Throughout the 1920's and 30's, a race existed that was known as the 'Blue Train Races', in which the gentlemen of the era would step up to the challenge of beating Le train Bleu from start to finish, either in their personal motorcars or sponsored to do so by others.
This was by no means any easy task, Le Train Bleu ran from Calais, down to the French Riviera, and the majority of men who stepped up to the challenge often lost the bet. However, in January 1930, the Rover Light Six became the first successful competitor of this event, which gained a lot of interest for the accomplishment.
However, one gentleman by the name of Woolf Barnato heard of this achievement, and unlike the rest of the crowds, he has not so impressed by the victory over the train. In his opinion, this challenge was not as difficult as others were making out, but merely required the right attitude, driver and car.
The car that Barnato considered to be right was the 6.5 litre Bentley speed six, a high speed performance motor car often seen in races, such as the 24 hour race of Le Mans, where in 1929 & 1930 it claimed victory, one of the drivers being Barnato himself. In addition to it's very credible racing history, this particular style of Bentley also made for a very impressive roadworthy motor car, and it was a re-bodied version that was chosen to take on Le Train Bleu.
It was in March 1930 that Barnato stepped up to the challenge, and to make things more interesting, 100 pounds was bet that he could beat the train, and actually arrive at his club in London before the train reached Calais. So, the challenge was set, and the next day, Barnato and a friend of his set off.
This was by no means any easy task, Le Train Bleu ran from Calais, down to the French Riviera, and the majority of men who stepped up to the challenge often lost the bet. However, in January 1930, the Rover Light Six became the first successful competitor of this event, which gained a lot of interest for the accomplishment.
However, one gentleman by the name of Woolf Barnato heard of this achievement, and unlike the rest of the crowds, he has not so impressed by the victory over the train. In his opinion, this challenge was not as difficult as others were making out, but merely required the right attitude, driver and car.
The car that Barnato considered to be right was the 6.5 litre Bentley speed six, a high speed performance motor car often seen in races, such as the 24 hour race of Le Mans, where in 1929 & 1930 it claimed victory, one of the drivers being Barnato himself. In addition to it's very credible racing history, this particular style of Bentley also made for a very impressive roadworthy motor car, and it was a re-bodied version that was chosen to take on Le Train Bleu.
It was in March 1930 that Barnato stepped up to the challenge, and to make things more interesting, 100 pounds was bet that he could beat the train, and actually arrive at his club in London before the train reached Calais. So, the challenge was set, and the next day, Barnato and a friend of his set off.
Despite this, continuous driving through the night along dusty, bumpy Route Nationales enabled Barnato to reach the border by 10:30h; after crossing the channel and proceeding onto his Conservative club on St James street, they arrived at 15:20h, a mere 4 minutes before Le Train Bleu reached Calais. Barnato won his bet, and received a hard earned 100 pounds for accomplishing his challenge. However, it wasn't entirely a happy ending, as he was actually fined a considerable amount more than his prize money for racing on the streets for the length of France!
That's the story of Woolf Barnato and his Blue Train Bentley - I saw this Bentley a few years back, up for sale in the Netherlands. It intrigued me, so I went home and looked into the story. In my personal view, it's one of the greatest racing stories that has been told over the years, one of a true gentleman racer.
Here's a couple pictures of the car, one of my favourite pre-war designs.
Thanks for reading!
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(3)Image sources: Here (1)
here
and here (3)
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