Overexcited, I was. The above Bentley was owned by Woolf Barnato, Barney Barnato's son. Here's the story ... We begin our story in 1930, in the heart of interbellum Cannes, where some early petrol heads decided to make a bet after a heated discussion. The subject of that discussion was an advertisement by Rover that claimed its car had beaten the famous ‘Train Bleu’ from Calais to the French Riviera. The proud French, of course, didn’t abide by this shameless blemish on their proud cultural heritage. However, playboy millionaire Captain Joel Woolf Babe Barnato (If you’re a millionaire you can have as many names as you wish apparently) was prepared to wager £100 that he could do it again in his Bentley Speed Six. Mind you, this is 1930 - the average yearly income in the UK was around £165 at the time, so it’s not like we’re talking small money here. In the early morning of the following day, the blue train left Calais, quickly followed by Barnato and his Bentley. The 180 bhp strong car roared through quiet France, but even though they started fairly well, you can only have so much luck. A punctured tire, a desperate search for petrol in the French countryside and heavy weather made the victory less than assured. Nevertheless, even after a choppy ferry ride back to England, they reached central London minutes before the Blue Train steamed its way into Calais. The story doesn’t end there, though. When the French authorities caught wind of the race, they were furious. They fined the millionaire a hefty sum, far more than the money he won with his bet, for racing on French public roads. Along with that they also banned Bentley from the Paris motor show that year for having advertised an unauthorised race. However, that didn’t prevent the car and the story from becoming legendary. This beautiful black car, finished with a gorgeous red interior and highly polished walnut cabinets is powered by a 5.6l eight-cylinder Bentley engine and is perfectly detailed.
