The S1 Bentley is For Sale! š
Mary is a 1934 Derby Bentley Thrupp & Maberley bodied Coupe. BLE 430 ā B 96Ā BN. Two were made but the other one has not been seen since WW11, so she isĀ unique. She is also the only Bentley in the world to have been blown up twice onĀ screen.Ā She was owned by Speed King Donald Campbell in the early fifties.
I acquired her in 2009, to go with my 1947 Mark VI. Since then the engine has beenĀ completely re-built, including a new head and block, with a new clutch put in at theĀ same time. She has also been re-wired, new kingpins, total brake overhaul, newĀ radiator and fuel pump with suspension and one shot lubrication system overhauled.Ā Also had the speedometer and rev.counter serviced in 2018. She runs superbly andĀ has just had her annual service at AB Classics, who specialise in pre-war Bentleys &Ā Rolls Royces. (He also looks after my 1936 25/30 RR ).
She is currently insured for Ā£295,000 and I will be looking for an offer aroundĀ Ā£265,000.
Ordered for Jack Odling in September 1934. One of two 3 Ā½ lt Coupes made byĀ Thrupp & Maberley. The other one has not been seen for several decades andĀ presumed lost during World War 2.Ā Not much early history but owned by Speed King Donald Campbell in the earlyĀ 1950ās. We have a photograph of the car at that time being offered for sale, withĀ silver wheel discs. His ownership is acknowledged by all the relevant history
available in various publications and agreed with both Bentley Drivers Club & RollsĀ Royce Enthusiasts Club records.
She went through three owners from October 1954 to October 1961.Ā Next piece of history is she was acquired by a Mr Silk of Romford in 1973 andĀ underwent extensive professional restoration up to 1994, with a mechanical overhaulĀ in 1994. She was back on the road in 1998.Ā She was then purchased from P & A Wood by Andrew Smith in August 2001. HeĀ kept her until early 2008 when he sold her to Brian Classic as he did not wish to re-
wire her. I bought her from Brian Classic in April 2009 with money left to me by myĀ late Mother, Mary.Ā We only just made the 100 miles home with many electrical problems. I am glad toĀ say that Brian Classic eventually made a substantial contribution to the re-wiring byĀ Jeremy Padgett.
The following year going into the RREC Concours the heating nearly went into theĀ red so back to Jeremy Padgett to sort out. Result was a complete engine re-build byĀ Ristes, also replaced the radiator core and new clutch plate. Finally back on the roadĀ in May 2012. Very expensive period. However, she is now in superb condition, being regularly serviced by AB Classics.Ā More recently the carburettors have been re-built. Following an accident on set inĀ 2017 she was sent to Steve Penny at Penny Vintage to restore the damaged door.Ā Sadly this was one of his last jobs before retiring. What a superb craftsman he is, heĀ made a fabulous job of restoring her. Needless to say she still looks superb.Ā I have owned and enjoyed classic cars since 1969 and Mary must be my ultimateĀ car.
when the callĀ came.Ā Jeremy, I am looking for a 1926 Derby Bentley, preferably black. Can you find meĀ one please.Ā I explained that they were not invented until 1933 and that mine was made in 1934Ā and is grey and black and has not changed since Endeavour three years earlier. HalfĀ an hour later phone goes again, can you bring your car down for production to haveĀ a look at in Ealing early next week.
Production were delighted with Mary, especially after a bit of a run round Ealing. AtĀ this point no-one would tell me what it was all about, apart from the fact that this wasĀ āThe Big Oneā.Ā Two days later phone goes again, she is going to be Crowleyās Bentley in āGoodĀ Omensā by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. My wife quickly ordered the book andĀ read it. The Bentley was mentioned almost 80 times. Can I please take her to aĀ specialist body maker for her cab to be replicated for studio scenes. Can I find anĀ interior etc. I phoned Hew at The Real Car Company, who was a tremend ous help. AĀ complete set of instruments and a steering wheel duly arrived.
Next, I was asked if I could take the car to Wokingham to be copied. AbsolutelyĀ staggered to discover they wanted the car at Rushtonās Farm, where I lived fromĀ 1957 to 1963. Fatherās chicken sheds had been converted into industrial units. A halfĀ hour drop off turned into four hours, as I took an old photograph album to show theĀ current owners. The farmhouse had been separated from the rest of the farm by thisĀ time. A real trip down memory lane for me.Ā Looking for a Derby body, seats etc, Hew recommended talking to Bob Petersen. HeĀ was stripping down a Thrupp & Maberley saloon to make one of his famous specials,Ā so that was purchased complete with dash, seats etc so Mary could be well and trulyĀ replicated. Even changed the indicator switch so that both were identical.Ā By this time the cast list had leaked out on the Internet. David Tennant and Michael
Sheene are the main stars with others being added on a daily basis. I met manyĀ people but mainly worked with these two, especially David. He is one of the nicestĀ guys you could ever wish to meet. Very hardworking but happily chats to everyone.Ā I got Mary back from the farm in September, ready to start filming.Ā The first scene was near Marlow for a two day shoot where I started to meet the castĀ and crew.Ā
Trying to teach David how to drive Mary was a bit of a struggle. Most people in theirĀ forties havenāt a clue about cars without syncromesh on all gears, and DavidĀ normally drives an automatic! However, Rob, the stunt driver did know how to driveĀ Mary and quickly picked up the fact that the clutch cannot be depressed for anyĀ length of time. The main problem with David and Rob changing over was about sixĀ inches in height. Donāt think the seat had been moved so much for years, with aĀ gentle application of oil on the runners and avoidance of catching the carpet.Ā During this period Mary used the registration NIATRUC, Curtain spelt backwards (the subject is the end of the world ). The Morris Minor had SID RAT , TARDIS speltĀ backwards. David was an earlier Dr Who!Ā Being the grandad on set meant that I was well looked after by everyone, who madeĀ sure I had Mary in the right place and usually a radio as well.Ā There is a lot of hanging about on set then a burst of activity. Some shots areĀ repeated over a dozen times to get differing angles and eventually sort out whichĀ take will be used.Ā Within a few days I was getting the hang of it, meeting the directors, the cameraĀ guys, the sound technicians, moving from location to location, usually in or aroundĀ the M 25 then in central London.Ā Naturally you can watch Good Omens on BBC iplayer and see how much MaryĀ appeared. There are a few pictures of what it is like on set.Ā
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