Bentley 3 1/2 Litre I gallery (1933–1936)
The first model developed under Rolls-Royce ownership, famously marketed and celebrated as The Silent Sports Car.
The Bentley 3 1/2 Litre marked a crucial new era for the brand as the first production model introduced following the acquisition of Bentley by Rolls-Royce in 1931, famously marketed under the moniker 'The Silent Sports Car'. The vehicle was constructed around a rigid ladder-frame steel chassis developed from the experimental Rolls-Royce Peregrine project, featuring front and rear beam axles with semi-elliptic leaf springs and driver-adjustable ride dampers. Bentley provided running chassis to independent coachbuilders such as Park Ward, Vanden Plas, Freestone & Webb, Barker, and Gurney Nutting, resulting in bespoke sports saloons, drophead coupés, fixed-head coupés, and tourers. It was powered by a modified 3.7-liter inline-six overhead-valve engine equipped with twin SU carburetors, producing approximately 110 horsepower, paired with a four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on the top two ratios. The car achieved tremendous success across the United Kingdom and continental export markets.
