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Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: Bentley Was Streamlined For Speed
Unique coupe was among cars assembled for Bentley's 90th anniversary celebration at Pebble Beach.
Wouter Melissen  | http://www.ultimatecarpage.com  |  Posted December 24, 2009   Pebble Beach, CA
Named for its Greek buyer, the Bentley Embiricos was designed to slip through the air more efficiently and raise the top speed. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)
After being absorbed by Rolls-Royce in 1931, Bentley was but a shadow of its former self. During the 1920s the British manufacturer had built high-performance sports cars that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times in eight attempts.

Bentley’s exquisite but not very profitable line-up was replaced with mildly modified and rebadged versions of Rolls-Royce's smallest cars. These were fine cars, but towards the end of the decade, they lost touch with the closest rivals. On the new high-speed highways, the very traditionally shaped Bentleys struggled to keep up.

To its credit, Rolls-Royce recognized the problem and asked the Bentley engineers to find a solution using the existing 4¼ Litre model.

In order to get a grasp of the situation, one of the 4¼ Litre Bentleys was tested in the Bristol wind tunnel. Here it was discovered that the car was actually more efficient running backwards. What clearly was needed was a thoroughly different exterior design to give the Bentley any chance of decent top speed.

The unique Bentley Embiricos was on hand to celebrate the marque's 90th anniversary at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)
A big problem was the imposing grille, which had the aerodynamic characteristics of a brick wall but was deemed an intricate part of the brand's image. Fearing a more modern grille would not appeal to the conservative Bentley customers, the engineers were told to find a buyer for an experimental new car first before the work was started.

In Greek shipping magnate André Embiricos, Bentley found an enthusiastic sponsor for the “low drag” 4¼ Litre.

For the design and construction of the new body, Bentley turned to France where coach builders had produced some very aerodynamic shapes. Communication between Rolls and Bentley was still far from ideal as Rolls-Royce believed that renowned aerodynamic expert Jean Andreau had been hired for the job.

Bentley engineers actually commissioned the work to not quite so well-known designer Georges Paulin. His work on the Darl'mat Peugeots had particularly impressed the British engineers.

Paulin penned a coupe shape that was reminiscent of his teardrop designs for the similar-sized Talbot Lago and Delage chassis. A cowled radiator cover and teardrop-shaped fenders were included. At the rear, the wheels were covered to further lower the car's drag.

Before sending the 4¼ Litre chassis over to Paris for installation of the body, the Bentley engineers made some minor tweaks. The compression on the straight-6 engine was increased and larger carburetors were fitted, which resulted in a bump in power from 125 to 142 horsepower. A lower radiator was installed to accommodate the new body.

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Wouter Melissen

UltimateCarPage.com

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