Re: '49-'50 Eight - Kodachrome period photo

Posted by John Harley On 2016/4/10 7:52:54

Dave

The body of the Bauer Duesey was built by Rollson. Some people find it eccentric, but I like it a lot more than the Dueseys that were rebodied or "updated"

The last car is an 8 Litre Bentley. The original Bentley Motors was kept afloat by a group of what we would now call "one percenters". They are better known as the Bentley Boys, although one of the principals was a woman. They bought as many cars as they could,very successfully competed in them, and generally threw a lot of money at the firm to support their car habits.

Obviously this came to a screeching halt in about 1930.W.O Bentley's first impulse was , like many his American comrades, was to try and eat the competition's lunch, said lunch belonging to Rolls Royce.

The 8 Litre was supposed to be a better car than a Royce, , and by all accounts it was. However after 100 chassis were "erected", as the English put it, the hemorrhaging of money continued. Bentley went to receivership court in 1931 and it was widely understood Napier would buy the assets and resume its competition
with RR.

At the hearing a "United Motor Trust" showed up and submitted a higher bid. The judge refused a counter offer and no one knew who the new owner was.

Two weeks later W.O Bentley's wife returned from a cocktail party, :" So and so" ( I forget the name right now) said that his company bought your company."

W.O. : "He works for Rolls-Royce"

Regards

John Harley