Hand over the keys!

Just before the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, one of the new Bentley Mk V's had been tested in France. The Corniche model stood waiting at the docks in Dieppe before being shipped back to England only to be destroyed by a bomb. A faithful (or fearful?) RAC representative turned up at Rolls Royce in Derby to return the keys and said: "Sorry, but this is all that remains of the Corniche." End of story. Yes, except that recently a group of retired Rolls-Royce employees, friends and companies with experience of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcars painstakingly started to recreate this special Bentley that was designed by Georges Paulin. One of the men involved in the project is Stewart Wilkie, who owns a MK V with chassis number B–24-AW, an alloy lightweight sports saloon. Stewart lent parts of his car to copy and presented the original Corniche mascot, also designed by Georges Paulin, to the Sir Henry Royce Heritage Trust museum along with the original display engine number 1 that was fitted to the MK V Corniche. This engine was prepared for the cancelled 1939 motor show. The 'new' Corniche is at the moment in the body shop and maybe in late 2013 the project will be completed. All the running tests have been done and the power output is more than sufficient (as it should be). We can't wait to see the finished car!
Update by Editor: Shown above is is period photo of this Bentley.

Publié:

mardi novembre 27th, 2012

Inconnu

29 Novembre 2012, 08:53

Comprehensive description on

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley_Mark_V

Georges Paulin designs

http://www.georgespaulin-lesite.com/

Inconnu

29 Novembre 2012, 04:59

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieppe_Raid for the biggest raid on Dieppe, and http://www.rroc.org/content.asp?pl=547&sl=545&contentid=567 http://wikicars.org/en/Bentley_Mark_V and for more detail of the car.

Inconnu

28 Novembre 2012, 16:37

In 1939 Rolls Royce was developing its 'rationalized range' of Rolls Royce and Bentley cars in order to reduce costs and the Cornishe, complete with its complex multiple curvature coachwork, would certainly soon have become a victim of that project. The front wings, for example, were immensely difficult and costly to make. When the Bentley Mk6 eventually arrived after the war its body was really just a development of the 'standard' Park Ward bodied Mk5, not of the Corniche. There was no sentiment in those days and although the Corniche was a fine car it would no doubt have been unceremoniously scrapped, probably soon after it returned to England. So, sad as it may be, the Germans just saved the company the trouble of disposing of it.

Having said all that, it will be wonderful to have this car re- created. It will be a suitable tribute to its designer, the brilliant Georges Paulin, hero of the French Restistance, who was sadly killed by the Nazi's in 1942.

Inconnu

28 Novembre 2012, 11:33

This is a photo of the original Corniche.

To find out what really happened to the Corniche you will have to read the article by James Fack in the Roycean below or wait till his book is published early next year.

http://theroycean.moonfruit.com/#/the-roycean-2012/4558038691

Inconnu

28 Novembre 2012, 09:32

The front of this Bentley proto-type is a typical copy of the first American waterfall-grill of the Lincoln-Zephyr 1938

Inconnu

28 Novembre 2012, 09:05

I must be missing something. Is the main picture the original Bentley Mk 5 Corniche ?

Hand over the keys!

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