Supercharged heroes and villains

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A turbo has become the pre-eminent way to give our miniature three- and four-cylinder engines of the 2020s some oomph. It is, of course, nothing new: the late 1920s saw a number of cars that were turned into mean machines by fitting a supercharger, compressor or blower to the engine to increase its power and efficiency. RM Sotheby's is about to offer a few of them for sale in London on 6 November.

1930 Bentley 4½-litre Supercharged Tourer by Vanden Plas

Most infamous of the 'Blowers' has to be the big Bentley 4½-litre Tourer with its Amherst-Villiers supercharger. The romantic story of its conception, vintage heroes — and — villains style, is so well known that the car may well be called an icon. If that is so, this 1929 example is the symbol of them all. It is said to be the first production model and the one that was built for homologation purposes. It was also this car that was displayed at the 1929 Olympia Motor Show with its Vanden Plas Tourer body and also made it on to the pages of The Motor magazine. That does indeed make it a pinnacle of motoring excellence and perhaps the ultimate in the world of Bentley Boys’ stuff: Tim Birkin and Woolf Barnato’s fingerprints are all over it! The well, engine and body were changed a couple of times and over the last few decades the car has travelled the world. But don’t expect this one to come cheap.

1928 Mercedes-Benz 630 K Tourer

The next vintage four-wheeler is a 1928 Mercedes-Benz 630K with 'K' for Kompressor. Its Tourer body is by the Mercedes works in Sindelfingen and the car was sold new to Spain. Remarkably, it has been in the ownership of one Spanish family since the early 1930s. The current owner is only the third in line after taking it over from his uncle in 1973. The uncle had had it since 1934 and he, too, had taken it over from a family member. It is said to be in an extremely good original condition and has an excellent patina to its exterior and interior finishes. It will be an easy winner at just about every concours Preservation Class and is not quite so expensive as the Bentley. We love it.

1931 Rolls-Royce 20/25 'Dreadnought Special' by Bespoke Bodyworks

Last of the blown cars on offer is a real oddball. Although it wears a Bentley radiator and badge, beneath that hides a 1931 Rolls-Royce 20/25 chassis with an RR 3.8-litre six-cylinder engine and a Godfrey Marshall K300 supercharger. It is known as the 'Dreadnought Special'. The car was rebuilt with its new body (in the 1970s it seems) and an uprated engine received billet camshaft, forged pistons, lightweight flywheel and a polished alloy head. There’s also an AP Racing clutch and Laycock overdrive. Historically not quite right, perhaps, but then its going to offer lots of fun at a fraction of the price of a real Blower Bentley.

Words by Jeroen Booij. Pictures ©2021 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's.

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