When a motoring addiction spans the generations...

[TimD]

I have no idea if what I found will be of interest to anyone, but I thought I'd share something which made me laugh a lot, and it means a lot to me, too.

You know I am always going on about vintage Bentleys? Well, this is entirely down to my grandfather, who had two, and was a member of the Bentley Drivers Club. After a long search, I found some of their earliest club magazines, and to my delight, I found some of Grandfather's sense of humour lurking within.

This story is his, it's entirely true, and it is recounted in the club magazine for September 1946....

"But dear Mr ......," I said, "I only want to borrow £100 for ever such a short time." "What for? asked Mr ......, in charge of loans and overdrafts for Barclays Bank.

"Well you see," I faltered, "I have the chance of getting a really terrific 3-litre, and er...."
"Bentley?" he demanded. "Three litre Bentley?"
I grinned sheepishly.
"Oh well," he said, "they do make a lovely noise, don't they? When do you think you'll be paying me back?"

And this, believe it or not, really did take place in a bank in 1936. Old Mother Barclays coughed up the money on the car's note of exhaust alone. No other collateral was required. Needless to say, as soon as the old B was my property I took that bank manager down the local bypass at a rate of knots."



He later recounts the tale of the house move, where the Bentley was employed as a removal wagon. "...the old Three was used to transfer books, lawn mowers, canary and other impedimenta to our new premises. Incidentally, towing a ton of garden roller behind a 3-litre on the King's Highway with a bucket of live goldfish on the passenger seat made an interesting if surrealistic piece of motoring...."


Can you imagine that taking place today? Incidentally, that 1925 Bentley, bought for £100 in 1936, still exists, although it has been out of the family for 50 years. I wonder if the current owner, who paid nearly £70,000 for it a couple of years back, has any idea that his prized collectors car took a garden roller under tow at considerable velocity down the old A3 bypass...!


I wonder, has anyone else got tales of motor mania from the carefree old days?

[Neil C]

Yes I do. None as well told, but when I have time I will relate the tale of the 1947 Chrysler New Yorker Highlander I found abandoned in an old shed in '72.

Several months ago, member Hans.ca related a story of his younger days in WWII Switzerland, discovering what appeared to be the Mercedes works team operating in exile. Hans, if you are lurking here, would you mind replaying that story. I thought it was incredible. (I think it may have been in the Historic Racing or Tech forum).

Thanks TimD