Bentley Speed Six

Lore & Background

The Speed Six chassis was available with wheelbases of 138, 140.5, and 152.5 inches, with the 138-inch wheelbase being the most popular. In March 1930, owner Woolf Barnato raced a Speed Six with H. J. Mulliner saloon coachwork against the French Blue Train, reaching his club in London before the train was due in Calais. The racing version of the Speed Six had a wheelbase of 11 feet (132 inches) and an engine producing 200 hp at 3500 rpm with a compression ratio of 6.1:1. It won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1929 and 1930: in 1929 with Woolf Barnato and Tim Birkin, and in 1930 with Woolf Barnato and Glen Kidston.

In Their Own Story

The morning mist clung low over the Mulsanne Straight as the Bentley Speed Six roared past the start line, its supercharger whining like a trapped beast. Woolf Barnato gripped the wheel, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon where the sun was just beginning to burn through the fog. Behind him, the engine's deep thrum vibrated through the chassis, a promise of power that had already conquered the night before. As they approached the first corner, the car leaned into the turn with surprising agility for its size, leaving dust and doubt in its wake.

Reader's Guide

The Speed Six is a naturally aspirated inline-six, not supercharged. It is distinct from the supercharged 4½ Litre 'Blower' Bentley. The Speed Six's Le Mans victories were in 1929 and 1930 only; it did not win in 1927 or 1928.

Did You Know?

• The Speed Six's engine produced 180 hp in standard form and 200 hp in racing trim.
• Two Bentley Speed Sixes were used as patrol cars by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Western Australia Police.
• The Speed Six was the most successful racing Bentley.