AutoElectric VehiclesBentley’s first electric car is a miniature, road-legal 1920s racerThe Little Car Company’s latest creation is 85% scale and road legalWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
AutoElectric VehiclesBentley’s first electric car is a miniature, road-legal 1920s racerThe Little Car Company’s latest creation is 85% scale and road legalWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The Little Car Company’s latest creation is 85% scale and road legal
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Bentley / The Little Car Company)
(Image credit: Bentley / The Little Car Company)
The first all-electric Bentley isn’t what you would have expected. Instead of going head-to-head with theRolls-Royce Spectre, Bentley has collaborated with The Little Car Company to create an 85% scale replica of its 1929 4.5-litre Supercharged, more commonly known as the Blower.
Revealed during Monterey Car Week in California, the Bentley Blower Jnr is a replica of the company’s own Team Car No 2, and it is the first road-legal vehicle to come from The Little Car Company.
Headquartered in Bicester, Oxfordshire, you may remember The Little Car Company’s previous creations. These include miniature electric replicas of the Bugatti Type 35,Aston Martin DB5andFerrari 250 Testa Rossa. It’s even working on anoff-road buggy resembling the Tamiya Wild Oneremote control car.
(Image credit: Bentley / The Little Car Company)
(Image credit: Bentley / The Little Car Company)
The top speed is 45 mph in the UK and Europe (but 25 mph in the US due to local legislation) and as with other Little Car Company creations there are three drive modes with varying maximum power outputs.
(Image credit: Bentley / The Little Car Company)
(Image credit: Bentley / The Little Car Company)
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The car features an authentic chassis attached to a painted steel frame. Accurate details include leaf spring suspension and scaled-down, period-correct friction dampers. The car has modern Brembo disc brakes up front and authentic drum brakes on the rear axle, while the batteries are housed in a hidden undertray.
Instead of using ash wood like the 1929 racer, the Blower Jnr’s rear structure is made from carbon fibre, but covered in impregnated fabric just like the original. Behind the passenger compartment is a lockable boot, housed in what would have been the fuel tank and into which customers can store an optional, bespoke weekend bag. Up front, the bonnet is made from aluminium and secured with buckled leather straps.
(Image credit: Bentley / The Little Car Company)
(Image credit: Bentley / The Little Car Company)
Inside, the dashboard features an engine-turned aluminium finish. The original’s fuel pressure pump has been repurposed as the drive mode selector, with modes called Comfort, Bentley and Sport, just like in today’s Bentley cars.
Forward, neutral and reverse are selected via a lever designed to look and feel like the ignition advance control of the original Blower, while switchgear for the headlights and indicators copies those of the Blower’s magneto switches.
The battery charge gauge recreates the original’s ammeter, there’s a discreetly concealed USB charging port, and lastly a dual-function display serves as both aGarminnavigation system and a reversing camera.
(Image credit: Bentley / The Little Car Company)
(Image credit: Bentley / The Little Car Company)
First Edition cars also get painted race numbers and an authentic rope-bound steering wheel. They are priced from £90,000 excluding VAT and shipping, and production is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2024.
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