First of 12 Bentley Speed Six Continuation Series cars delivered to US customer

Bentley on Wednesday confirmed its first Speed Six Continuation Series car has been completed and will soon be dispatched to the US.

This marks the first delivery of a newly built Speed Six since 1930. John Breslow, a previous Mulliner customer, will receive the vehicle as a racing companion to his Blower Continuation Series.

Commissioned about a year ago, the Speed Six features Parsons Napier Green bodywork over a black-painted chassis. Key design elements include twin round chrome-finished headlamps with protective mesh and a prominent number “4” on the radiator grille.

Each Continuation Series Speed Six is hand-built, requiring about eight months to complete. Bentley’s Mulliner team worked with UK-based specialist suppliers to recreate every detail of the original Speed Six with impressive precision.

The cockpit mirrors that of the original, with gauges, switches and controls matching the specifications of the Speed Six that raced to overall victory at the 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans. The interior includes leather in Rust tones, paired with carpeting that complements the exterior.

Before production, the Mulliner Classic team consulted the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire, to confirm the authentic Parsons Paint options available to customers. More than 600 new parts were manufactured for this series, including a newly cast and fabricated 6½l engine block. While initially generating 149kW, the Continuation Series engine produces 153kW, closely aligning with the original’s performance.

The Speed Six is notable in Bentley's history as its most successful racing model. Built with manufacturing techniques from the late 1920s, it is the second pre-war Continuation Series created by Mulliner, the British carmaker's custom and coachbuilding division.

The first model in this line was the Blower Continuation Series, based on Bentley’s 1929 4½l supercharged Team Car #2. It was assembled using original blueprints as well as modern laser-scanned data.

The Blower and Speed Six represented two approaches to Bentley’s competition with Mercedes-Benz at the 1930 Le Mans 24-hour race, with the Blower known for speed but less reliability, while the Speed Six offered more dependable performance.