The La Sarthe has an elegant, beautifully made, two door aluminium body fitted to the chassis of a 1953 Bentley R-Type saloon. The design of the car has more than a nod to what a possible lighweight Bentley coupé, entered for the 24 Hours of Le Mans of that period, may have looked like. The chassis, of matchless engineering quality and durability, is totally rebuilt, as is the original engine, driving the car through a manual gearbox rebuilt to final factory specification.
Details on the light weight aluminum body include: cowled front with inset stoneguard, rearward opening bonnet with two full louvre panels. (Louvres can be omitted if required), twin "Le Mans" type 125mm fuel filler caps mounted on rear quarters (Can be changed for hidden fuel fillers) and original wheels with original pattern (new) wheel trims.
The essence of the La Sarthe is ageless style and panache, interwoven carefully with practical modern details. The emphasis on the luxurious, handcrafted interior: Specially designed sports seats with backrest adjustment, customer specified leather upholstery to seats, door and rear quarter panels, customer specified veneer (wood/aluminium) to dash face and door applique, dash design can be completely tailored to customer requirements and customer specified carpet and headlining. (britishbuiltcars.co.uk & bensportltd.co.uk)
1953 Bentley R-Type Saloon
(Photos from vandpcars.smugmug.com, bensportltd.co.uk, fickr.com & wallpaperup.com)
