1924 Bentley 3 Litre Speed Model VDP Tourer Chassis no.

755Engine no.

633Walter Owen Bentley had an extensive background in mechanical engineering but made his first steps in the motor car industry at the age of 24 in 1912, when he became the British agent for the French DFP concern.

Bentley’s DFPs made quite an impression after, having found the standard performance unsatisfactory, he tuned the engines for higher output, and DFPs so modified competed convincingly in motorsports events.

During the Great War, he put these engine-building skills to good use, providing engines for the famous Sopwith Camel fighter planes.Post-war, Bentley decided to start producing his own cars, and Bentley Motors Limited was duly founded on 18th of January 1919 – the same date as the start of the Paris Peace Conference that brought the war to a final end.

Development work on the first model proceeded quickly; in October, a chassis was displayed, with a mock-up engine, at the London Motor Show.

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