The 1929 Bentley Team Car 2, the most famous, valuable and iconic Bentley in the world – it’s insured for R500-million – is being re-created as a road-going electric car.
The new Bentley Blower Jnr will make its European debut next week at Salon Privé in the historic grounds of Blenheim Palace and it is an 85% scale recreation, but a faithful reproduction.
The 15 kW Bentley Blower Jnr is expected to have a 100-kilometre range, a top speed of 72 km/h and can seat two adults in tandem.
The Bentley Blower Jnr has been created through a partnership between Bentley Motors and The Little Car Company. Crafted entirely by hand, it uses authentic materials to match the original 1920s car, and the 99 First Edition cars will be colour-matched to the legendary 4,5-litre Supercharged original.
The Bentley Blower Jnr still has a supercharger mounting too – only here, it’s used to house the charging port.
Measuring 3,7 metres long and 1,5 metres wide – similar in size to a Fiat 500 city car – the Bentley Blower Jnr is set to cost around R2,1-million in First Edition guise.
Authenticity abounds from leaf springs and scaled-down, period-correct friction dampers, plus a hand-crafted aluminium bonnet that’s fastened with leather buckled straps. The dashboard is thoroughly authentic at first glance too – although Salon Privé visitors checking it out up close will spy the fuel pressure pump has been repurposed as the drive mode selector, and the original ammeter is now the battery charge gauge.
Other modern features inside include a discreetly-concealed USB port and a dual-function display that incorporates Garmin sat nav and a reversing camera.
“It’s a real coup for us to host the European debut of the brilliant new Bentley Blower Jnr, just days after it was showcased to a very select gathering of elite VIPs in North America,” says Salon Privé co-founder and director David Bagley. “It’s a car many of our guests will find fascinating and I know interest in this exciting new Bentley Motors and The Little Car Company creation will be high.”
Colin Windell - proudly CHANGECARS
