be executed by the driver. Average speeds on in Le Sarthe were about 80 mph and it was mainly single lane and untarmac'd.
Tim Birkins obsessions with blowers ruined the business after it had refound its feet post the 1929 crash.
He felt his finest ever car that he designed was the Lagonda V12, a Le Mans prepared version finished 3rd in 1939 Le Mans.
He didn't much like his time under RR ownership. RR legal had spotted that Bentley motors had failed to trademark the name and when RR bought BM it also registered the trademark thereforth indefinetly owning the rights to any car designed by WO or using the name Bentley....which still stands.
He struck me as quite humble and diminutive but very focused on upmarket car design and engineering.
WO did his apprenticeship on the railways.
He was influential in aero engine design to help the then RAF gain air superiority or at least stop them losing so many pilots through engine failure.
Early forays into Le Mans stipulated that a car must carry the equivalent ballast of one passenger, it must be a four seater and have a hood which must be raised for at least 20 laps. During the race all maintenance, refuelling and pitstops had to be executed by the driver. Average speeds on in Le Sarthe were about 80 mph and it was mainly single lane and untarmac'd.
Tim Birkins obsessions with blowers ruined the business after it had refound its feet post the 1929 crash.
He felt his finest ever car that he designed was the Lagonda V12, a Le Mans prepared version finished 3rd in 1939 Le Mans.
He didn't much like his time under RR ownership. RR legal had spotted that Bentley motors had failed to trademark the name and when RR bought BM it also registered the trademark thereforth indefinetly owning the rights to any car designed by WO or using the name Bentley....which still stands.
He struck me as quite humble and diminutive but very focused on upmarket car design and engineering.
SilverWraith said:
But, to be fair, he couldn't run a business and was too easily lead astray into developing something new and different before finishing what he was previously working on and capitalising on it. Shame. Brilliant engineer, poor businesman.
That appears to be true and he pretty much admits it. Neither could Bugatti or Lagonda who were also victims of the post war era. there are few survivors from that post war era that havn't been resuscitated by larger corporate clout. What is nice is that the Brand lives on unlike Bugatti or Lagonda (to a degree).Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff