Car Zero is the hero of this majestic return. If you need to learn what that means, turn the pages of the auto racing history albums back to 1929. Ninety-six years ago, a four-and-a-half-liter supercharged engine powered five select Bentley racers in tests of resistance
The car from motor racing’s infancy was a departure from Bentley’s ‘more engine for more speed’ vision, with a supercharger fitted to the front of the car. The founder of the company, who also designed the engine, did not allow modifications to accommodate the mechanical compressor.
So the Roots-type supercharger (built by Amherst Villiers) was bolted to the front of the magnesium crankcase under the radiator. Because of this rarity, it was called “Blower”; it is the most valuable Bentley automobile to date and by far the most famous in the (racing) history of the British manufacturer. Its heart is the now legendary four-cylinder, a mechanical masterpiece of the time.
Photo: Bentley
Inspired by the creation of WO Bentley, the engine featured a single overhead camshaft, twin spark ignition, four valves per cylinder and aluminum pistons. The high-performance variant designed for racing also received a strengthened and revised crankshaft and connecting rods and a modified oil system.
Three and a half years ago, the British car company undertook the very complex task of rebuilding a replica of the 1929 racer. This recreation is the Car Zero, the clone of the original Blower. Twelve exact copies are planned, eight have already been built and four are underway.
They were all sold before the first part of the first car was even machined. In true British motoring tradition, a historic car replica would only come to life through traditional craftsmanship.
Photo: Bentley
Project Car Zero has begun with a complete teardown of the 1929 Blower, a precise laser scan of each and every part, and a selection of engine and metal craftsmen around the country. Bentley specifically sought out craftsmen who used the same methods and tools as in 1929. Play the video for a brief insight into the Car Zero’s construction efforts.
It took Bentley engineers and contractors 40,000 hours to put the Blower reproduction into its final form. From poring over company archives and original blueprints and drawings to using the latest high-definition scanners to create high-fidelity copies of the original parts, the project spared no expense and cut corners
Heavy-gauge steel (hand-formed and hot-riveted) was used for the chassis, manufactured by a company with 200 years of experience in making boilers for steam locomotives. The Car Zero’s radiator shell, made from mirror-polished German silver (which shines in the gallery), and the hand-hammered steel and copper fuel tank are exact duplicates of the originals.
Photo: Bentley
22 pounds (10 kilos) of horsehair serve as seat padding, the frame is made of ash, and the red leather upholstery is as fresh as Team Car #2 from 96 years ago. Five 4.5-liter supercharged engines were built explicitly for motorsports; one is still in the possession of Bentley Motors and is regularly used at historic motoring events, including racing.
Car Zero, the first in the Bentley Continuation Series programme, will race at Donington Park, UK, Le Mans, France and Spa, Belgium in 2023. The car completed a six-hour race test at Goodwood Motor. Circuit to test your preparation for the competition.
Three hundred and eighty miles at an average of 83 miles per hour is a remarkable result for Blower’s imitation. However, the original was capable of much more. Its 242 bhp (245 bhp) inline-four set a speed record of 137.96 mph (222.03 km/h) in 1932.
Photo: Bentley
He was also famous for his almost paroxysmal driving unreliability – which prevented him from winning any of the twelve races he entered – and huge fuel consumption. At full steam, the Blower would burn four liters (1.1 gallons) of fuel every minute. But its speed was the downright mind-boggling act of the tiny supercharged engine and four-speed non-synchromesh gearbox.
Modern additions, mandated by the safety rules governing historic vehicle racing, are relatively unobtrusive: rain lights, a battery isolation switch, side mirrors, towing points or a fire extinguisher. About that last tidbit: The ’29 Blower earned its nickname after an incident involving a fire.
During the 500-mile (800 km) endurance race at Brooklands, England in 1929, a crack in the exhaust set the canvas body on fire. The driver, Sir Henry Birkin (who was also one of the engineers behind the 4.5 liter supercharged engine), put out the fire and went on to finish that race.
Car Zero, the Bentley Blower copycat, is the engineering prototype for the Bentley Blower Continuation Series, a series of twelve replica pre-war automobiles. Bentley commissioned the in-house Mulliner bespoke division to oversee the works on this programme, a world first for a manufacturer.
