I love this beautiful car. One of my favourites. Incredible. Masculine. Powerful. Elegant. Indeed this model here pictured seems to be the original unit even if there are a lot of “replicas” (and “exact” may be exaggerated) but technically a “recreation” made by a very good British craftsman company called (Vintage) Racing Green Engineering Ltd. An alternate version proposed by another competitor called Bob Peterson Engineering Ltd. (UK) has many difference with RGE model and also even more compared with the original unit. Indeed the car pictured here is from a model not the one that raced. “Blue Train Race”: The bet: Wednesday 12th March 1930 - Captain Woolf Barnato, the most prominent of the “Bentley Boys”, with his pal Dale Bourne, could outrun Le Train Bleu between St Raphael and Calais in his Bentley, and in the process reach London before the train achieved its destination. Departure: Thursday 13th March around 17:54-18:00h from Cannes Arrival: Friday 14th March 1930 10:30h to dock at Boulogne and The Conservative Club - London - 15:20h. Result: Bet won. This is a sleeker and more distinguished design, a Speed Six fastback “Sportsman Coupé” from Gurney Nutting that Woolf himself took delivery of two months later (May 21, 1930) after the famous race, and decided to dubb the “Blue Train Special”. For many years it was believed that the Bentley Speed Six in which Woolf Barnato beat the Blue Train was a two-door coupé bodied by the coachbuilders Gurney Nutting. This error was spread by the famous illustration of Gurney Nutting coupé painted by Terence Cuneo (January 1970) about this event (and the painter made other errors for example by suppressing the central extra light and added side steps on his painted model). The car that was historically involved the race was, in fact, was Barnato’s Speed Six H. J. Mulliner saloon. Bruce McCaw, current owner of the Gurney Nutting Speed Six, uncovered evidence that it may not the “Authentic One”. Some historians believe that Barnato, who owned a stable of Bentleys, raced the Blue Train in his Mulliner-bodied four-door Speed Six saloon, not the Gurney Nutting coupé. Over the years, components of the Mulliner saloon had gone separate ways. To put the controversy to bed, collector McCaw traced the chassis and engine of Barnato’s Mulliner-bodied Speed Six, and also located the bodywork on a different Bentley chassis. Bruce McCaw had to buy three different cars to put the original together again. He reunited the chassis with its original bodywork and showed the restored Mulliner Speed Six alongside his Gurney Nutting Speed Six at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August 2003. Thus Bruce and Solene McCaw reconstructed the Mulliner Speed Six, which is less “sexy” then the Gurney-Nutting Speed Six. Consequently, Bruce McCaw accepts that it was probably the Mulliner-bodied saloon that raced the Blue Train, although definitive proof may never be uncovered. But the Gurney Nutting Coupé is still widely known as the “Blue Train Coupé” (“Special” has to be added) , and it remains one of the most iconic car designs in Bentley history. This car continues to be inspirational anyway and an endless source of desire. By alleging this many broadcasts feed the confusion spread on internet and especially Instagram where people made mainly two mistakes: (1) By showing, instead of an Original and Authentic Unit, a “recreation” (and we can also discuss about the legitimacy of this term) made by an indeed very good British craftsman company called (Vintage) Racing Green Engineering Ltd. An alternate version proposed by another competitor called Bob Perterson Engineering Ltd. (UK) has many difference with RGE model and also even more compared with the original unit. (2) By misnaming the model Blue Train Special into Blue Train thus usurping all the historical value and prestige of this model. I confess the authentic Blue Train Special is sexier than the Blue Train Bentley. But it’s not historically correct. As Albert Camus wrote: “Mal nommer les choses, c’est ajouter au malheur du monde” (“To name things wrongly is to add to the misfortune of the world”). Anyway, thank you so much for making such a handsome video.
I love this beautiful car. One of my favourites. Incredible. Masculine. Powerful. Elegant.
Indeed this model here pictured seems to be the original unit even if there are a lot of “replicas” (and “exact” may be exaggerated) but technically a “recreation” made by a very good British craftsman company called (Vintage) Racing Green Engineering Ltd. An alternate version proposed by another competitor called Bob Peterson Engineering Ltd. (UK) has many difference with RGE model and also even more compared with the original unit.
Indeed the car pictured here is from a model not the one that raced.
“Blue Train Race”:
The bet: Wednesday 12th March 1930 - Captain Woolf Barnato, the most prominent of the “Bentley Boys”, with his pal Dale Bourne, could outrun Le Train Bleu between St Raphael and Calais in his Bentley, and in the process reach London before the train achieved its destination.
Departure: Thursday 13th March around 17:54-18:00h from Cannes Arrival: Friday 14th March 1930 10:30h to dock at Boulogne and The Conservative Club - London - 15:20h.
Result: Bet won.
This is a sleeker and more distinguished design, a Speed Six fastback “Sportsman Coupé” from Gurney Nutting that Woolf himself took delivery of two months later (May 21, 1930) after the famous race, and decided to dubb the “Blue Train Special”.
For many years it was believed that the Bentley Speed Six in which Woolf Barnato beat the Blue Train was a two-door coupé bodied by the coachbuilders Gurney Nutting. This error was spread by the famous illustration of Gurney Nutting coupé painted by Terence Cuneo (January 1970) about this event (and the painter made other errors for example by suppressing the central extra light and added side steps on his painted model).
The car that was historically involved the race was, in fact, was Barnato’s Speed Six H. J. Mulliner saloon. Bruce McCaw, current owner of the Gurney Nutting Speed Six, uncovered evidence that it may not the “Authentic One”.
Some historians believe that Barnato, who owned a stable of Bentleys, raced the Blue Train in his Mulliner-bodied four-door Speed Six saloon, not the Gurney Nutting coupé. Over the years, components of the Mulliner saloon had gone separate ways. To put the controversy to bed, collector McCaw traced the chassis and engine of Barnato’s Mulliner-bodied Speed Six, and also located the bodywork on a different Bentley chassis.
Bruce McCaw had to buy three different cars to put the original together again. He reunited the chassis with its original bodywork and showed the restored Mulliner Speed Six alongside his Gurney Nutting Speed Six at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August 2003.
Thus Bruce and Solene McCaw reconstructed the Mulliner Speed Six, which is less “sexy” then the Gurney-Nutting Speed Six. Consequently, Bruce McCaw accepts that it was probably the Mulliner-bodied saloon that raced the Blue Train, although definitive proof may never be uncovered.
But the Gurney Nutting Coupé is still widely known as the “Blue Train Coupé” (“Special” has to be added) , and it remains one of the most iconic car designs in Bentley history.
This car continues to be inspirational anyway and an endless source of desire.
By alleging this many broadcasts feed the confusion spread on internet and especially Instagram where people made mainly two mistakes:
(1) By showing, instead of an Original and Authentic Unit, a “recreation” (and we can also discuss about the legitimacy of this term) made by an indeed very good British craftsman company called (Vintage) Racing Green Engineering Ltd. An alternate version proposed by another competitor called Bob Perterson Engineering Ltd. (UK) has many difference with RGE model and also even more compared with the original unit.
(2) By misnaming the model Blue Train Special into Blue Train thus usurping all the historical value and prestige of this model. I confess the authentic Blue Train Special is sexier than the Blue Train Bentley. But it’s not historically correct.
As Albert Camus wrote: “Mal nommer les choses, c’est ajouter au malheur du monde” (“To name things wrongly is to add to the misfortune of the world”).
Anyway, thank you so much for making such a handsome video.
You're welcome. It's a very detailed and good explanation so it explaint clearly and vividly. Thank you very much.
@@Visinet3218 thank you very much.