What do you use to get to the races? In the case of four-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Olivier Gendebien, he used this Bentley.
Bentley delivered the chassis to Parisian coachbuilder Vanvooren in 1939. They completed it in 1940 and then delivered it to Belgium to Robert Gendebien, Olivier’s father. Unfortunately, he only got to enjoy it for five months before his estate had to hide it from occupying forces during World War II. In fact, this was the last Bentley delivered to continental Europe before the Second World War.
When the war concluded, Olivier took ownership of the Bentley. He crisscrossed Europe with it to attend races. After his racing career ended, Olivier kept the Bentley until his passing in 1998. The Curated Collection acquired it after that, and displayed it at the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it won first in class. Now it’s offered to the public for the first time.
Find this 1939 Bentley 4¼-Litre Convertible by Vanvooren for auction at RM Sotheby’s, with an estimated value of $420,000-$600,000.
