1934 Bentley 3½ Litre James Young Drophead Coupe

An attractive car, with low-folding hood line, giving a well-balanced appearance from any angle, enhanced by the rear-mounted spare wheel and quarter bumpers. The frontal aspect is also handsome with an impressive array of lamps and horns. Nicely painted in Burgundy and black, with contrasting tan leather interior and fully-lined hood. Nice mechanically, with a good engine, correct compressions, etc, running very nicely and a ‘well-rounded’ car, in an ideal condition to use as is, and perhaps improve in some respects as and when convenient. With the car are three folders of history, which include many invoices for repair and maintenance going back to the 1970s. Between 1974 and 2019, £73,000 has been spent on the car which, when taking into account inflation since the early part of that period, will probably represent a great deal more in today’s prices.  Amongst many other things, this work included a new aluminium cylinder head – a major plus point – and re-wiring in correct, cloth -covered cables, incorporating flashing indicators, which are rather important these days! Also included are old MoT certificates, correspondence (including letters from the original owner), a buff logbook from the 1950s, and various other documentation. We understand from documentation with the car that it was with the first owner until 1967. Certainly, it was with a subsequent owner from 1971 (or earlier) until he passed away in 2023. Fitted with a new aluminium cylinder head in relatively recent times – a significant plus point. Appealing registration number too!

Price £77,500 

Snippets: A pair of RAMC Doctors

The first owner of B86AH was Ivan Whiteside Magill (1888/1896) born in Larne, Northern Ireland who in 1913 qualified as a doctor at Belfast University. During WWI he served with the RAMC in France and after being demobbed he took up a post at Queen Mary’s in Sidcup which was a military hospital specialising in facial reconstruction of war injuries. This is where Ivan Magill pioneered & invented many instruments & methods relating to anaesthetics which are still in use today, including forceps, laryngoscopes & intubation; during the 1940s he was in charge of anaesthetising King George VI for two operations for which he was given a CVO & in 1960 in recognition of his life’s work Magill was knighted by King George’s daughter – Elizabeth.

The second owner of B86AH was Peter John Blackburn (1934/2023) who qualified at Dublin University in 1958 and the following year he joined the RAMC! Whilst with the RAMC his postings included Aden, Singapore, Europe & of course the UK. Whilst with the RAMC he progressed through the ranks from Captain to Major to Lt-Col to Colonel and finally retired in 1994 with the rank of Brigadier. His qualifications also progressed to include Bachelor of Surgery, Bachelor of the Art of Obstetrics, Diplomas in Public & Industrial Health and in Tropical Medicine. Along side Brigadier Lewthwaite, MajGen Crawford & Brigadier Harwood our Brigadier is acknowledged as having made a large contribution to the RAMC’s integrated approach to health – all 4 gentlemen retired in April 1994.