place just 35 miles from the Brooklands circuit, where racing driver and ex-fighter pilot Sir Henry Ralph Stanley “Tim” Birkin became one of the stars of the Outer Circuit portion of the track. In March 1932, Birkin set a lap record at the Brooklands of 137.96 mph; he later admitted that it hadn't been the safest thing he's ever done.

“There are bumps which jolt the driver up and down in his seat,” said Birkin, “and make the car leave the road and travel through the air.”

In addition, Birkin ordered the crankshaft-mounted blower against the wishes of W.O. Bentley. Bentley believed that aftermarket forced induction represented a corruption of his company's engineering and design work.

Richard Charlesworth, Bentley's director of VIP and royal relations, reflected on the sale.

“Birkin—along with hisBentley racing friends like Woolf Barnato, Dudley Benjafield and Glen Kidston—were true sporting superstars, renowned not only for their driving ability and courage but living life to the full and in some considerable style. They would create the enduring legend of the Bentley Boy racer at Brooklands and Le Mans, and this new record price for a Bentley achieved by Bonhams reflects the enduring respect and admiration for their story and their cars.”