1927 BENTLEY 6.5 LITRE “SPEED SIX” - MOTORCLASSICA BEST - JUST CARS

1927 Bentley 6.5 Litre “Speed Six” - Motorclassica Best in Show 2011

With Motorclassica being a Melbourne event, the original owner of the 2011 Best in Show winner had a very strong Melbourne connection, too, being the proprietor of The Age newspaper.

Oswald J Syme was the youngest son of David Syme, who had bought a half-stake in The Age in 1856 and turned an insolvent publication with a circulation of less than 15,000 to more than 120,000 by the turn of the century.

Each of David Syme’s five sons were involved with The Age in various capacities, with Oswald serving as chairman until 1948.

The wealth generated by the newspaper allowed Oswald Syme to build palatial homes, purchase property, run farms and indulge in fine automobiles like Bentleys. Syme owned at least one other Bentley before this one: a 1922 3-litre model that was bodied by a Ballarat-based coachbuilder and used in Victorian hillclimb competition.

In 1926, Bentley launched the 6 ½-litre; a development of their 3-litre model with a 6597cc straight six engine capable of 147hp (110kW).

Syme ordered his 6 ½-litre Bentley in 1927 with an H.J. Mulliner & Co. saloon body on a 12-foot wheelbase: one of only 97 examples (from a total production of 362) with this chassis.

Retaining the same chassis, engine, gearbox and differential for much of its life, the Syme car spent time in the collection of well-known Melbourne car dealer, Reg Hunt, before a subsequent owner decided to upgrade it to ‘Speed Six’ spec in 2005.

The Speed Six had originally been released in 1928 as a more powerful version (around 180hp / 130kW) of the 6 ½-litre. Created solely for racing, the Speed Six won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1929 and 1930.

To convert the ex-Syme 6 ½-litre Bentley to a Speed Six, the owner commissioned Bentley and Rolls-Royce restoration specialists, The Derby Works in Melbourne, to fit a Vanden Plas “Le Mans” body and upgrade the engine to Speed Six spec as part of a ground-up restoration.

Six years in the making, the restoration was completed just in time to debut at Motorclassica 2011.