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Coming soon: road legal Bentley Blower Junior
Legendary Bentley racing car reborn as a part-scale, £90,000 electric powered runabout for popping down the shops in peak retro style
Words by: Dan Trent
Published on 17 August 2023 | 0 min read
Bentley’s racing exploits in the 1920s and 30s are a huge part of its identity to this day, not least the five wins at Le Mans scored by the fast-living ‘Bentley Boys’ whose combination of race winning heroics and champagne lifestyles have gone down in legend. The most famous car of this era is the 1929 4½-litre, known as the ‘Blower’ on account of the large supercharger sticking out of its grille. It may not actually have been the most successful in race-winning terms. But if you asked anyone to describe a classic Bentley it’s the car most people associate with the brand. And now you can have one of your own, shrunk to 85 per cent scale, powered by an electric motor and totally road legal for popping down the pub for lunch on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Built with Bentley’s approval, the Blower Jnr is made by British-based company The Little Car Company and follows similar projects based on miniaturised Bugattis, Aston Martins and Ferraris. The Bentley is both bigger and the first you can drive on the road, though, so represents a huge step up in ambition.
Built with Bentley’s approval, the Blower Jnr is made by British-based company The Little Car Company and follows similar projects based on miniaturised Bugattis, Aston Martins and Ferraris. The Bentley is both bigger and the first you can drive on the road, though, so represents a huge step up in ambition.
While Bentley has been building a series of perfect ‘continuation’ versions of the full-size Blower the cost and exclusivity means they are limited to just a dozen very well-heeled collectors, the original seen here currently insured for £25m for context.. All things relative the £90,000 cost of this 85 per cent scale replica looks almost reasonable, given it’s built to equivalent standards with the same materials, techniques and handmade quality.
We’ve already had a quick look at a pre-production example parked alongside Bentley’s original ‘No.2’ Blower from which the Little Car Company took its inspiration and, while it messes with your sense of scale, the quality of the workmanship is truly exquisite. Indeed, other than the fact it’s smaller the only thing setting the Blower Jnr apart from the real thing is that it doesn’t bear the oil stains, sweat, stone chips and other patina the original has accumulated over 90-odd years of hard living. So, it’ll be on you to use it often enough to make sure it ends up looking the same.
We’ve already had a quick look at a pre-production example parked alongside Bentley’s original ‘No.2’ Blower from which the Little Car Company took its inspiration and, while it messes with your sense of scale, the quality of the workmanship is truly exquisite. Indeed, other than the fact it’s smaller the only thing setting the Blower Jnr apart from the real thing is that it doesn’t bear the oil stains, sweat, stone chips and other patina the original has accumulated over 90-odd years of hard living. So, it’ll be on you to use it often enough to make sure it ends up looking the same.
Encouragement to do so comes from the fact it has a 20 horsepower electric motor, a top speed of 45mph and has in-line seating for two people along with luggage space in what would be the rear mounted fuel tank on the real thing. Like the Citroen Ami and Renault Twizy the Blower Junior technically counts as a ‘quadricycle’, though unlike the Ami you need to be at least 17 years old and hold a full driver’s licence to use it on the road. There’s no roof, either, so you’ll want to restrict your running around to sunny days, or dress up in suitably vintage fur-lined leather driving clothes and goggles if you really want to live the look all year round. Best case range is up to 65 miles, and you can charge it like any other electric car via a socket concealed in the fake supercharger at the front. Which is a nice detail.
An initial run of 99 First Edition Blower Jnrs will be built in the authentic Le Mans livery, complete with flags on the side, a rope-bound steering wheel and – of course – British Racing Green paint. Demand is apparently already high, and The Little Car Company expects to deliver the first cars in the spring of 2024. Begging the question, what classic car would you like the team to build in miniaturised form next?
An initial run of 99 First Edition Blower Jnrs will be built in the authentic Le Mans livery, complete with flags on the side, a rope-bound steering wheel and – of course – British Racing Green paint. Demand is apparently already high, and The Little Car Company expects to deliver the first cars in the spring of 2024. Begging the question, what classic car would you like the team to build in miniaturised form next?
