Speed and Style

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On first seeing this 1931 Bentley 4½ Litre sportsman’s coupé, you don’t quite know what to call it. It’s rakish, elegant and imposing, but we’ll settle on ‘exquisite’ as the word that sums it up best. The all-black finish subdues what is otherwise obviously expensive, the perfectly proportioned juxtaposition of a tall radiator and low roofline and a long bonnet and short body leaving no doubts as to its luxurious and sporting purpose.

1931 Bentley 4½ Litre sportsman’s coupé

A car like this could only have been commissioned by an old aristocratic family, with an inherited respect for quality honed over the centuries. Could the nouveau riche ever attain such impeccable taste? As with all items of quality, age has improved it; the softly patinated Rexine body and sumptuous leather upholstery possess the faintest air of romantic decay, like the same aristocratic family cast adrift by two world wars and remorseless egalitarianism, but clinging defiantly to its Scottish shooting estate and cobwebbed Old Masters.

Actually, the Bentley wasn’t new to the nobility, but Willie Read was a distinguished Wing Commander in the RAF, and that’s good enough. Originally, chassis XT3627 was a red Vanden Plas tourer but Read preferred a coupé and the little-known Biggleswade coachbuilder Maythorn did the honours. You can see the results for yourself but to take a closer look– shotguns, Cognac and all – and learn about its remarkable renovation, read Mick Walsh’s story in the July issue of The Automobile, on sale now.

Words by Zack Stiling. Photographs by Tony Baker.

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