1925 Bentley 3L “Light 15.9” Vanden Plas Open Tourer

1925 Bentley 3-Litre “Light 15. 9” Vanden Plas Open Tourer

Registration: YK 9063

Chassis no.: 1145

Engine no.: 1149

Body no.: 1182

Coachwork: Special Sports open tourer by Vanden Plas

Date: 30 June 1925

Car type: LT

First registered owner: R. E. Caudwell

A unique factory demonstrator, conceived as Bentley’s more accessible “Light 15. 9 Tourer”, with special Vanden Plas coachwork and just Three long term custodians from new.

Ordered new by H. M. Bentley as a showroom and factory demonstrator, it was fitted with open-tourer coachwork by Vanden Plas. The intention was to establish a new, more accessible model within the Bentley range—one that could broaden the marque’s appeal while helping to fund development of the 6½-Litre and Speed Six.

The proposed model was to be known as the “Light 15. 9 Tourer” and identified as a “Blue Label Bentley”. Its specification was deliberately pared back, with a single Smiths carburettor and reduced equipment. There was not even a rev counter on the dashboard: lightness, simplicity and value were the brief.

The first registered owner was Robert Epton Caudwell, a prominent Lincolnshire gentleman farmer and landowner. Chassis 1145 remained in his ownership for an impressive 33 years.

Factory records show that the car returned to Cricklewood in May 1927, following an accident, to receive a replacement chassis. Such factory work was by no means unusual during the period and forms an important part of the Bentley’s documented early history.

In 1958, the car passed to car dealer, Joseph Ward of Boston. Two years later, it was acquired by the second custodian Robert Scott Noble of Renfrewshire, west of Glasgow. Noble entrusted chassis 1145 to noted Bentley specialists Hofmann & Burton of Henley-on-Thames for restoration. The work included a mechanical rebuild, repainting in blue and black, and the careful recolouring of the original interior trim.

Noble retained the Bentley until 1998, when it was offered for sale by Brooks Auctioneers. Our client’s father purchased the car at that auction, becoming only its third custodian. Such was his appreciation of the car’s significance that he paid 39 per cent above the upper estimate.

A comprehensive cosmetic restoration followed, undertaken with preservation at its heart. Contemporary photographs show a clear emphasis on repairing rather than replacing original components. Even the wings, which had suffered from corrosion, were carefully repaired and retained.

The Bentley was returned to its original factory colour scheme of Grey with Back wings, while numerous wonderfully original details remained untouched. The side screens are stored beneath the front seat, and lifting the original floorboards reveals natural-fibre soundproofing still in place. All components available for inspection correspond with the surviving records and specifications for the car, reinforcing the remarkable degree of originality that remains.

Chassis 1145 is a unique 3-Litre Bentley: a factory demonstrator, the prototype for Bentley’s proposed Light 15. 9 Tourer, clothed in special Vanden Plas coachwork and cherished by just Three long term custodians across more than a century.

Now well into her second century, this is not simply an important W. O. Bentley to admire. It is a car to use, understand and enjoy—an opportunity for its next custodian to add fresh memories to an already exceptional story.