Ian Fleming’s Bond drove a Bentley in each of his first three novels. The Bentley 4.5 Litre Supercharged, the car the books call a 1930 battleship-grey convertible coupé with an Amherst Villiers supercharger, is the machine for the reader who wants the Bond of the novels rather than the films. It is also a particular piece of engineering, and worth understanding before you go looking for one.
In the books
Bond drives this Bentley in Casino Royale, Live and Let Die and Moonraker. It is his first Bentley in Fleming’s novels, though not his last, and in Moonraker it is written off in a chase with Hugo Drax. Amherst Villiers, who designed the supercharger, was a personal friend of Fleming, and a plaque to him was unveiled in Mayfair in July 2026, according to the Westminster Times. For the screen Bonds, see films and the Bonds.
The details of the Bentley 4.5 Litre Supercharged
The Blower. The supercharged 4½ Litre is known as the Blower Bentley. Of 720 4½ Litre cars built between 1927 and 1931, 55 were supercharged by one count, and the National Motor Museum puts the number at fifty. Either way it is a short list.
The power. Bentley’s own heritage notes put the standard 4½ Litre at about 100bhp. With the supercharger, a road-going car made 175bhp and a car in race tune 240bhp. That is a large step for a four-cylinder engine of 4.5 litres, and the reason the Blower has the reputation it does.
The price then. The National Motor Museum records a supercharged car at £1,395 when new.
Owning it now
This is a car for a collector with a specialist behind him, not a purchase to make on impulse. The Bentley 4.5 Litre Supercharged is long out of production, so the route to one is a specialist dealer, an auction house or a classified listing. Our link searches eBay; for a sense of the market, a 4½ Litre listed on Car and Classic carried an asking price of €480,000 at the time of writing.
Before you buy, have the chassis history and the supercharger fitment checked by a marque specialist. A genuine Blower and a 4½ Litre that has gained a supercharger are different cars, and the paperwork is the difference. Bentley’s newsroom keeps a heritage page on a 1930 demonstrator Blower, which is a useful reference for what the car should look like.
We would also look at a straight 4½ Litre in good order, which is a more realistic way into the same story.
Specifications
| Model | Bentley 4½ Litre Supercharged (“Blower”) |
|---|---|
| Built | 1927 to 1931 (720 4½ Litre cars; 55 supercharged by one count) |
| Supercharger | Designed by Amherst Villiers |
| Output | About 100bhp unsupercharged; 175bhp supercharged on the road; 240bhp in race tune |
| Price new | £1,395 (National Motor Museum) |
| In the novels | 1930 battleship-grey convertible coupé; Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker |
| Availability | Out of production; second-hand, specialist and auction only |
More on the car’s history is on Bentley’s heritage page for a 1930 Blower.
Questions
Which Bentley does Bond drive in the Fleming novels?
A 1930 Bentley 4½ Litre with an Amherst Villiers supercharger, in Casino Royale, Live and Let Die and Moonraker. It is written off in Moonraker.
What is a Blower Bentley?
It is the name for the supercharged version of the 4½ Litre, introduced in 1929. The supercharger lifted road-going output to 175bhp.
How many supercharged 4½ Litre Bentleys were made?
Fifty-five by one count, and fifty according to the National Motor Museum, out of 720 4½ Litre cars in all.
How much is a 4½ Litre Bentley today?
Prices depend heavily on the car. At the time of writing one 4½ Litre was listed on Car and Classic at €480,000, and a supercharged car would be a specialist transaction.
More cars from Bond’s world are under Vehicles.
