Bentley Speed Six History

The Speed Six was the high-performance version of Bentley's 6½ Litre, fitted with a higher-output 6,597 cc inline-six. Introduced in 1928, it became the most successful racing Bentley of the Cricklewood era.

It won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 1929 and 1930. The 1929-winning chassis — driven to victory by Woolf Barnato (Bentley's chairman) with Tim Birkin, and again in 1930 with Glen Kidston — became famous as 'Old Number One.' W. O. Bentley named the Speed Six his favourite of all the cars his company built.