04/06/2026
Neary a century ago, the most iconic pre-war Bentley took to the infamous Circuit de la Sarthe to compete in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans, piloted by Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin and Jean Chassagne.
Locked in an epic duel with Caracciola and Werner’s Mercedes Benz SSK, the Bentley Blower was already on their tail by the fourth lap at the Pontlieue curves - and eventually surged past the SSK at 195 km/h as the latter braked hard into the corner, continuing on the set a record-braking lap.
On the following lap, the rear tyre tread tore free, forcing a frantic wheel change. Though Birkin and Chassagne managed to chase the Mercedes down again, repeated tyre failures dropped them to seventh position. Fate then intervened: the SSK retired with a flat battery, leaving the Blower to press on alone through the early morning mist.
Just before midday, only four hours from the finish, the Blower broke a conrod and was forced to retire, ending one of the most heroic drives in Le Mans history. Although they didn’t win, Birkin and Chassagne are widely credited with enabling Bentley’s victory by pressuring the Mercedes into retirement.
Our meticulously race-weathered 1:8 scale model captures this storied machine exactly as it appeared during this extraordinary race. Visit our website to purchase your model - link in bio.