Created at the urging of Bentley Motors chairman Woolf Barnato, the Speed Six was the sportier derivative of the massive and potent 6½-Litre.

Thanks to a thorough host of mechanical upgrades, the model exhibits performance above and beyond its sibling by incredible measure.

In fact, Speed Sixes proved so dominant at Le Mans in 1929 that they were instructed to slow their pace to touring speed for the final few hours on route to victory.

They returned to Le Mans in 1930, repeating the same feat down to the “slow finish”, marking Bentley’s fourth consecutive victory at the world’s greatest endurance race.

Mechanical updates continued over the model’s production, and by late 1930 the Speed Six’s engine had been uprated to 180 brake horsepower.

Chassis configured very similarly to the Le Mans cars were released to private owners and fitted with remarkable custom coachwork.

Today, a Le Mans-specification Speed Six is inarguably one of the most desirable of all pre-war Bentleys.

As do...