1939 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Sports Coupe

In October 1933, the Bentley nameplate was relaunched under Rolls-Royce ownership with the debut of the 3 1/2 Litre, aptly touted as the “silent sports car.” A winning combination of modern engineering and ever-evolving and improving technical specifications, the 4 1/4 Litre model appeared in 1936, chasing the elusive 100 mph mark. With the addition of overdrive gear ratios on the later 4 1/4 series, 100 mph performance was achieved, which includes the special example offered here, conceived for high-speed, transcontinental touring.

This 4 1/4 Litre Bentley, constructed on the advanced MR Series chassis, was bodied by Park Ward Ltd. for display on their stand at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1938. Intended as a showcase for their technical talents and modern designs, it featured a sliding Webasto roof panel, frameless side windows, and rear wheel spats. Designed strictly as a two-place automobile and offering very little trunk space, the open area behind the seats was specified for luggage. This configuration, coupled with the power-activated rear window privacy shade, prompted the motoring press to dub Park Ward Ltd.’s Art Deco-inspired creation the “Honeymoon Express” – and the car has carried this moniker ever since.

With an admiration for its design, the chairman of Park Ward Ltd. used chassis B30MR for several months as his personal transport following its exhibition at Earls Court, and by April 1939 it passed to London Rolls-Royce dealer R.A. Robertson, who had the Coupe repainted in camouflage during the war years.

After a succession of UK-based owners, the Honeymoon Express was purchased in 1965 by American serviceman Maurice Richmond while he was stationed in the UK. He entered the car in a Bentley Drivers Club-sponsored event at Goodwood in 1967, where it was reportedly driven by Bentley historian Johnnie Green on demonstration laps of the historic circuit. Later that year, Mr. Richmond imported the Bentley to the US and enjoyed the car at his homes in California over the next 35 years. Noted Bentley enthusiast Charles Crail, also of California, purchased B30MR from Mr. Richmond in 2002, and sold it to UK- and Belgium-based collector George Rombouts-Howitt. Mr. Rombouts-Howitt commissioned a full mechanical and cosmetic restoration by Wildae Restorations Ltd. in Devon, and Alpine Eagle Ltd. in Oxford, England, to restore the Bentley to its original Earls Court splendor. Photographs and invoices on file detail the extent of the seven-year effort.

In 2012, chassis B30MR was selected from over 100 applicants to participate in the epic, 870-mile Louis Vuitton Classic Serenissima Run. At the conclusion of the event, the Bentley was awarded the Coachbuilders Golden Age Award. In 2015, the Bentley was acquired by noted collector of significant classic and sports cars, Robert Mirvis, and was reimported to the US. Mr. Mirvis proudly displayed B30MR at Pebble Beach in 2015, where it earned a class award, and the following March, the Bentley Coupe received First in Class honors at Amelia Island. Later in 2016, it joined a significant Midwest collection of Art Deco-inspired prewar Classics before it was acquired by Mr. Cole in 2022, fulfilling a decades-long wish to own the Honeymoon Express.

Documented in numerous volumes on the marque, B30MR is well known to Bentley collectors and historians for its modern design, unusual configuration, and sheer beauty. Accompanying the car are a tool roll, original owner’s manual, and hundreds of fascinating documents, receipts, letters, and photographs. A proven contender both on the concours and rally circuits, this unique, sunshine-roof Coupe is a testament not only to the Bentley marque, but also to those who have so affectionately cherished, maintained, and preserved it for over 85 years.