Bentley 3 1/2-Litre Drophead Coupe 1935, Inglaterra

Bentley 3 1/2-Litre Drophead Coupe 1935, Inglaterra

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The first Bentley model produced after Rolls- Royce’s acquisition of the company, the 3 1/2 Litre was the first of the “Derby Bentleys” built at Rolls-Royce’s Derby factory. These machines were refined and elegant, earning them the famous “silent sports car” moniker that would become synonymous with the marque.

This outstanding and historic example, chassis B5EJ, was bodied by renowned coachbuilder Antem of Paris. It is one of just two Bentleys ever bodied by the company, and the only 3 1/2 Litre for which they built a body. Chassis B5EJ features the characteristically French styling of the period, which was even more elegant and rakish than contemporary English designs. The windscreen was extremely low, hinged at the top to permit ventilation, and able to be folded completely flat from the base.

This 3 1/2 Litre was originally ordered by legendary Bentley client and Greek shipping magnate André Embiricos, now famous for his streamlined, custom-bodied 4 1/2 Litre Bentley, which ran at Brooklands and competed at Le Mans from 1949–1951, finishing 6th Overall at the 1949 event. According to a copy of its original Bentley build sheet on file, B5EJ was ordered with a high-compression cylinder head and metric instruments.

Mr. Embiricos took delivery of the Bentley in Paris, where it remained until he sold it back to Bentley Motors, who found it a new home in the UK. Chassis B5EJ remained there with a handful of long-term owners before settling with famed racing driver Eddie Hall. Beginning in the early 1920s and spanning nearly three decades, Hall had a successful competition career, driving Bentleys and supercharged MGs at Silverstone and the Ards circuit in Northern Ireland. Hall has been immortalized for his heroic drive at Le Mans in 1950, where he drove a specially prepared 4 1/4 Litre Bentley Corniche TT Coupe for the entire 24-hour race on his own – never offering the wheel to his co-driver Tom Clarke and, amazingly, finishing 8th Overall. He remains the only driver in the history of the famed race to drive the entirety of the relentless event.

In 1978, Hall, then 80 years old, raced this Antembodied Bentley Drophead Coupe at Ards – not only in the rain, but also with the top down. B5EJ was repainted dark blue before being sold in the mid-1980s to Dick Ahrens, an enthusiastic Oakland-based RROC member who kept the car until at least 2004. In 2008, it was purchased by Virginia enthusiast Mark Smith and largely stored until the disbursement of his estate in 2023. The Bentley was then acquired by Bob Cole, who had missed two previous opportunities to purchase this rare and beautiful example.

Immediately following his acquisition, Mr. Cole sent B5EJ to the marque experts at Vantage Motorworks for an extensive evaluation and restoration to its former splendor. The body’s underlying wood was inspected and replaced as necessary, the driveline and mechanicals were serviced or rebuilt, and the cosmetics were finished to show standards throughout, including finishing work by Potts Restoration and Ricardo Sanchez. In total, approximately $500,000 was lavished on the restoration of this rare and sporting Bentley. Mr. Cole felt he owed this thorough renewal to this particular Bentley, having admired it from afar for so many years.

The car is accompanied by an owner’s handbook, along with volumes of historical documentation and correspondence. Having been owned by three of the most notable names in the Bentley world and fitted with one-off French coachwork, B5EJ is at once a beautiful work of automotive art and a potent tourer equipped with Bentley’s sophisticated mechanicals. This fantastic motorcar would make a lasting impression on the show field or on myriad vintage driving events for which it is eligible. Texto da Gooding Christie's.

Nota do blog: Data 2026 / Crédito para Gooding Christie's.