Solved NIC#157 - Delage/Autovia "Bentley Special" of Stephen Mond

[D-type]

Found it at last. 

"The Bentley Special of Stephen Mond! - A car which had nothing "Bentley" about it!

The chassis frame is from a 2 litre 12 cylinder Delage GP car c. 1925, the front axle and brakes are from a monoposto Alfa Romeo and the engine is an [Riley] Autovia V8, hence the tops of two Zenith carbs that can be seen poking through the top of the bonnet."

[nicanary]

We have a winner! Well done D-type, that dogged perseverance paid off. You have all the facts correct, and that's just about everything anyone knows about the car. I thought maybe "Woodinsight" might know, but he's been absent for a while now - I hope he's OK.

I found the car whilst looking for something else. It was on a well-known MG site, and was the subject of a query because it carried the number of an MG at the 1946 Brighton Speed Trials - well, it's definitely Brighton but could be a slightly later date. It's the Delage chassis which was sold to Juan Malcolm in 1927 and was raced by him and Forrest-Greene in South America. It returned to the UK in 1931 and was some time later fitted with the Jamieson 2-stroke engine. I can only assume that Stephen Mond got hold of the car after the war when racing cars were in short supply, and he decided to attempt a special. It can't have been very successful because I can find no record anywhere of the car and its track record.

It was last seen in a scrapyard in Scotland in 1975. In those days it was regarded as just another old racing car. One of the most obscure cars I have yet found, but you still solved it. I'd love to know why he called it the Bentley Special.

[nicanary]

I have just found this photo of the car in action at the 1946 Brighton Speed Trials. (The far car).