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First Bentley to race at Le Mans sells for over $3.7 million

What's the big deal with Bentley? After all, the luxury marque has spent much of its life as a Volkswagen sub-brand or Rolls-Royce understudy. Well the big deal is, in short, racing provenance. In its very early days, before it became an nouveau riche status symbol, Bentley staked a claim as a force in the motorsports world. And people who remember that still hold the brand in high regard. Case in point: The first Bentley to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans has just sold for more than $3.7 million. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the famed French enduro, hailed by many as the greatest auto race in the world. In 1923 Bentley 3-Litre, chassis 141 became the first of many to enter the race. In fact, it is billed as the first international entrant, period.  Prior to its arrival at Circuit de la Sarthe, the car had been raced by WWI veteran and Bentley dealer John Duff at the Double 12 Hour at Brooklands. At the time 24-hour races had been outlawed in the U.K. due to noise so the race was divided into two segments. Duff set 38 international records as he covered 2,082 miles at an average 86.79 mph. Based on that success, he asked founder W.O. Bentley to help him prep the car for a new day-long race in France. Duff and his co-driver Frank Clement, a Bentley factory test driver, managed to finished fourth despite a hole in the fuel tank caused by a rock on the track in this pre-paved era. Along the way, they set a lap record of 66.69 mph average speed. Duff and several other racers became known as the Bentley Boys, a cadre of free-wheeling daredevil rascals. Bentley, Duff and Clement returned the following year and won the race outright. The Bentley Boys would then set a four-year streak from 1927-30 at the fledgling event, cementing the brand into legend. Then Rolls-Royce bought the company in 1931 and ceased its racing activities. A Bentley works car would not appear on the starting grid at Le Mans until the EXP Speed 8 in 2001. Despite its pivotal role in Bentley history, chassis 141 was pretty much treated as a used car after its retirement. According to the brokerage firm that arranged the $3.7 million sale, at some point a local undertaker covered the rear and used it as a wagon, perhaps for macabre cargo.

5 unused, unregistered Bentley Mulsanne Grand Limousines for sale

It's not unheard of for a car with extremely low miles to appear for sale years after it was built. In some unusual cases, they might not even be registered. But what's truly bizarre is for a whole group of five cars reappearing for sale having never been registered. And even more so when they're five unique examples of the Bentley Mulsanne Grand Limousine, a car that had to be specially ordered from the company. And yet, that's exactly what Bentley Emirates is offering. Bentley the company has said that the five stretched Mulsannes were delivered, but never used or registered. It's not completely clear whether they were ordered by one person, five individuals, or maybe even the dealer. We've reached out for details and will update when we have clarification. No matter what, it's unfathomable that such cars would be ordered and never used. Though pricing was never announced, they can't have been cheap. Can you imagine dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars on something and never using that thing? Anyway, here's a quick refresher on the Mulsanne Grand Limousine. Bentley said the first cars were built in 2015, and the model made its public debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Obviously, the most distinct part of the car was its length, just over three feet greater than a standard Mulsanne, itself a large machine. Overall height also increased by three inches. This made room for an additional set of rear-facing seats behind the fronts. The divider behind the front seats has electrochromic glass to provide privacy. A bottle cooler, champagne flutes, a soft-drink cabinet and tumblers are all included, and there are fold-out tables on which to rest said glasses. One of the five cars is pictured above in the same Silver Frost over Moroccan Blue paint scheme as the Geneva show car. The other four each have their own color schemes: Damson over Black Crystal, Onyx over Candy Red, Rubino Red over Light Gazelle and a single-tone Black Sapphire. So you have options. Pricing for these cars hasn't been announced. But you surely can't afford one if you have to ask. Also, while the cars are for sale in the United Arab Emirates, the dealer will ship to anywhere in the world. Related Video:

At St. Moritz, the Ferraris and Bugattis are small wonders

The Little Car Company is once again taking to glitzy St. Moritz in the Alps to show off an array of scaled-down automotive classics that will include a Bugatti Baby II, Ferrari Testa Rossa J (for junior) in both base and Pacco Gara models, and an Aston Martin DB5 Junior. The elegant, electrified miniatures, all available for test drives, will be assembled at the upcoming International Concours of Elegance at St. Moritz this Friday and Saturday to entertain the rich and famous, and others perhaps not so well positioned. The Little Car Company is a U.K.-based firm that has re-created everything from a pint-sized Bugatti Type 35 to a life-sized dune buggy based on a Tamiya R/C kit from the 1980s. Their cars run on electric power. Other models are put on static display, and one of those at St. Moritz is to be its newly launched Bentley Blower Jnr. "A step into new territory for the brand," the company says, the Blower Jnr is an 85 percent scale electric version of the British manufacturer's legendary original, and is The Little Car Company’s first road-legal automobile. Said CEO Ben Hedley, "This year will be the third time that we have participated in this wonderful event, so it is only right that we bring even more unique pieces for guests to get behind the wheel of, but also that we bring something new for guests to look at: the Bentley Blower Jnr." Operating for about five years, the Little Car Company hand-builds licensed products in entertaining partnerships with some elite manufacturers. Its cars are aimed mainly at collectors but can be driven. Among its recent offerings, the Testa Rossa was launched in 2021 as a 3/4-scale replica of the legendary "red head,” powered by a 12kW battery and able to reach a top speed of 47 mph, Little Car Company planned to build only 299 examples of the Testa Rossa. One of them was on display at Harrods in London just before Christmas, priced at just about $100,000. A terrific gift, but youÂ’ll need a bigger tree.   Featured Gallery The Little Car Company at St Moritz Design/Style Aston Martin Bentley Bugatti Ferrari Electric