BENTLEY BLOWER JNR – DEPRESSION-ERA CLASS

BENTLEY BLOWER JNR

DEPRESSION-ERA CLASS

As you know, replication of time-honored automotive shapes is a ‘thing’, and has been popular (and litigious) for almost as long as there have been shapes to replicate. Carroll Shelby’s Cobra is – in all likelihood – the most popular in the sixty-some years since its birth, and if I were to win the Big One, around $250K of those winnings would go to the Bugatti Type 35 recreation built by Pur Sang in Argentina. But even OEMs have played the game. Of late, the most obvious carmaker replicating its historic  success has been Bentley, with its Le Mans-winning Blower Bentley getting its attention.

In the Roaring ‘20s, it was Bentley – perhaps as much as any carmaker – providing that ‘roar’. Founded in 1919 by engineer W.O. Bentley, the company designed and constructed the powertrains and chassis, which would then be fitted with coachwork by outside vendors. Most cars built were, of course, traditional sedans or coupes, but with the competition success enjoyed by the company – winning five Le Mans races between 1924 and 1930 – the open, almost spare bodywork of the competition models is what remains in the public’s imagination.

In celebration of that first Le Mans victory in 1924, Bentley commissioned a Bentley Blower JNR, an 85 per cent scale replica produced by Hedley Studios. Making its public debut during Monterey Car Week in mid-August, the replica – finished in Old English White – was quite the ‘looker’ for those that, when considering a six-figure purchase, regard that purchase as little more than a rounding error. From the pics provided by Bentley the impression is of a wholly accurate replica, and looks smaller only when compared to its original inspiration, whose presence can almost be described as menacing.

Beyond the smaller dimensions is an electric powertrain more appropriate to a shopping mall than the Mulsanne Straight. In place of the blown 4-cylinder is an electric motor mounted across the rear axle, while the Bentley’s batteries are contained in a well-hidden undertray. Charging? Head to what resembles the Blower Bentley’s supercharger, where you now find a charging port. 

Inside, there is – thankfully! – a respectable take on the original, with minimal electronic influences. The driver and one passenger are aligned in a tandem configuration, while luggage – such as it is – can be contained in what at one time was the aft-mounted fuel tank. It’s all meant to be fun, and perfect for grabbing that mango smoothie while cruising Cape Cod.

In the U.S. the Junior’s 48V electric powertrain with a 15 kW (20 bhp) motor will provide a 25 mile-per-hour top speed, in combination with an estimated range of 65 miles. In short, you’ll have 2+ hours to endure the predictable inquiries from the Great Unwashed. 

For all of its delightful details in both design and construction, I wish the resources devoted to an 85% scale replica had been given to the production of a small-volume 1:1 recreation. This is essentially the same ladder-frame design underpinning numerous contemporary pickups, while the hot rodding industry has been supplying bare frames and replica bodies for years, selling them to thousands.

Build a faithful 1:1 replica, power it with – perhaps – a booming inline six (Toyota?) mated to a manual transmission, and sell it for under $150K. If Bentley was to build enough and sell enough, perhaps I could find one – in the next ten years – on a pre-owned lot. And wouldn’t have to win the Big One.