In collaboration with the Hedley Studios, better known to many as the former Little Car Company, Bentley now offers particularly extravagant vintage car enthusiasts a highly unusual way to acquire a new Blower. The legendary Blower is being reissued in a limited edition of 349 units – albeit in a slightly reduced scale of 85:100. The Blower Junior, however, does not feature the 4.5-litre supercharged engine of the original 1929 model but instead a 15-kilowatt electric motor.
The Hedley Studios configurator for the Bentley Blower Jnr offers six special packages, each paying homage to Bentley’s rich history. Potential customers can now configure one of the 250 planned vehicles and choose whether they wish to drive the miniature reissue in the historic blue of the “Blue Pack,” reminiscent of Woolf Barnato’s famous race against the Blue Train from the Côte d’Azur to Calais. The so-called Grey Pack pays tribute to the Bentley Speed Six that won Le Mans in 1929 and 1930 before being converted by Barnato into a road-going coupe. In addition to the 99 First Edition models, 250 vehicles are now available for configuration, much to the delight of classic car fans who are not completely put off by the idea of a miniature electric version.
“Since we launched the Bentley Blower Jnr last year, the response has been overwhelming, and now that all the First Editions are sold out, we are excited to bring the configurable options for the Blower Jnr to the market,” says Ben Hedley, CEO of Hedley Studios. “Craftsmanship is at the heart of what we do, and allowing our customers to build their own Bentley Blower Jnr through our online configurator enables them to own a piece of history with a very personal touch.”
The small Blower is the result of a close collaboration between the British Hedley Studios and Bentley’s Heritage Collection. The original 1929 Team Car – insured for £25 million – was used by the successor to the Little Car Company to create the scaled-down version at 85 percent of the size of the 1929 model, replicating it in detail. As a result, the mini Blower is only 3.70 metres long and 1.50 metres wide. Unlike other products from Hedley Studios, the Blower Jnr is road-legal and is designed to make a highly unusual appearance in the city.
Under the bonnet, instead of the mighty supercharged engine, there is an electric motor producing a modest 15 kW / 20 PS. While the original could reach speeds of 160 km/h with its supercharger, the mini version is only capable of a mere 72 km/h, making it suitable only for city use. The electric two-seater has a range of about 100 kilometres before needing to recharge. Where the roaring supercharger once was, the charging port is now located, allowing the car to recharge. However, this takes longer than one might like; without fast-charging capability, it takes around twelve hours for the new edition to be fully charged again.
Inside, the Junior, which costs at least £90,000, looks just like the original – only smaller. The hand pump for fuel supply has been repurposed as a selector for the driving mode, allowing the driver to choose between Comfort (2 kW), Bentley (8 kW), and Sport (15 kW) modes. The driving gears are controlled by a lever that resembles the former ignition pre-selector. Other controls for the headlights or indicators are designed in shape and material to match the magnetic switches of the Team Car, and the battery’s charge level can be read from the original-style ammeter. However, the display for navigation and the rear-view camera doesn’t quite fit with the retro design of the aluminium dashboard.
