From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Reuters news report on a speed record for a standard Bentley saloon car at Montlhéry.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 160\3\ scan0198 | |
| Date | 14th February 1939 | |
| REUTERS 6.23 PM. REUTER SPECIAL RECORD FOR SALOON CAR STANDARD BENTLEY COVERS 107 MILES IN THE HOUR ( RE-WRITE ) PARIS, TUESDAY A 4-1/4 LITRE STANDARD BENTLEY FOUR SEATER SALOON, WITH STREAMLINED BODY, COVERED 172.873 KILOMETRES (107.418 MILES) WITH A FLYING START DURING THE HOUR AT MONTLHERY TODAY. THIS IS CLAIMED TO BE A RECORD FOR A TOURING CAR. CONDITIONS WERE IDEAL WHEN WALTER SLEATOR SET OUT ON HIS RUN. HE COVERED 86.052 KILOMETRES (53.469 MILES) IN HALF AN HOUR. HIS FASTEST SINGLE LAP AVERAGE WAS 175.74 KILOMETRES AN HOUR (JUST OVER 109 MILES AN HOUR) BUT LATER IN A SPECIAL FAST LAP HE AVERAGED 110.043 MILES AN HOUR. AFTER THE RUN MR SLEATER EXPRESSED HIMSELF SATISFIED. HE SAID TO REUTER "WE CAN CLAIM THAT NO TOURING CAR HAS EVER REACHED SUCH A SPEED BEFORE. WE ARE NOT HOWEVER OUT FOR RECORDS." "OUR NEXT TASK WILL BE TO PREPARE THE CAR IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH AVERAGES FROM ONE HOUR UPWARDS". THE BENTLEY WAS IN NO WAY STRIPPED. IT WAS COMPLETELY FITTED OUT WITH SPARE WHEEL, TOOLS AND WIRELESS. IT WAS THE SAME CAR WHICH TEN DAYS AGO HAD PUT UP SUCH REMARKABLE AVERAGES ON THE FRENCH ROADS AND GERMAN AUTOBAHNEN. REUTERS SPECIAL WM/HGW/VEM/LWM. FEB 14. | ||