Viking’s Bentley Blower
‘Number One’
The Inspiration Car
Sir Tim Birkin’s 1929 Bentley. Known as ‘Blower Number One’ the 4.5 litre supercharged Bentley was the lap record holder at Brooklands in 1932. Unusually red, (most racing Bentleys were British Racing Green) it epitomises the style of the between the wars racing cars. The ‘Vikings’ is derived from my blacksmithing business: Viking’s Forge.
The chassis
Mild steel tube with some boxed in sections to add rigidity.
The engine
A standard 210cc Honda. Running gear is a torque converter driving a chain and sprocket.
The body
The whole body is GRP. The front end bonded to the chassis, with a removable rear section which I moulded off our kayaks.
The build
The most interesting part of the build was forming the body, which was an exercise in scaling. The most challenging aspect was (is) getting the torque converter to function correctly. The build time is difficult to estimate, but approximately 200 hours over a nine-month period.
The driving style is hard to adjust to, with the maximum dimensions restricting you to a ‘steering wheel in the chest’ position. The unsuspended rear end means the ride is very firm! The torque converter still requires some attention: once that is sorted, I can move onto fine tuning the suspension and steering.
If you haven’t already joined the forum then please consider doing so and then you can see and read Duncan’s build journal on the forum in full.
