Description:
The original “Blue Train” was a 6½-Litre Speed Six, delivered to Woolf Barnato, well-known playboy, millionaire and an international sportsman. As one of the original “Bentley Boys,” he became chairman of Bentley Motors and winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 1928 and 1929. The legend of the Blue Train came from the famous French express train, which Barnato had succeeded in beating from Cannes to London in a Bentley Speed Six. Not only power, but the beauty made the Blue Train legendary; its streamlined fastback styling, carried out by J. Gurney Nutting to Barnato’s. Its shape and coachwork made it arguably the most beautiful Speed Six ever built.
This Blue Train Recreation embodies the spirit and stunning design of the original with its powerful engine, it is undoubtedly even more thrilling to drive. After restoring and building Bentley Specials in the UK for over 30 years, Racing Green Engineering launched a limited edition of Blue Train recreations in celebration of Barnato’s famous victory over 80 years ago. Most of the Bluetrains were built on the Bentley Mark VI. Several different engine options were available, the most desirable being the eight-cylinder Bentley engines built to power tanks and other military vehicles in the late 1940s.
The interior even has “cubbies” that conceal pressed crystal decanters and glassware, true to the spirit of the original car and its rather colourful owner!
While the original “Blue Train” remains extant as part of one of the world’s finest collections, it is most definitely not available for sale, leaving enthusiasts to ponder alternatives, which this example certainly is.