Bentley takes part in the 1930 Mille Miglia with a racing car from 2013, a “Blower”. The Le Mans racing car and a prototype from Bentley Motors enrich the historic event. The team car with starting number 2 was driven by Tim Birkin at the Le Mans race. Bentley acquired the vehicle in 2000 and has since used it at numerous events around the world.
The Bentley Blower at the Mille Miglia
Richard Charlesworth, Head of VIP and Royal Family Relations at Bentley Motors, was involved at Bentley's Crewe headquarters in preparing the car for its third Mille Miglia run. In an interview he states: “Driving this car is a great experience – and a fast one at that. It is very important to us that the vehicles in our collection are driven regularly, even in races. We don't want them to degenerate into museum exhibits. That's the 'Bentley Way'. We look forward to an unforgettable race at the Mille Miglia.”
Bentley Blower – racing duel with a Mercedes
The car earned its legendary status in its legendary racing duel with the 7-litre supercharged Mercedes in 1930 on the Le Mans track. During a daring manoeuvre, Birkin tried to overtake his Mercedes competitor Rudolf Caracciola at around 193 km/h, with one side of the wheels caught in the grass bed. This destroyed a rear tire on the blower. Birkin still managed to set the fastest lap.
Unfortunately, Birkin's blistering run ended after 82 laps. With his constant attacks, however, he had put the Mercedes under so much pressure that the other Bentley Boys, Woolf Barnato and Glenn Kidston, were able to achieve victory in their Bentley Speed Six.
The second Bentley Blower to take part in the Mille Miglia this year dates from 1930. It features a four-seater Open Sports body by Vanden Plas. It was once part of the Bentley Motors demonstration car before it passed into private ownership. A driving report from the time described it as "the car with the clearest expression of individuality, which is highly attractive no matter what angle you look at it from."
Since the vehicle was bought in 1997 by Bempty motors was purchased again, it causes a sensation at customer events and still does its job as a demonstration car perfectly even after 90 years. “The speedometer on this elegant Bentley Blower now shows more than 100.000 miles. But we are sure that the actual mileage is far higher,” says Richard Charlesworth.