Bentley sells for record £5m at Goodwood

A 4.5-litre Bentley ‘Blower’ has set a new record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed by selling for £5 million at auction.

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012: live gallery

Multi-million pound collectors’ auction at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012

The Bentley Blower, which used to race at Brooklands in the 1930s, becomes the most expensive Bentley ever sold – beating the previous record achieved by ‘Old No 2’ at the Le Mans Classic in 2004.

It is not the first time the supercharged Bentley Blower, once owned by Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin, has broken records, either: in 1932, the 240hp machine set a record top speed of 137.96mph at Brooklands.

Birkin was no stranger to Bentley in the 1930s and is actually one of the original ‘Bentley Boys’. It’s thus fitting that the ex-fighter pilot and Le Mans racer’s old car continues to set records even today.

Commenting on the exploits of Birkin and his 4 ½ litre at Brooklands, Richard Charlesworth, Bentley’s director of VIP and Royal relations said: “Birkin along with his Bentley racing friends like Woolf Barnato, Dudley Benjafield and Glen Kidston were true sporting superstars, renowned not only for their driving ability and courage but living life to the full and in some considerable style.

“They would create the enduring legend of the Bentley Boy racer at Brooklands and Le Mans and this new record price for a Bentley achieved by Bonhams reflects the enduring respect and admiration for their story and their cars.”

MSN Cars previewed the Bonhams auction earlier this week, and the ex-Birkin Bentley was one of the star attractions. Few of us expected it to sell for quite so much, though…

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012: live gallery

Multi-million pound collectors’ auction at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012