Back to the Roaring Twenties in a Bentley
Last updated 08:49, Friday, 12 December 2008
It's not every day one is privileged to be driven in a car that was once restricted to high society, even more so to be aboard one of the very rare, iconic and quintessentially English of sportscars, a type that took the Le Mans 24 Hours race by storm in the 1920s.
My long suffering Jag Mk2 has been off the road for a long time and was not fit for the annual MG Car Club Christmas Cracker Run.
But fellow villager, vintage car expert and owner, George Hadfield, suggested he let me navigate for him with help of his young rugger-playing grandson, Henry, in his lightly restored 1924 Bentley 3-litre which means it is very original, rare and valuable.
Starting from Rheged at Penrith, the Vanden Plas- bodied Bentley was the oldest car and was followed by with the differently bodied Bentley 3-litre of David Ruston, a 1925 model. Behind the two Bentleys followed 64 cars of various exotic marques in ascending age with examples from every decade to the youngest, a 2008 MG TF LE500.
With ice and snow still around, the 75-mile route had to be changed but took in Ullswater before going round Matterdale and back down to Glenridding and Patterdale to climb the Kirtstone Pass where George was annoyed to be held back by slow moving modern cars!
Then via Bowness, Dunmail Raise and the ‘Manchester waterworks road’ the other side of Thirlmere, we headed to Keswick and the half-way control.
Onwards via Borrowdale, Grange and the backside of Derwentwater, the route took us to Braithwaite, Whinlatter, Lorton, Wythop and the finish at the Braithwaite Institute for a warming meal and results.
Being a non-speed event, points were gained by filling various quizzes and though we got the prize for the Christmas Quiz, the combined quizzes went to Carlisle’s Ron Palmer who was at the wheel of his super, white 1959 Jaguar XK 150.
Such events staged by Graeme Forrester are marvellous occasions which attract people from literally all over the county, the furthest having travelled over 350 miles to take part and they allow those raised on a diet of bland modern cars to see and hear vintage, classic and modern classics which are our heritage.
I had thought 75 miles in an 80 year-old car in the depths of winter would be both cold and slow. However, several layers of clothes sorted the former but what blew me away was the power and handling of the Bentley which was the Bugatti Veryon of its age.
Discretion prevents be divulging the driver’s age but the Bentley shot up passes with ease and in ‘Bentley Boy’ George’s skilled hands the 3-litre was as nimble as car half its age.
Without a hint of alcohol, in my fertile imagination I was taken back to Woolf Barnato’s famous racing Blue Train race 75 years ago, though George reminded me that was a 6 litre Bentley on that occasion.
The Christmas Cracker was a great event, so congratulations to Graeme and his many helpers!
While the Lakeland fells echoed to the sight and sounds of yester year, several miles south the snowy stages of the Wales Rally GB were shattered by the bark of top world rally cars in which M-Sport supremo, Malcolm Wilson, hoped the BP Ford Abu Dhabi world rally team would do well.
And they did when Jari-Matti Latvala nosed his Ford Focus into the lead after two days of icy stages but on the last day the Citroen of Seb Loeb really flew and pulled 12 seconds out of Latvala to win and claim the manufacture’s crown for the French marque.
But M-Sport cars did really well over all as Francois Duval drove his Focus to sixth, Mikko Hirvonen was eighth, Matthew Wilson came in a nine and Barry Clark was 10th.
Bike ace Valentino Rossi was a creditable 12th, Al Qassimi 16th and Perez 19th – not a bad haul for M-Sport and Cumbrian engineering skills
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