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The Repatriation of LM 1350SS

by Ernie Warrender

I first got wind of this car on the internet and saw it advertised on a jolly good website for vintage cars. The picture looked attractive but as this was to be my first foray into the joys of WO’s finest I was understandably cautious.

I cannot praise highly enough the network within the club that enabled me, an outsider as was, to effect this purchase so smoothly.

Enormous thanks are due to the following people who gave freely of their time and resource with no thought of personal gain.

George Klepp who spent ages showing me the cars and bits, of which he has an abundance. He also helped me collect the vehicle from the Southampton Gestapo IN DECEMBER! and although he hogged all the driving, I have now forgiven him.

Tim Houlding who faxed me a super report on the car prepared a few years ago and reassured me as to its provenance

Christopher Yates who let me drive his pride and joy to see if I really liked it and who also volunteered to help collect the car from Southampton docks if it arrived in November (psychiatric report to follow)

Kelvin Price who, within minutes gave me chapter and verse on the cars frequent appearances in the older issues of the BDC, which filled in large gaps in the cars history and showed some of the cars previous body designs (current one is No3!)

Brian Fenn whose litery skills produced a super verification of the cars provenance within very short order thus enabling me to successfully scotch the Vatmans attempts to get 27.5% out of me instead of the 5% such an historic item should attract upon return from outside the EU despite querying whether a 1926 Bently was over 50 years old or some such matter, but of course they don’t teach sums at school any more, or English or Common Sense or Metalwork or……….

Laurence Jones whose help and hand holding (metaphorical) I cannot thank enough, and his wife Anne who must think we are having an affair!

This proves that the Club functions as a club should, in my book, and I look forward to many happy years of freezing to death in my chosen mode of mechanical education.

The Green Label short chassis 3 litre otherwise known as the Super Sport 100 is one of 18 built of which 6 are thought to survive. Most were built with a distinctive horseshoe shaped radiator. They were introduced to cater for the demand for racing car performance. The engines had a 6.1 to 1 comp ratio, hour glass pistons, A type box, slopers and a high ratio axle allied to a skimpy 9’ chassis in all bar one case. The factory reduced the legendary 5 year guarantee to 12 months and the following probably shows what a wise move this was.

The club provided a copy of the works entries for the car which make interesting reading as follows;

1926

18.05.26 The car was manufactured to the order of L H Jackson of the Coventry Plating & Pressworks Co as a 100mph Super Sports 3 litre on a 9’ chassis, with14/53 axle ratio and Speed model road springs and shipped to Messrs Holbrook for a suitable and unique body to be fitted as below.

07.08.26 The following remedial work carried out by the works; Rattle in steering column, Clutch sticking in/engine pinking and handbrake adjusted.

1927

17.02.27 Minor adj to engine, Clutch relined new plate fitted, New rear axle ratio fitted (13/51?) High speed steering wobble rectified All units sealed.

24.05.27 Decoke, Radiator repaired, Flywheel teeth dressed up, Rear axle quietened

4½ steering box fitted starter spindle straightened.

15.11.27 New Shocks supplied by Mr Burgess (change of ownership), Flywheel teeth trimmed up Rear u/j shimmed up, Front wheel brakes relined, Handbrake roughed up, brake drums skimmed out.

1928

Noisy rear axle rectified Minor adjustments.

1931

12.10.31 Following parts sent to Haslemere Motor Co Woking; 8 valves, 14 80mm x 3/32 piston & 6 scraper, clutch liner and 2 swivel pin bushes

1932

S.A.Robson The Glen, Torrington Rd Portsmouth (change of ownership)

21.12.32 Following parts sent to F W Mayo&Co Ltd Dorking; 4 x 80mm pistons 12 piston and 4 scraper 80 x 3/32 4 Gudgeon pins and buttons 2 valves and 1 guide

1933

Flight Commander St B H Jones (change of ownership)

14.06.33 Mileage listed as 32810 Engine de-carbonised, Block re-bored to 80.5mm New pistons, rings fitted, 8 valves, 8 guides cyl. Side plates 1.WS13 race, Crankshaft re ground, 4 re metalled con. Rods and 1 set of mains fitted. Twin autopulses, flywheel teeth trimmed up Rod R.65802 repaired, base of cyl block machined off 5mm, Clutch withdrawal mechanism overhauled, new race, bearing sleeve and spider. Slack in F &a rod taken up, Rec. Spicer shaft BM3639. Brakes roughed up. New perrot shaft stocking. Shackles shimmed up 10 bushes fitted.

1.9.33 1 Piston and 4 valves fitted, Brakes checked over.

1934

19.04.34 Mileage 122 Converted to 1926 Speed model spec. Recon Chassis frame Recon 14/53 Crown and bevel, 1-340 & 1-150 race fitted, 9’91/2” spicer shaft, 1 Constant gear and 3rd and top gear fitted, 2.335 & 340 races, 2 speedo gears, 1 cyl end plate and 4 BHB pistons complete fitted. Recon mag & new crankshaft 47mm, 1 set main bearings, Clutch relined, 1 new race and sump. Recon water pump & WS race fitted, Camshaft rebedded. R H Crompton, Wix Hill House, West Horsley, Surrey

Guarantee issued 24.07.34 for 6 months. Body as below and raced by Frank Dyos in the early 50’s

1934

22.12 34 Mags adjusted and carbs, Mileage 1262

1935

Guarantee re-issued 24.01.35 (6 months)

1938

6.10.38 4 shackle pins and 6 bushes sent to Railway Hotel Garage

There is then a gap while the car was laid up for the duration of hostilities (I assume).

The car then re-appears at a BDC meet being enthusiastically campaigned by Eric Dyos in 1953 on page 307 of review No 30 Sep 1953.

This car is rightfully known as the only Long Chassis 100mph super sports.

The mascot visible on the picture of the original Holbrook bodied car was recently (Mid 90’s) auctioned at Sothebys and made in excess of £1,000.

George Rush acquired the car in the late 50’s and promptly pranged, it necessitating a rebuild that went on for nearly 30 years and during which time extensive use seems to have been made of stainless in the car.. The seasoned Ash body frame was covered in perforated stainless sheet, (who said old washing machine drums?) and finished in black fabric and all the brake rods were re-made in stainless. The brakes and drums themselves were renewed.

The Engine was one of the last Hoffman and Mountford rebuilds and incorporated such mods as oil spray to the skew gears, modern oil filter, cav starter motor and modern distributor caps fitted to the mags. Every Chassis fixing and bearing was replaced. New clutch bearings and clutch and new Radiator, overhauled water pump and Autovac. All in all, a thoroughly useable Vintage Bentley.

Now, just like the Forth Bridge, it goes on and on……..Has anyone got a set of 21” wheels they need re-homing? Oh and a set of Vdp wings etc etc etc

The following pictures show the car in 1980, In America 1998 and back home 2004.

If you would like to contact Ernie regarding this article then please visit the contact us page.