An interesting sale has taken place on the occasion of the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend, as a fabulous red Bentley racecar has been sold for £4.5 million at a Bonhams sale. The vehicle reportedly belonged to the famous, temerarious racer and Le Mans winner named Sir Henry Birkin.
The previous record for such a sale was set by a similar Bentley sold at the Le Mans Classic auction in 2004, where a Speed Six reportedly appointed “Old No 2” fetched a whopping £2.8 million. This particularly stunning 4.5 liter Supercharged “Blower” mono-seat racing vehicle owned by Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin nearly doubled the previous price tag.
A “Number One” of the ‘30s, this model was a racer too hard to beat. Birkin had set a record 219.93 km/h (137.96 mph) at Brooklands, in the respective car’s seat, during March 1932. Richard Charlesworth, the Director of VIP and Royal Relations at Bentley declared about Sir Birkin’s achievements: “Birkin, along with his Bentley racing friends like Woolf Barnato, Dudley Benjafield and Glen Kidston, were true sporting superstars, renowned not only for their driving ability and courage but living life to the full and in some considerable style.” He then added: “This new record price for a Bentley achieved by Bonhams reflects the enduring respect and admiration for their story and their cars.”
Indeed, Bentley have manufactured a plethora of elegant, luxurious vehicles, backed by extreme performance. No wonder they have been known to produced the most powerful and fastest saloon cars in the world for a number of years.
[LuxuryInsider]
