1928 Bentley 4½-Liter Tourer
A truly magnificent automobile, the 1928 Bentley 4½-Liter Tourer is a great example of the spirit of British motoring in the vintage era. It is a car that combines power, grace, and endurance in a way that few others can match.
The 4½-Liter was born from the need to bridge the gap between Bentley’s 3-Liter and 6½-Liter models.
While the 3-Liter had proven itself in competition, it was losing its edge by the mid-1920s. At the same time, customers were fitting heavy coachwork to the chassis, which the 3-Liter struggled to cope with. The 6½-Liter, though powerful, was expensive and complex.
Bentley’s solution was the 4½-Liter. It used the chassis, transmission, and brakes of the 3-Liter , paired with an engine that was essentially two-thirds of the 6½-Liter unit.
This new four-cylinder motor shared the 6½-Liter’s bore and stroke dimensions and its four-valves-per-cylinder architecture. However, it used the front-end vertical camshaft drive of the 3-Liter for simplicity.
The 4½-Liter quickly proved its worth on the racetrack. The first prototype engine is believed to have been fitted to the 3-Liter chassis of the 1927 Le Mans practice car. Later, this same engine was installed in the first production 4½-Liter chassis, numbered ‘ST3001’, for that year’s Grand Prix d’Endurance at the Sarthe circuit.
Over its four-year production run, Bentley built 667 examples of the 4½-Liter . All but nine of these were constructed on the 3-Liter’s ‘Long Standard’ chassis, which had a wheelbase of 10 feet 10 inches.
The 4½-Liter Tourer, with its open coachwork, is a particularly desirable variant. It combines the performance of the 4½-Liter engine with the freedom and exhilaration of top-down motoring. The Tourer’s lightweight body allows the car to fully exploit its power, delivering brisk acceleration and impressive top speeds.
Visually, the 4½-Liter Tourer is a study in elegance and restraint. The long hood, sweeping fenders, and upright radiator grille create a sense of purpose and motion, even when the car is at rest.
The leather hood straps and British Racing Green paint, which have become synonymous with vintage Bentleys, add to the car’s timeless appeal.
To drive a 1928 Bentley 4½-Liter Tourer is to experience motoring in its purest form. The car’s controls, from the steering wheel to the gear lever, offer a mechanical, tactile connection to the machinery.
The engine, with its distinctive exhaust note, provides ample power and torque, making the 4½-Liter a delight to hustle down winding roads.
Credit: Bonhams|Cars
