TheBentley Boys were a group of wealthy British motorists who droveBentleysports cars to victory in the 1920s and kept the marque's reputation for high performance alive. In 1925, as themarque floundered, Bentley BoyWoolf Barnato bought the company, leading to the creation of the famoussuperchargedBentley Blower car.
The Bentley Boys included:[citation needed]
Thanks to the dedication of this group to serious racing, the company, located atCricklewood, north London, was noted for its four consecutive victories at the24 hours of Le Mans from 1927 to 1930. Their greatest competitor at the time,Bugatti, whose lightweight, elegant, but fragile creations contrasted with the Bentley's rugged reliability and durability, referred to them as "the world's fastest lorries".
In March 1930, during theBlue Train Races, Woolf Barnato raised the stakes onRover and itsRover Light Six having raced and beatenLe Train Bleu for the first time, to better that record with his 6½ litreBentley Speed Six on a bet of £100. He drove against the train fromCannes toCalais, then by ferry toDover and finally London, travelling on public highways, and won. TheH. J. Mulliner-bodiedformal saloon he drove during the race, as well as a streamlined fastback "Sportsman Coupe" byGurney Nutting delivered to him on 21 May 1930 became known as theBlue Train Bentleys. The "Sportsman Coupe" has been erroneously referred to as being the car that raced the Blue Train, while in fact Barnato named it in memory of his race.[1][2]
A great deal of Barnato's fortune went to keeping Bentley afloat after he became chairman in 1925; but theGreat Depression destroyed demand for the company's expensive products, and it was finally sold off toRolls-Royce in 1931.