BENTLEY BLUE TRAIN | BLUETRAIN 1953 - RACING GREEN - Drive in top gear - Engine sound | SCC TV

Few cars embody the glamour, speed and power of the pre-war Bentley era better than the ‘Blue Train’ Bentley Speed Six. In this car Bentley Boy Woolf Barnato raced and beat the famous Train Blue northwards from the Côte d’Azur to Calais. His achievement was so exceptional that a 2015 re-run by Car Magazine in a Continental GT3-R only just managed to beat Barnato’s average speed set in 1930.
For years the Bentley that beat the Blue Train was thought to be a Speed Six coupé built by coachbuilders Gurney Nutting. The low roofline and 2+1 cockpit with a single ‘side-saddle’ rear seat gives it a lean, low and purposeful profile; this unique design was cited by Bentley’s design team as one of the inspirations for the modern-day Continental GT.
Yet there is a mystery about which Speed Six Barnato drove through France for his famous dare. Was it the Gurney Nutting, or his Mulliner-bodied saloon? Perhaps every legend has its secrets…
Woolf Barnato - heir to a vast fortune from the Kimberley diamond mines in South Africa - was the ultimate ‘Bentley Boy’. A brilliant sportsman, bon viveur and generous host, he became Chairman of Bentley Motors in 1926 when the company was struggling for capital. W.O Bentley considered him the best of all the team’s drivers, and Barnato’s 100% record at Le Mans - three wins in three starts - confirms WO’s judgement.
Barnato was at a dinner party on board a yacht near Cannes in March 1930 when the subject of racing the famous Blue Train came up, as both Rover and Alvis had recently beaten the train from St Raphael to Calais. Barnato wasn’t impressed, calling the achievement ‘no great shakes’. He wagered £200 that at the wheel of his Speed Six he could beat the train to Calais with ease.
Knowing how canny Barnato was, none of his companions would take the bet - so he resolved to do the run anyway, to prove his point.
During the 185 miles from Cannes to Lyon, the two men (Bourne was his passenger) encountered heavy rain which slowed their progress. Barnato and Bourne finally reached Calais at 10:30 in the morning. They had covered over 570 miles at an average speed of 43.43 mph, an impressive achievement on the dusty and rough roads of the time.
Barnato had arrived in Calais so far ahead of the train that he decided to continue on to London. After crossing the Channel in a packet steamer, being waved through Customs and driving hard for almost 700 miles, Woolf Barnato parked his Speed Six outside the Conservative Club in St. James’ Street at 3.20pm. Just four minutes later the Blue Train arrived at the station in Calais.
Barnato had won his unofficial dare, although the French Motor Manufacturer’s Association fined Bentley Motors around £160 for racing on public roads and barred Bentley from the Paris Salon of 1930.
For many years it was believed that the Bentley Speed Six in which Woolf Barnato beat the Blue Train was a two-door coupé bodied by the coachbuilders Gurney Nutting. Certainly, the Bentley chairman did own the car; and it was the Gurney Nutting coupé that contemporary artist Terence Cuneo depicted in his famous painting of the duel.
But recently Bruce McCaw, current owner of the Gurney Nutting Speed Six, uncovered evidence that it may not have been finished until after the date of the drive. Some historians believe that Barnato, who owned a stable of Bentleys, raced the Blue Train in his Mulliner-bodied four-door Speed Six saloon, not the Gurney Nutting coupé.
To put the controversy to bed, Seattle-based collector McCaw traced the chassis and engine of Barnato’s Mulliner-bodied Speed Six, and also located the bodywork on a different Bentley chassis. He reunited the chassis with its original bodywork and showed the restored Mulliner Speed Six alongside his Gurney Nutting Speed Six at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August 2003.
Bruce McCaw accepts that it was probably the Mulliner-bodied saloon that raced the Blue Train, although definitive proof may never be uncovered. But the Gurney Nutting Coupé is still widely known as the Blue Train Coupé.
• Gurney Nutting Speed Six Coupé a one-off design
• Powered by same 180bhp engine as the Le Mans winning Speed Sixes
• Interior fitted with a side-saddle single rear seat - and cocktail cabinet
• Achieved 43.43mph between Cannes and Calais on pre-war Routes Nationales
• Controversy over which Speed Six Barnato drove to win the bet
• Barnato and co-driver Bourne reached the Conservative Club four minutes before the Blue Train reached Paris
• Collector Bruce McCaw owns both ‘Blue Train’ Bentleys - the Gurney Nutting and the Mulliner cars
• Bentley was fined for ‘racing on public roads’ and barred from Paris Salon
Year 1953, fitted with the famous B80 5.675cc straight eight Bentley engine and four speed transmission. This car drove only 600 miles! It has a rare and stunning color combination “Blue over Blue” and English registrati

[@ratsandmice1612]

Thats the most beautiful car I have ever seen in my life

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Glad to have made you happy!

[@andywolf100]

An incredibly beautiful car. Would love to have this Bentley in my garage!

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Mee too Andrew! Have a great day, all the best! Walter

[@barriewright2857]

Me too if I had a garage big enough to hold it.

[@رامي-س6ه]

ابييهاا.

[@selwynwilliams2783]

Not just a car but a work of art as well. Absolutely stunning

[@chrisdooley6468]

Just gorgeous. I wish I had the money to enjoy and maintain classics like this

[@davecroden9793]

Everything. That’s what I love about how this video has been made, and why it’s my favourite YT video by far

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Thank you, Dave! One of my most precious comments so far!

[@cedb7115]

Surprisingly though being a 1953 it looks like a car from the 20s-30s

[@JohnT-ii5od]

I have seen the orginal at the Classic Days Schloss Dyck a couple of years ago and this isn't the one . The orignal is in the USA and indeed from the 30's

[@Macki1287]

Yes, because its a fake!

[@willzibub]

The original car was built in 1930 and there was only one produced. This is a reproduction built on a 1953 Rolls Royce chassis.

[@paulsehstedt6275]

The production plate tells it's a 1931.

[@jirikupr4116]

​@@Macki1287not fake, restomod

[@christokinieriem8796]

Amazing you got to drive this car.

[@JSDesign.Hongkong]

The car in this video has coachwork by Gurney Nutting, and it was not the car Woolf Barnato raced the train with. He did that in a saloon with coachwork by HJ Mulliner.

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Reading into it, it seems that you are actually right... was unclear for decades what exact car he drove. But hey, for the heck of the story... ;-)

[@JSDesign.Hongkong]

SUPERCARCLASSICS The story is wonderful - and true - it's only a shame that the wrong car gets credited for it, and even more remarkable that a heavier 4-door saloon managed the feat.

[@chriskross1660]

So beautiful and timeless nice. Bentley, well done! Wow

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Thanks Chris!

[@JeroenBteE]

Voor mij persoonlijk misschien wel het mooiste wat er ooit op autogebied gebouwd is.

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Knappe machine inderdaad, Jeroen!

[@Kolinu2]

Fantastic, my favourite Bentley Speed Six.

[@steamgent4592]

Absolute perfection they should have just built these forever

[@liberschndt486]

I would rather drive this than some ugly Lamborghini. This Bentley is really nice.

[@thomasmajchrzak2682]

Unglaublich mit welcher Ruhe das Auto fährt.

[@gregmtech]

stuning car; great video ; thanks.

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Thanks, Greg, I appreciate that! Have a great day, Walter

[@johnfmullett]

That is gorgeous!

[@ericheine2414]

The car has just got so much style- she is elegant. Somebody was very good with a pencil. Certain cars have a certain smell to them it's that combination of leather and petrol and jute. Early Ferraris do it too and then there is second gear and 3rd gear and the sweet sound of the machine beneath the bonnet. Total turn on.

[@andydufresne3635]

Year 1953, fitted with the famous B80 5.675cc straight eight Bentley engine and four speed transmission. This car drove only 600 miles! It has a rare and stunning color combination “Blue over Blue” and English registration papers. Wonderful car, not a V8 though, I cut and pasted from your description.

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Hi Jason, oops... I was tired and missed that mistake in the description. Thanks, I corrected it! All the best, Walter

[@jonahlucas1256]

Who on earth can dislike this video

[@MrRobster1234]

Bentley never made a straight 8, but apparently Rolls Royce did. This is a nice recreation.

[@pedroperrelli5795]

Wonderfull, thank you

[@gregorycapart4258]

Une des plus belles voiture du monde.

[@ArthurTint]

Im in Love again! Woooow

[@julianosilva615]

Que máquina 😍🇧🇷

[@eduardoleandro5651]

Wonderful car.

[@oldschool1993]

I raced with McCaw in SCCA in the 60's before he hit it big with cell phones. He has reached the goal of billionaire as far ahead of me as Barnato was of the train.

[@praddzzz]

Thats moving art !

My absolute favourite apart from the R-Type Continental ;-) Great film!

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Thanks Bruno!

[@aleetaalice4613]

I am completely and totally in love with "The Blue Train Bentley, If this Bentley was a man, well let's just leave it at that.......

[@markmacpherson3999]

😮 Simply Gorgeous with a series look mean ❤it‼

[@ZisDimitris4444]

Hello Walter, fantastic dream car!!!.Also its very interesting your new style of your videos. I like it.

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Thanks Zarkas, very special cars deserve a special video treatment ;-). Ciao, Walter

[@ZisDimitris4444]

OK ! All the best to you. Zarkas.

[@benedicz]

I would trade this for any car in the world,this is just love🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@mikeeagletube]

Geweldig mooie auto, fraai gefilmd!

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Dank je wel, heb er mijn best op gedaan! Groet, Walter

[@El_Irreverente.21]

Fenomenal Bentley

[@georgecastiblanco2978]

El carro favorito de Jhon Steed .. Emma peel anda superfeliz conduciendo jajuars y mini cooper.

[@johnrawlins6147]

Fantastic

[@Максим-ь8т2р]

Beautiful!!!😍👍🏻

[@g1s3v2]

Dreams oh..!!! Dreams...!!! So many icons ...!!! Dusenberg ..Packard..Cord..shoud be intemporel property of the man labor and creativity..300 years latér , what else Still exist again...hope...!!!

[@ArthurTint]

Oh WOW! Wow wow Woooow. Wooooow!

[@boogboog8097]

Ah now i see where the styling of the 2 door Rolls Royce was inspired

[@Rich72James]

looks phenomenal. Is it particularly wide? It seems wide compared to a modern car. Also wondered about the matt finish: are there different materials on the outside? Thanks.

[@malefico8918]

hermoso 😍

[@raypeters4525]

I JUST CANNOT GET OVER THOSE COWPATH ROADS ! ENGLAND ?????

[@barriewright2857]

Oooh SEXY and I am talking about the car, it's beautiful, it's a museum piece in motion ,just beautiful. I love the padded doors and the way the padding is fitted to the rest of the car, just so English, so from a bygone age ! . It just oozes quality and Auto motive perfection .

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Totally agree Barrie!

[@TheClive1949]

Beautiful yes.... museum piece, no. It is a piece of machinery and should be driven not hidden away.

[@kevinnathanielseidensticke9589]

I cannot find information regarding the max speed of this vehicle. How fast can this Bentley go?

[@NUNVAROV]

Anybody, name of the song, please. Thank you.

[@Official_ST4RBOY]

There are cars that deserve respect and there are ones that demand it, this is the latter

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

YES!!

[@Nuswalker]

How much the price of this piece?

[@bestintheindustry]

Put exhaust cutout please

[@jorgeestrada5713]

How much is it in these days?

[@GhALi-]

فخمه ولله هاذي سيارات الملوك قديما

[@Nathan93Baker]

One day when I'm big.

[@Nakkisampyla]

James Bond 007 would love this

[@paulsehstedt6275]

Nice car to have in a collection. Nowadays, Bentley Continentals are overloaded with electronics, overpowered by too big and sophisticated engines and luxury, a number of Bentley drivers would love, not to have.

[@DanteL007]

Really. .cool :)

[@nzsaltflatsracer8054]

You'd think somebody would fix the leaking exhaust manifold wouldn't you!

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

If so, you'd certainly think that, yes!

[@williamhoffman4337]

Sounds like a train too , is it misfiring ?

[@RealGame101]

I do trucks now but if I was to buy another car, it would probably be a Bentley

[@jpn9636]

😍😍😍

[@micowee6714]

Id take that thing put a hard top on there v8 swap it and brush it over matt black

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

Ultimate gangster look!

[@olsu3477]

Close up, auto porno!!!)))) It was so tasty!! Thanks a lot!!!

[@SuperCarClassicsTV]

You're so welcome!

[@1258-Eckhart]

This car is a fraud - Barnato entered the race with a Speed Six limousine and had it commemorated after the fact with the Gurney-Nutting Speed Six Coupé. But the car shown here has an inline eight - I assume from RollsRoyce (?) - which has nothing to do with the Barnato legend.

[@Supreme9s]

transform it into an electric car gut out the interior the u have it

[@SuperRustamm]

Dumb and stupid music. Mark my words KZbinrs: when it about cara, we want to hear the sound of the car, interiors, exhaust