The Bentley Blower is set to make a racing comeback

The first vehicle in Bentley's Blower Continuation Series, Car Zero, will race at a number of events in 2023 in an effort to honor the legacy of its ancestor. Blower Car Zero will compete in a series of races on circuits in the UK, France, and Belgium to evaluate its speed and stamina while fulfilling its goal of engineering validation while paying respect to its ancestry.

The Blower Continuation Series was manually constructed using a mix of the latest laser-scanned data and original drafts. It is the first pre-war continuation series ever made. The 1929 4.5-liter supercharged Team Car #2, the most well-known Bentley in the world and one of the symbols of the Bentley Heritage Collection, served as the source for both the plans and the 3D data. Car Zero, the first Bentley works car to participate at Le Mans since the Speed 8's victory in 2003, will take on the original Blower's mantle and race to win, including at the Circuit de la Sarthe, 93 years after that car raced at Le Mans (and elsewhere).

Small safety-related alterations have been made to the Blower Car Zero to enable it to participate in racing. These modifications include adding a rain light, wing mirrors, towing points, a fire extinguisher, and a battery isolation switch. Additionally, the car now possesses an Historic Technical Passport (HTP), which confirms its eligibility to compete in FIA-sanctioned historic vehicle events.

Blower Car Zero has planned to participate in three racetracks throughout the year 2023. These locations include Donington Park in the UK on April 29-30, Le Mans in France on June 29 - July 3, and Spa in Belgium on September 28-30.

Following the Blower Car Zero, Mulliner, Bentley's division that specializes in bespoke and personalized cars, has commissioned twelve more Blower Continuation Series vehicles. Out of these, eight have already been delivered and four are still being constructed. During the Le Mans race in the summer, some of these customer cars will join the Blower Car Zero in competition, along with the original Bentley Team cars from the 1920s.

 Paul Williams, Mulliner’s Chief Technical Officer, said: “By going racing with Blower Car Zero, we will prove the performance, authenticity, and durability of our Continuation Series by taking on the original competition, and give our customers confidence that they too can take their continuation cars to the track. We’ve already proved the quality of the engineering within the car by completing a tough test of several hours at race pace around Goodwood, and it’s now time for the car to be unleashed for real racing. We’ll take the learnings from this race program and apply them to the upcoming Speed Six Continuation Series, for which the first engineering car is in build now.”

The Blower Car Zero underwent a comprehensive six-hour endurance test at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, simulating a full race pace to prepare for its upcoming debut. During the test, the car was driven by Stuart Morley (GB) and exhibited a flawless performance, covering 380 miles and maintaining an average speed of 83 miles per hour.

In the coming days, the race program will announce the drivers who will be a combination of experienced motoring journalists with racing backgrounds and professional racing drivers.