1935 Bentley 3 1/2 ltr Van Vooren Pillarless Saloon B47EJ

An unusual. attractive and desirable car. being French-bodied. with pretty lines. and with the appealing pillarless feature. give ease of access and practicality. Marchall lighting. metric fuel gauge and slim bumpers all add to the Continental flavour. and enhance the car's character nicely. Despite the lack of centre pillar. and the large sliding sunroof. the body structure is wonderfully sound. and the whole car has an air of correctness. both visually and mechanically. something which is so difficult to re-create during a restoration. Driving well. with a delightful. undisturbed feel. this is a rare opportunity. not to be missed. Chassis No. B47EJ. Reg No. BRP 393. £59. 00. Snippets: The Brave BentleyThe chassis cards show that B47EJ was initially delivered to Bruno Emery of Marseille who after a short period of ownership sold B47EJ to Edward Esmond. (financier. golf enthusiast & racehorse breeder) who although British by birth resided in France with his wife & 3 daughters. Edward Esmond purchased B47EJ as a wedding gift to his daughter Louise on her marriage to Baron Geoffrey de Waldner. In 1939 Louise packed the car with her sister (Sybil Uzielli). her nephew (Giancarlo later to marry Anne Ford great-granddaughter of Henry Ford). her daughter Isabelle. the nanny. the cook & their cocker spaniel Kim! Louise then travelled from Paris to Deauville where she collected her father & mother. they then continued to Madrid where the Baroness informed the British Embassy that as she & her family were going to America the Bentley was being left with them! B47EJ was adopted by Sir Wing Commander Archibald W. H James & in due course the car returned to the UK with him. The de Waldner & Esmond family have many interesting family connections – Louise's mother was Valentina Amelia Fernada Deutsch de la Meurthe whose grandfather Henri was “The Oil King of Europe” the business that he founded is now simply known as “Shell”. When Louise's father Edward fled France he handed over his racehorse stud to Baron Geoffrey. who faked the stud records in order to conceal the true lineage of a colt which had been bred out of “Pearl Cap” - considered to be one of France's greatest racing fillies. Of the Baroness's family we know that her sister Sybil divorced Giorgio Uzielle and later married General Pierre Billotte who during WWII had the distinction of being the youngest Major General in the French Army; Louise & Geoffrey had 3 daughters & a son – Emmeline who we have little knowledge of. Gerard who is the current Baron. Diane who became the wife of Oliver Hoare and Isabelle who currently divides her time between Italy & London. A fascinating family member is Henriette Louise de Waldner de Freundstein (1754/1803) who married Baron d'Oberkirch. Henriette wrote her memoires which were later published in 1852 by her grandson; Henriette was a childhood friend of Sophie Dorothea of Wurttemberg. better known as Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna. 2nd wife of Tsar Paul I of Russia & mother of two Tsars – Alexander I & Nicholas I. Wing Commander Archibald William Henry James returned to the UK in 1941 and later emigrated to Southern Rhodesia. he sold B47EJ to Major William Henry Priston. a veterinary surgeon who had served in the Army whilst in India. By the mid 1980's after a few more owners Baroness Louise de Waldner re-purchased the car as it had meant so much to her & her family's survival of WWII. The next recorded keeper of B47EJ was David Alexis Sulzberger who happened to be a personal friend of Louise's son-in-law Oliver Hoare. David was co-author with Christian Hueber of a book regarding the Bentley Continental Sports Saloon which involved tracing the existence & ownership of some 208 cars. a huge project which resulted in 204 of the cars being accounted for.

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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