SimplyAbuDhabi XLII

The First Edi t ion No other pre-war Bentley had an impact like the supercharged 4½-litre ‘Blower’ Bentley. The Blower Bentleys was born from a philosophy devised by Sir Tim Birkin – notable racing driver and Bentley Boy – to extract more speed from the racing Bentleys of the day. The cars competed in twelve races, with the most famous being Team Car No. 2’s adventure at the 1930 Le Mans 24 Hours and were considered the fastest cars of their day. The writer Ian Fleming was a fan, and decided that the Blower was the right car for his fictional superspy in the first-ever James Bond novel, ‘Casino Royale’. Talk about iconic. 146 | Simply Abu Dhabi