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A project with a difference. Work was started on a renovation of this car, but it came to a halt for reasons unknown. Since then, the car has been put back on its wheels in a temporary fashion, and is in running order. Although the engine runs well and sounds good (apart from an exhaust manifold leak) the braking system is dismantled and the car therefore cannot be driven. The coachwork is sound and the leather has a lovely maturity to it, as does the car as a whole. The brakes, dampers and various chassis-related components have been removed, cleaned, partially prepared for restoration, and are with the car, as per the photos. We have invoices for £41,000 spent so far, all of which will assist with the further work now required. Overall, a correct, original car with a lot going for it.
Chassis No. B133LE Reg No. EXP 78
Snippets: Rear Admiral of the Fleet Captain Edward Neville Syfret (1889/1972) took delivery of B133LE (he part exchanged a Humber Snipe) whilst he was in command of HMS Ramillies a Revenge-class super-dreadnought battleship in the Home Fleet. Capt. Syfret joined the Royal Navy in 1904, he specialised in gunnery & spent the majority of WWI in the North Sea on the light cruisers Aurora, Centaur & Curacoa. It was noted that prior to WWI he had a reputation as a cricketer and played at Lords on the Navy team for several years against the Army. In Nov 1939 Syfret was made Naval Secretary to the 1st Lord of Admiralty (Winston Churchill) and promoted to Rear-Admiral just two months later. Whilst he was Naval Secretary Syfret was not allowed to hold a sea command, but when Arthur Peters took over the role in June 1941 Syfret immediately returned to sea. His various postings included the Mediterranean, North Russia, Freetown, Cape-town, Madagascar & of course the Irish Sea, it has been rumoured he took the car with him on some of his post-war postings, that would have been quite a sight. His WWII actions are recorded by Cmdr. K. Edwards in his book "Seven Sailors" which we are fortunate to have a copy of. When Syfret retired in 1948 from being in charge of the home fleet the newspaper cutting of the time shows him being pulled along the dockside by his staff officers in B133LE before he left under his own horsepower. Edward Syfret kept B133LE for some 32 years & he sold the car in 1970 to J D Sharpe who drove the Bentley in several VSCC driving events held at Enstone Aerodrome in the 1970s - Motorsport reported that in the 1979 event "Sharpe slotted the wrong gear for reverse in Test 1" whoops.
V5 Registration Document; Safety Belt Pretensioners
About Us: The Real Car Company was established in 1987 by Ray Arnold & Ian Johnstone. It was a hobby that 'Got out of hand'. Our interest in cars of the type that we now sell goes back to our childhoods, and ownership back to the 1970's. Gradually more cars started passing through our hands, and by 1986 we had decided to make a full time occupation of buying and selling the cars that we love.
We started with a single car (all we could afford) which we sold quickly, and before we knew it we had 4 or 5 on our hands! This was alongside another business that we were involved in at the time. In the Spring of 1988 we gave up the other business, (exhaust systems), rented part of the premises that we still operate from now, and went full time.
We had a good start in the boom years of the late eighties, which set us up well enough for us to ride the storm of recession in the years that followed. As the years went on the number of cars going through our hands increased gradually, we built up a workforce, and we now carry a stock of around 40 to 50 vehicles and there are nine of us here. In 1999 we were awarded 'International Classic Car Dealer of the Year' by Classic Cars Magazine. The market for 'our' kind of cars is nicely stable, generally prices are creeping upwards all the time, and we feel that investing in a car - or cars - of the type that we sell is generally a great place to put your money. Don't do it just for investment, but you can get a great deal of pleasure from these vehicles, prices are - in our opinion - unlikely to drop, and you can't drive a share certificate! Some prices in the last three or four years have moved up considerably, and these cases have shown a tremendous return on investment.
Over the last fifteen years or so we have brought home several hundred cars from the USA, and we are always looking for more. If you know of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley anywhere in the world, in absolutely any condition, please let us know. Distance no object, commissions happily paid. We always particularly enjoy the 'barn finds'.
Opening Hours: Mo: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM Tu: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM We: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM Th: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM Fr: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM Sa: Closed Su: Closed
Why buy from us? * Classic Cars * Over 30 years in business * Cars are physically at our premises * Lovely roads to test drive on * Our reputation
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