Bentley Speed 6 Price Guide

The Bentley Speed Six was W.O. Bentley’s favourite creation and his most successful racing car. It won Le Mans in 1929 and 1930, both times driven by Woolf Barnato, the millionaire playboy who bankrolled Bentley. He was the only driver to win every Le Mans he entered.

The Car

Introduced in 1928 as a performance derivative of the 6 1/2 Litre, the Speed Six gained twin SU carburettors, a higher compression ratio, and revised valve timing for around 180bhp. Just 182 Speed Sixes were built. The racing version produced approximately 200bhp. The Speed Six combined the performance to win at Le Mans with enough refinement to carry formal coachwork, a duality that no other car of the period could match. Barnato won at Le Mans in 1929 with co-driver Birkin and in 1930 with Kidston, completing a hat-trick of Le Mans victories that also included his 1928 win in a 4 1/2 Litre.

Buying

Speed Sixes are among the most valuable vintage cars in the world. “Old Number One,” the 1929 Le Mans winner, is considered one of the most important British cars ever made. Bentley Mulliner announced a 12-car continuation programme in 2022, each priced at approximately €1.75 million. Any original Speed Six requires exhaustive provenance verification.