‘Steven Collins came into my workshop with a model of the Embiricos and asked I could build him a Bentley just like it’ – Bob Petersen

The Embiricos Bentley, as it is now known, was the fastest saloon car in Britain before the war, and certainly the most stylish. Chassis number B-27-LE was a special commission by Greek gentleman motor racer and shipping magnate André Maris Embiricos. Designed by Frenchman Georges Paulin and built by Marcel Pourtout in July 1938, the magnificent aerodynamic ‘Continental’ set high-speed records and went on to race at Le Mans three times.

It was probably the most refined motor car ever to have competed at La Sarthe. Today the one-off Embiricos Bentley is owned by Californian-based Arturo Keller, a man well known for never selling anything.

‘As a designer I have always admired the fabulous styling of the Embiricos Bentley,’ says Devon-based Bentley restorer and ‘creator’ Bob Petersen. ‘One day my friend and client, Steven Collins, came into my workshop with a small model of the Embiricos and asked if I could build him a Bentley that looked just like it. It was a challenge I couldn’t resist.’

That was back in 2001 and the Petersen Embiricos was first seen at the Bentley Drivers Club meeting in 2009. The absolute beauty of the motor car, combined with the incredible craftsmanship, finish and attention to detail, immediately scotched any muttering about this being a mere replica.

But let’s go back to the giddy days of the ’30s, before World War Two laid waste large swathes of Europe and bankrupted Britain. Walter Owen Bentley had had his motor company taken over by Rolls-Royce in 1931 and his perpendicular and thunderous Bentleys had been superseded by Rolls-Royce’s rather more refined Silent Sports Cars built at the Derby works, known colloquially as Derby Bentleys. Very capable though these Derby Bentleys were (sort of the Merc 6.3 saloons of their day), they were very conservative mechanically and especially so in terms of coachwork. European marques were experimenting with aerodynamic designs and some of their creations made Bentleys look rather frumpy.

Walter Sleator, bon viveur, superb driver, owner of the stylish Franco Britannic Garage and Rolls-Royce representative in Paris, saw this French design revolution unfolding before him as his customers began to complain that their Bentleys were being bested by swoopy machines from Bugatti and Talbot-Lago.

Automotive design was going avant garde but the conservative suits in Derby did not want to partake. The feeling was that superfast, streamlined motor cars were of little use on Britain’s narrow and winding roads, even though the autobahns were being laid in Germany and French Routes Nationales had long offered the opportunity of high-speed travel.

But Sleator convinced the men from Derby that he should undertake a special project from Paris, with the reassurance that if it failed the Bentley works would be left untainted. So in August 1936 Sleator approached the wealthy ship owner and banker André Embiricos with the idea of a radical new Bentley. Embiricos had admired the work of designer Georges Paulin and gave the project the go-ahead. A scale wooden model of the car was tested at Meudon near Paris, then at Vickers under the eye of Ivan Evernden. A full-scale wooden model was tested next and detailed technical specifications were assessed.

On 18 March 1938, chassis number B-27-LE was shipped from Derby to coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout and the complete motor car was ready for road testing three months later. The aluminium coachwork was lighter by some 350lb (159kg) when compared with the average British coachbuilt body, and the  4¼-litre engine had its compression ratio upped from 6.5:1 to 8.0:1 and was fitted with larger SU carburettors, increasing the horsepower from 125 to 140bhp. Shock absorbers were stiffened, steel-lined aluminium front brakes were added to the front and a 2.87:1 top gear ratio was employed.

It seems that André Embiricos was very generous and was constantly lending his striking new Bentley to all sorts of test drivers. In January 1939 it was twice tested at Montlhéry, where Walter Sleator set a somewhat disappointing 107mph average speed. The car was then crashed by Embiricos’ chauffeur, after which the engine was blown up when it was over-revved while running on 17-inch rims. Then it was borrowed again for a 1000-mile jaunt across Germany to try out the new autobahns. Sleator decided to challenge the 80mph average set from Berlin to Munich by General Huhnlein driving a Grosser Mercedes-Benz. In very difficult icy conditions, the Embiricos managed 110mph for five miles and 112mph for four miles.

The Bentley was then shipped across to Brooklands and with George Eyston behind the wheel it cracked the magical figures of 114.63mph in one hour and 115.05mph for 10 miles. These were heroic speeds in 1939.

It seems that André Embiricos tired of his new streamlined Bentley – maybe he’d had enough of everyone blagging it for fast blasts around Europe –  so he sold it to HFS Soltan Hay in 1939. He used it as an everyday car, and there are pictures of it with blacked-out headlamps during the war. With 60,000 miles on the clock the confident Hay entered the Bentley in the 1949 Le Mans,  co-driven by journalist Tommy Wisdom. Reported to be ‘running easily’ by The Autocar, the Bentley cruised around the long circuit, losing top gear in the process. But that didn’t stop it and at the finish this 11-year-old motor was sixth, averaging 73.56mph. The race was won by a sporting Ferrari.

Hay enjoyed the experience so much he entered FXW 6 in the next year’s Le Mans and, with co-driver HC Hunter, they finished 14th, six places behind Eddie Hall’s Crewe Bentley.

Again in 1951 the Embiricos was entered for Le Mans by Hay, with GT Clark listed as co-driver. By this stage the Bentley was showing 120,000 miles on the clock and Hay piled his family into it, as the trip was to include a European holiday. The car suffered dynamo failure and ran most of the night during the race with failing lights; it was unable to start after a final pit stop. It was eventually coaxed into life and, although Hay failed to complete the minimum distance by just four miles, it was recorded as finishing in 22nd place and in doing so it set the record for three consecutive Le Mans finishes.

With the Bentley fettled, Hay packed his family back into the motor car and continued his holiday. On the way back home he popped into Montlhéry circuit and did a last endurance run of 106 miles in the hour. No naff easyJet flights or car transportation for him!