Coachbuilt Bentley saloon.
Identifying the car as a mid-1930s Derby-era Bentley didn't cause too many problems, but identifying the coachbuilder that clothed this particular chassis took a little more digging around. Advice gained from fellow VSCC members point to it being a product of Freestone & Webb, one of several companies that regularly bodied Bentleys prior to WW2 (others featured on the site include Park Ward and Barker).
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A young lady is seen preparing to exit the car. There's something about the depth of field evident in this shot, that gives it the feel of a studio photograph, but it would have required a large studio and background set to accommodate this car. More likely it is a genuine scene therefore. The photograph isn't dated, nor are the location or specific car's details known. A very similar-looking car features in book 'Fifty years of the Marque', on page 221 I'm told. That car has chassis number B144JD - perhaps one and the same vehicle?
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Freestone and Webb was formed in 1923, by ex-Crossley Motors man V.E. Freestone, and A.J. Webb. One characteristic to be found in many of their body designs was the "razor edge" look, and this is evident with the car shown above, another pointer to the Willesden-based firm being responsible for this car's coachwork.
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Visit page 17 in the vintage gallery, or return to the gallery's main index page.
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