Description
It is generally agreed that the open VDP Tourer is one of the most attractive and desirable bodies that was fitted to the 3. 5 litre Bentley chassis, producing a fine looking and stylish car with performance to match.
B128 EF was sold new to the USA in 1934 and in 1961 was put into long term storage by the then owner Elwood Walker. The cylinder head had suffered frost damage and the car lay untouched, with a recorded mileage of about 40, 000, until his estate decided to unearth and sell the car in 2015.
The car was returned to the UK in that year and was registered for the first time in its home country. It was clear that the car was exceptionally original, the body never having been removed from the chassis, original leather in place and many of the original details and features untouched. Thankfully, the new owner understood the significance of the originality and merely set about undertaking a full mechanical restoration. This included a new block, cylinder head and camshaft, all supplied by Fiennes Engineering, and the engine was rebuilt, a new overdrive fitted, and all other mechanical aspects were overhauled with drivability and safety foremost in the mind.
Invoices for all this work, amounting to about £60, 000, are in the files and the original damaged block and cylinder head remain with the car.
The result is a fine looking, exceptionally original car, which drives superbly—indeed, a joy both to drive and to behold!
