Just more than a year after announcing this program, Bentley has finished building its first Blower car since 1930. It’s called “Car Zero” since it’s not just one from the 12 customer cars. Instead, this primary car is really a prototype that will undergo testing prior to the customer cars begin production.
Bentley says this car took 40,000 hours to accomplish. The company figured out how to build it according to existing tooling and blueprints, as well as laser scans of the components in the company’s 1929 race car on which the continuation models will be based. The company collaborated with a number of outside companies for assist with the frame, radiator shroud and leaf springs. The frame was built by a company that builds and restores boilers for steam engines. Bentley itself also built a custom stand so it could connect the recreated 4.5-liter supercharged four-cylinder to the modern-day engine dynamometers for break-in.
Now that this prototype has been completed, Bentley will start testing it for durability. The planned testing should recreate just under 22,000 miles of regular driving and nearly 5,000 miles of track driving. The company will also do a top speed run with it. Once tests are complete, Bentley will begin building the 12 customer cars, all of which have been sold and specified.
While many are likely looking forward to this new Bentley, there's a handful of car enthusiasts that probably don’t share the thrill. Earlier this year, a number of these wealthy enthusiasts, including fashion mogul Ralph Lauren, sent a letter to Bentley expressing concerns these continuation cars will reduce the value, both monetary and intrinsic, of the original cars. The complaint obviously hasn’t had an effect on Bentley’s plans.
