Bentley’s wonderful 4½-Litre was a hugely successful model for the marque, but Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin believed that it could be improved.

By using a supercharger designed by Amherst Villiers, forced induction increased both power and speed to an extent that the 4½-Litre Supercharged became one of the fastest cars in the world.

Motorsport honours included breaking the lap record at the Circuit de la Sarthe during the 1930 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

This legendary model became better known as the ‘Blower Bentley’ and is arguably still the most famous car produced with a ‘winged B’ adorning the radiator.

Despite the deceptively simple exterior appearance of the supercharger mounted proudly out front, the modifications required were quite substantial, particularly for the chassis.

The front crossmember in the engine bay was no longer a flat-topped item but curved to allow fitment of the supercharger.

At the front of the chassis, the supercharger was mounted to a crossbar whi...