Steve Hole tells the story of a lovely Bentley Special called BENSPORT LE SARTHE
I love the vintage Bentley scene and the cars based on the R-Type model (1952-1955), which succeeded the MkVI and some purists regarded as a stop-gap before the arrival of the S Series cars.
The R-Type cars had steel bodies and were prone to rust. In the eighties a lot of Bentley Specials were built on the car’s chassis and running which were up to expected Bentley standards. Think Johnard, Rose, Mallalieu and whole lot more besides.
Two of the most prized books in my collection are by Ray Roberts: ‘Bentley Specials Special Bentleys volumes one and two.
One such car that I didn’t know about until very recently and is a glorious thing is Le Sarthe built by Bob Perry of classic Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Jaguar specialists Bensport of Ilminster. The company started life as Bradworthy Classics in 1988.
Unlike the other R-Type-based specials, the Le Sarthe is a saloon. Incidentally, the origins of the Bensport name? It was the codename used by Rolls-Royce for the first Bentley built under their ownership.
Perry took inspiration for Le Sarthe on André Embiricos Special of 1938.
The Le Sarthe was available between 2017-2021 and five were produced.
Photos courtesy of Old English Classics www.oldenglishclassics.co.uk