The Bentley Speed Six Continuation Car Is Here, and We Got a Test Ride
“Well, I don’t think the Mulliner guys would love you referring to their workshop as a shed,” says an amused Mike Sayer, head of Bentley Motors’ Heritage Collection. Apologies for any potential offense over our choice of words, but we were a bit distracted by the task at hand: experiencing a visceral rip along Pebble Beach’s 17 Mile Drive in an open-top Bentley Speed Six, a massive prewar motorsport icon in British Racing Green. Sayer was at the helm, and we sat shotgun.
Yet despite its overall presentation and performance, this wasn’t any ol’ prewar Bentley—it actually finished production just a few months prior. That’s right: This Speed Six is effectively a brand-new automobile that was hand-assembled by the marque’s Mulliner division at its facility (that’s a better term) in Crewe, England. Known as Car Zero, it’s the first example in Bentley’s Speed Six Continuation Series.
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This vehicle is the culmination of Bentley utilizing original factory documentation, tapping into the UK’s extensive specialty automotive parts industry, and ten months of careful craftsmanship. The result is a perfect match to the original model that claimed back-to-back wins at Le Mans in 1929 and 1930.
Upon first look, you’d never know that this mighty Speed Six was not from the bygone era of the famed Bentley Boys and their motorsport dominance. The paint has a period-correct, industrial-grade finish to it, and the flat dash is a showcase for finely machined components, including a massive array of analog gauges—all evidence of the meticulous attention to detail required to bring such an automotive undertaking to fruition.
The steering wheel possesses an odd spoke design, and there are random switches throughout, ones that were likely made obsolete ages ago due to vacuum and electric actuation. The interior, tight and sans seatbelts, is adorned in supple tan leather, which is a bit awkward to gracefully crawl in and out of.
Interestingly, the Speed Six isn’t the first model in Bentley’s Continuation Series. Before it came a run of twelve Blowers, the Speed Six’s supercharged, race-ready predecessor sporting less displacement and greater output. The order of production for the Continuation Series is based on the original chronological model progression from over 90 years ago.
“WO Bentley hated the concept of the Blower because it put power above reliability,” says Sayer. “WO’s engines had reliability first: Reliability, then refinement, then power, and his solution for more power was more displacement.” Where the Blower makes 240 hp from a 4.5-liter inline-four, the follow-up Speed Six is fit with a 6.5-liter straight-six mill making 205 hp, which, as Sayer points out, is not impressive today, “but by the standards of the late 1920s it was supercar territory.”
The Speed Six’s exhaust note is singular and memorable; ranging from the soundtrack similar to any naturally aspirated inline-six, to a deep, bass-filled tone that resonates with an enveloping prominence that’s simultaneously loud and distinguished. Apparently, it’d also set off no less than five car alarms before we hopped in.
The engine pulls surprisingly well for pushing something coming in at around two tons. Its torque curve is brilliantly linear. Sayer also explains that the four-speed manual gearbox requires a very thoughtful approach to shift smoothly, though the steering is easier to wield than you’d think for not being power assisted. By contrast, the Blower Continuation is reportedly a real bear to maneuver.
What Bentley has crafted in the Speed Six Continuation Series is surprisingly usable, too. “This car’s done 8,000 kilometers of development testing; it’s been all the way to its top speed, and it’s had quite a life so far. But this is the first time that we’ve had it on the road,” Sayer explains as we slow to an easy cruise. “Millbrook [the UK’s Millbrook Proving Ground] is where it’s done most of its mileage, and we also have a couple of airfields that we use . . . what we’re doing here is part of the final development, because it’s the first time it’s being used like a daily driver.”
Besides the 90-plus-year difference in drivability and ergonomics, the Speed Six’s surprising ease-of-use is a testament to the automaker’s exhaustive research and development. The continuation version of the Speed Six will be limited to 12 examples.
Click below for more photos of this Bentley Speed Six Continuation.
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