A Bigger Blower Bentley

This crazy 27 litre contraption by British creative heir to the likes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Bob Peterson is quite the machine. And you do need to see more of this guy Bob's work at his site.

The Telegraph newspaper had an article about it a few days ago here. But some of the larger numbers are the aforementioned 27 litres. 660HP. 12 exhausts and 24 spark plugs. Giddy-up we would say in Denver.

The original Blowers cast a long shadow. And the desire to own one, or something better/faster than one is strong. Although a replica in spirit, at least they are forthright about it. Not something that can be said of the shenanigans around fakes in my Blower novel (a great gift, cough, cough)- Hunt for the Blower Bentley..

Blower Spotted at Lime Rock Vintage Festival

Whether real or recreated, this VDP bodied Blower Bentley is the business.

A bit too polished and clean for my taste, but I would not kick it out of the garage for leaving spots on the floor.

My brother, who can be blamed for me liking European cars, spotted this at the Lime Rock Park vintage festival yesterday. Jealous.

Blowers Not Just for Boys

No other car is so associated with men as the Blower Bentley. The phrase "Bentley Boys" is used in almost every mention of these cars. But is should be known that there was a female member of this boys club. A Mrs. Mary Victor Bruce.

Some highlights of hers include motorboat records for crossing the channel. And setting a record for lapping at Montlhery in a Blower Bentley and other auto records, mostly in ACs.

For more detailed history of Mrs. Victor Bruce. Check out this site.

And you should read more because any lady who says, "”Speed has always fascinated me since my first pony bolted. Going slowly always made me tired.” deserves a bit of respect.

In car and portrait image from Female Racing Drivers by Jean Francois Bouzanquet, cig card image from Flikr mando maniac.

Fancy Yourself A Bentley Historian?

Vintagebentleys.org is the web-based resource for tracking down your desired vintage Bentley.

I used it often while writing Hunt for the Blower Bentley. And visit it often for pure entertainment.

There you can search every W.O. Bentley by chassis number. Find reference materials. Get information on how to repair your early beast. Or even help others identify their own Bentley mysteries.

All in all, a fantastic enthusiast run site. And the place to start to see if you can do better than I or others in finding out what happened to supercharged Bentley SM 3912.

Another option is the Bentley Driver's club itself. Here you can contact the club historian and get all the info you need. Or want. Or that they have.

Happy car hunting.

Blower Bentley Racing Prowess

I don't think I ever really get into the history of why Bentley developed a Blower in the first place. Not important to the story. Besides, the missing Blower SM 3912 was not fitted with a racing body. It had a two-seater Phillips drop head coupe body fitted. But, besides the point. Even in the '30s the consumer buyers of cars wanted to have as close to the racing version of a car as possible.

So, with that in mind, I've got a link to a bit of history on the characters who started the whole supercharged Bentley thing. Lots of it do with a Tim Birkin, who loved the Blown cars and used one to raise the Brooklands lap record to nearly 138MPH in 1932! Egads it must have been a ride going near to the top speed of a Porsche 944 in fancy tractor.

Check out the story at www.bentleygreenpower.com.

How Does a Blower Bentley Work

So, what made the Blower Bentley's so special? Well, the blower hung off the front which upped the horsepower, and halved the gas mileage.

No matter, here is a link to a video from the show Massive Engines which explains how the supercharged 4 1/2 litre Bentley worked. Love the sounds!

My New Faston Hanks Novel. Free Sample. We're Going After A Blower.

It's been 8 years since I wrote my first novel, Hunt for 901. I took some time off from writing books, but picked it up again 18 months ago when I found out about the perfect missing car to be the star of the new novel.

A missing Blower Bentley.

I'll tell more, but here are the links to pre-order it. Or, at the very least, do go ahead and 'like' it. It would mean a lot. Links for around the world:

USA - http://www.amazon.com/Hunt-Blower-Bentley-Kevin-Gosselin/dp/1780920180

Germany - http://www.amazon.de/Hunt-Blower-Bentley-Kevin-Gosselin/dp/1780920180

Japan - http://www.amazon.co.jp/Hunt-Blower-Bentley-Kevin-Gosselin/dp/1780920180

UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hunt-Blower-Bentley-Kevin-Gosselin/dp/tags-on-product/1780920180

Canada - http://www.amazon.ca/Hunt-Blower-Bentley-Kevin-Gosselin/dp/1780920180

France - http://www.amazon.fr/Hunt-Blower-Bentley-Kevin-Gosselin/dp/1780920180

There were 50 Blower Bentley's produced. That is a fact. Of which, 49 are accounted for. That doesn't mean 49 still exist as some were wrecked or rebuilt into other cars, but there was one. Serial number SM 3912 that was last heard of in 1939.

I've pulled many of my Bentley facts from the work of Michael Hay.

So, this new novel builds on the limited facts around SM 3912's previous owners and the modern day hunt for it.

With alternating chapters between WWII and the present day hunt by automotive archaeologist Faston Hanks, Hunt for the Blower Bentley is a page turning thriller.

If you like WWII history or novels, you'll like this book. If you like cars, I think you will love it.

I've listened to my readers and upped the pacing and left behind a lot, but not all, of Faston's love of food.

It is without a doubt, many, many times better a book than 901.

Hope you enjoyed the prologue.