CAD complete on Bentley's Birkin Blower

The new Blowers get one step closer to completion, as the digital rendering is finished

By Matt Bird / Thursday, 16 April 2020 / Loading comments

Those using their newfound working from home status to binge watch Friends or take Morecambe to glory on Football Manager should look away now: the Bentley boys (and girls) have been busy, despite the obvious obstacles. No longer at their Crewe offices, the Bentley Mulliner Classic Division have nonetheless completed what's been called an "important milestone" for the Blower Continuation Series: the CAD model is ready.

You'll remember the painstakingly in-depth process of constructing a Continuation Series car; detailed last year, it involves a 3D scan of an original Blower - chassis HB 3403 - as well as "a sympathetic and conservative mechanical restoration" when it was being put back together again. Then the digital recreation could happen, then Bentley could maybe consider beginning to build the cars. Using moulds and jigs from the 1920s. Nobody said it would be easy...

However, having the digital copy ready is a big deal. Bentley reckons it's taken 1,200 hours for two CAD engineers to complete from the scan data (so that's not including all the time taken in breaking down, restoring and reassembling the Blower) and is made up of 630 components across 70 assemblies. Just this one digital model is more than 2GB in size - that's the level of detail. It is, unsurprisingly, the first time that a 1920s Bentley has been replicated digitally.

So, what's next? The dozen customers are in the process of choosing their spec, using the CAD model with Bentley Design to create accurate renderings of how the finished car might look. Bentley's Car Zero prototype will also begin the "first stages of build" very soon. Suffice it to say nothing is going to happen too swiftly, given both what's being worked with and Bentley's fastidious attention to detail. Then the Mulliner technicians can begin assembly.

The Blower Continuation Series ought to be an incredible project to watch unfold, the process of resurrecting a hundred-year-old car arguably as captivating as the end product promises to be. Expect another update soon, or rather when progress deems one suitable - this Blower isn't going to be rushed, that's for certain.