The Napier-Bentley was created as a one-off special, built in 1968 by original owner Peter Morley on a Sunbeam Chassis. However, after a huge crash, the car was rebuilt on a 1929 8-L Bentley chassis.
This unique racecar always draws a huge crowd with its sweeping lines of red bodywork and exhaust stubs protruding out of the engine, which when really being pushed belch smoke, flames, and sparks in equal measure.
This image was created after last year’s VSCC meeting at Mallory Park, in Leicestershire. It truly is a formidable beast—just watching it smoke its rear tires, lap after lap coming out of the hairpin, was an enthralling sight for the crowds but must have been even more exciting sitting behind the W12 format, 24-liter, Napier Sea Lion aero- engine pushing out close to 550 bhp, forcing the driver to correct the effects of the enormous torque with huge handfuls of opposite lock. Great stuff!
The Napier-Bentley is hugely entertaining and a fascinating piece of engineering, the like of which is so rare these days.
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Prints of Adrian Bradbury’s work can be ordered from the artist’s website:
Mr. Bradbury can be reached at: fotodesign@talk21.com
