First created in the late 1920s, the four original Bentley Blowers were built and raced by Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin. Now, 90 years on, the next Blower installment takes shape, with Car Zero - the prototype car for the Blower Continuation Series.
The highly-exclusive run of 12 customer cars - all pre-sold - will be crafted from the design drawings and tooling jigs used for the original four, while Bentley’s own Team Car has provided the master model for the Continuation Series, with every single component laser-scanned as part of the wheels-up, sympathetic restoration.
So, what are we talking in numbers for the new Bentley Blower Car Zero? Well, it features almost 2,000 individually-designed and hand-crafted parts and 40,000 hours were invested in the design and build, crated entirely by hand from the original drawings and toolings, each created by a team of Bentley Mulliner engineers, craftspeople and technicians working together with a number of British specialists and suppliers .
The Blower Car Zero is a dedicated test and development prototype, built in advance of the 12 customer cars and will be subjected to months of durability and performance testing before going into bespoke build.
Honing in on the specifics, the chassis has been created in heavy-gauge steel, hand-formed and hot riveted. For the radiator, exact recreations of some of the Blower’s key components have been crafted, including mirror-polished, solid nickel steel radiator steel, and the hand-beaten fuel tank formed in steel and copper. The Blower’s iconic headlamps have been reborn too.
Tech-spec-wise, Car Zero features multiple innovations of which a sports car engine of the 1970s would be proud - aluminum pistons, an overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder and twin spark ignition - the 4 1/2-litre engine (originally designed by W.O Bentley himself) has been paired with a newly-machined Amherst Villiers roots-type supercharger.
As for the look, it’s quintessential old-school British Bentley, finished in gloss black, with an interior in Oxblood red leather from Bridge of Weir.
“Today was a truly remarkable day, not just as a milestone in the Blower Continuation Series project but also for Bentley Motors,” said Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley Motors. To drive the first new Blower in 90 years was a privilege, and the quality of the car would make Sir Tim Birkin himself proud.”
