Chassis Development

Restoring the chassis

When the present project began, chassis BX2411 had a wheelbase of 12 ft 6 in. Despite almost a century of use, changing coachwork and many years spent in Africa and later America, the chassis was in surprisingly strong condition.  Even so, with a chassis approaching its centenary and having spent a period dismantled in Africa, we fully expected that some repair and structural work would be required.

Claire Hay's 2018 inspection identified the car as chassis BX2411 with engine BX2410 and recorded the chassis as intact. That independent assessment, undertaken before the present reconstruction began, was an important part of understanding the car we were starting with.

At the same time, BX2411 had already undergone decades of repair, restoration and changing coachwork. We therefore approached the project with a simple principle: preserve its established Bentley identity and surviving historic material wherever practicable, while carrying out the work necessary to create a strong and usable car for the future.

Choosing the wheelbase

Adapting the surviving Harrison fixed-head coupé coachwork from BR2365 to BX2411 required a significant decision about the chassis proportions. Anthony discussed this carefully with David Ayre.

Anthony was adamant that, if the existing 12 ft 6 in wheelbase was to be shortened, we should not simply choose a dimension because it suited the body or looked right. The finished wheelbase had to correspond to an established Bentley dimension. After discussion with David, 10 ft 10 in was agreed as the appropriate wheelbase for the project.

• The finished wheelbase should correspond to an established Bentley dimension.
• As much surviving historic chassis material as practicable should be retained.
• The finished chassis should be structurally strong and capable of continued use.

With those priorities established, David Ayre and his team stripped BX2411, shortened its wheelbase to 10 ft 10 in and comprehensively overhauled the chassis to ensure lasting strength, integrity, and performance.  One particularly satisfying aspect of the work was that the chassis material removed during the shortening was already weak or compromised, allowing sound historic material to be retained wherever practicable.

Shortening an original Bentley chassis is not something we regarded casually. BX2411 had already lived many different lives and carried several different bodies before this project began. Our decision was therefore not an attempt to recreate a factory configuration that never existed, but to make a carefully considered alteration using an established Bentley wheelbase, while retaining as much of the surviving chassis as practicable.

As elsewhere on YF2186, the alteration forms part of the car's documented history and is presented openly as such.