Unveiled in chassis form at the 1919 Olympia Motor Show, the 3 Litre featured an advanced inline four-cylinder engine with hemispherical combustion chambers, twin-plug ignition, and an overhead camshaft operating four valves per cylinder. Built from 1921 through 1929, the 3 Litre was offered in various states of tune, the most famous being the high-performance Red Label Speed Models and Green Label Super Sports. Motor-racing successes, including victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924 and 1927, earned the model an unmatched reputation and formed the basis for the Bentley legend.

This handsome Bentley, chassis BL1620, is a genuine Red Label Speed Model constructed late in the model’s production run and originally fitted with Vanden Plas’ popular four-seater Sports body style. Completed in April 1927, this 3 Litre has a well-documented provenance beginning with C.E. Tongue of Manchester, England. In 1932, BL1620 was the subject of a featured road test in Motor Sport and, following WWII, it spent three decades in the hands of George W. Bennet, a founding member of the Bentley Drivers Club (BDC). This unusually original example was recently restored to show-quality standards by acclaimed marque expert R.C. Moss, using the newly rediscovered and correct Rexine cotton fabric for the bodywork. Documented by Vintage Bentley authority Dr. Clare Hay, BL1620 represents the very epitome of the 3 Litre Bentley.

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