The cornerstone of one of the great sporting marques, the 3 Litre was the first automobile produced by W.O. Bentley and the model upon which the company’s formidable reputation was built. Introduced at the 1919 Olympia Motor Show, it featured an advanced four-cylinder engine with hemispherical combustion chambers, twin-plug ignition, and a single overhead camshaft operating four valves per cylinder – an engineering tour de force in its day. Racing successes, including victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924 and 1927, firmly established the Bentley mystique.

Chassis 703 is a genuine Red Label Speed Model and one of the most evocatively named Vintage Bentleys: the celebrated “Golden Bentley.” Unlike many nicknamed Bentleys whose sobriquets were applied retrospectively, “The Golden Bentley” appears on the works build records, making it a designation this car has carried since new.

Completed at Cricklewood in July 1924, chassis 703 was delivered new to Frank Fox, director of Vanden Plas – the coachbuilder responsible for virtually all Bentley factory racing bodies, including those of the marque’s Le Mans winners. W.O. Bentley reportedly bestowed the “Golden” designation in reference to Fox’s specification of a solid brass radiator and fittings in place of the standard nickel finish. Vanden Plas constructed for its director an alloy-paneled, four-seater Sports body (no. 1060), finished originally in an elegant fawn and cinnamon color scheme.

Registered new as “MH 4827,” this was the only Bentley ever built for the Fox family, and it was upgraded during their ownership with improved carburetion and high-compression pistons. Subsequent custodians, including E. Friedlander and G.J. Hitches, are recorded in the works service record through 1937. In 1948, the original engine (no. 697) was replaced with a Super Sports unit, though notably, chassis 703 was later reunited with its matching-numbers engine, which it retains today.

Exported to the US in 1952, this Bentley passed through several respected collections before returning to the UK and later back to the US, where it has most recently been enjoyed on regular tours by a California-based collector. Remarkably, the car has never required a full restoration and remains in authentic, well-maintained condition, benefiting from a recent engine rebuild documented by invoices on file. Accompanied by an extensive history file and a detailed report by marque authority Dr. Clare Hay confirming that it retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox, rear axle, and Vanden Plas coachwork, chassis 703 stands as an exceptional example of the 3 Litre – built to special order, richly documented, and possessing a character few Vintage Bentleys can equal.