As Le Mans Celebrates 100 Years, So Does this Restored Bentley Racer

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is just two weekends away and it's bound to be a special one, as the infamous French track is celebrating its 100th year of 24-hour endurance racing. This year's race is also set for some new competition, specifically from French automaker Alpine.

But a heralded piece of Le Mans history is making waves in the background, as the first Bentley to run in the 1923 24 Hours of Le Mans was sold for more than 3 million British pounds sterling.

That's about $3.71 million US dollars, but its sale price is a small part of the fascinating story behind the model. For starters, this 1923 Bentley 3 Liter was also the first English car to run in Le Mans, now known as chassis 141.

Behind the wheel of this piece of history was Canadian WWI veteran, adventurer, and Bentley dealer John Duff, who had previously and successfully competed in the Double 12-Hour Record at Brooklands in England, running 2082 miles at an average of 86.79 mph. That's blindingly fast for a car that hadn't yet received four-wheel brakes.

But Duff wanted to do it again, and he asked Walter Owen Bentley himself to set up the car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where factory test driver Frank Clement joined Duff.

The duo finished fourth overall in the inaugural race, in spite of a punctured fuel tank, and even set the lap record at an average of 66.6 mph. Of course, this podium finish set up the English brand for success, as it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans consecutively from 1927 through 1930. And it also sparked significant interest in Bentley vehicles, as the small company sold over 700 units between 1923 and 1924.