The right car for the right wink: the 1928 Bentley 4½ Litre

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To the pub and back, an afternoon at the circuit, long-distance rallies across the world or simply taking the children to school. The best car? It might just be a 4½-litre Bentley.

The Bentley in the photograph proves it at a glance. This is chassis TX3245, seen here outside the Lamorna Wink pub in Cornwall, captured in the 1970s when it belonged to Mr Hodkinson. An image that says it all: this is no museum piece, but a car that is used.

TX3245 was ordered on 10 November 1927 and delivered on 30 June 1928 to Major R.R. Rothwell, originally fitted with body no. 1483: a sports four-seater in grey fabric/green/grey, priced at £179. Registered as EC8322, the Bentley has since led a rich life, the past 19 years in Belgian ownership.

In May, it will appear at the Villa d’Este auction by Broad Arrow Auctions, offering a fuller picture. Matching-numbers chassis, engine and gearbox. At the same time, an additional competition-prepared engine is included. Because this is a car that has been used as intended. Not only with the VSCC in the past, but also more recently on several occasions at the Le Mans Classic. It also carries stickers from rallies in Syria and Morocco, while online photographs show the Bentley at various other events.

Oh yes, the pub still exists, and it would be rather appealing to drive there in this very Bentley. For that reason alone, it is tempting to take the wheel and retrace the same route. The name itself carries a wink to the past: a “wink” was once an illicit drinking den, where a discreet nod — or rather, a wink — made clear what you wished to order.

This is a Bentley for someone who understands that value lies not only in originality, but above all in use — and who, upon arriving at the Lamorna Wink, knows exactly when to give a knowing wink.

Details:

• Car: 1928 Bentley 4½ Litre Vanden Plas Sports Tourer
• Auction: The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este Auction 2026
• Date: 2026
• Estimate: €450,000 - €550,000
• More information >>

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