Bond’s one personal indulgence, in Fleming’s telling, is a supercharged Bentley. The Bentley Blower, formally the Bentley 4½ Litre Supercharged, is the first car Bond owns in the novels and the one he loves most. It is also one of the few cars on this site that costs more as an artefact than as a vehicle.
In the books
The car appears in Casino Royale, Live and Let Die and Moonraker. Fleming describes it as one of the last of the 4½ Litre Bentleys fitted with the Amherst Villiers supercharger. Bond bought it almost new in 1933, kept it in careful storage through the war, and, in Fleming’s phrase, drove it hard and well. In Moonraker it is wrecked in the chase with Drax, and Bond replaces it with a Mark VI.
Enthusiast accounts also say Fleming himself drove a supercharged 4½ Litre, but we have not seen that confirmed by a primary source.
The details
The supercharger. The Roots-type blower was designed by Amherst Villiers. Bentley says the naturally aspirated 4½ Litre made a relatively unstressed 100bhp; with the supercharger, power rose to 175bhp in road-going form and 240bhp in race tune.
A reluctant founder. W. O. Bentley disapproved, saying that supercharging the engine was to pervert its design and corrupt its performance. Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin, one of the Bentley Boys, was persuaded by Villiers that it would give the performance he wanted.
The numbers. The National Motor Museum records an engine capacity of 4,398cc and a price new of £1,395. Bentley’s own heritage notes on a 1930 demonstrator give 0 to 60mph in 15 seconds, which was quick for a road car of its day.
Owning it now
You cannot buy a new one, and genuine supercharged cars are scarce and valuable. Specialist auction houses such as RM Sotheby’s sell them; our button runs an eBay search for the car, which will mostly turn up books, models and the occasional tribute build rather than the real thing.
If you want the idea rather than the object, the Bentley Boys’ era is well documented, and the National Motor Museum holds a supercharged car in its collection. We would look at the museum’s record before spending anything. For a drivable alternative, the Bentley Mark VI is the car Bond chose next, and it is far easier to find.
Specifications
| Model | Bentley 4½ Litre with Amherst Villiers supercharger (1933 in the novels) |
|---|---|
| Engine | 4,398cc, Roots-type supercharger |
| Power | 175bhp road-going; 240bhp race tune (Bentley) |
| 0 to 60mph | 15 seconds (1930 demonstrator, Bentley) |
| Price new | £1,395 (National Motor Museum) |
| Novels | Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker |
The National Motor Museum has a page on the supercharged 4½ Litre.
Questions
What car does Bond drive in the Fleming novels?
A supercharged Bentley 4½ Litre bought almost new in 1933. It appears in Casino Royale, Live and Let Die and Moonraker.
What happens to the Blower Bentley?
It is written off in the chase with Drax in Moonraker, and Bond buys a Bentley Mark VI.
Who designed the supercharger?
Amherst Villiers designed the Roots-type supercharger. Birkin had it fitted; W. O. Bentley disapproved.
How much power does a Blower Bentley make?
About 175bhp in road-going form, against roughly 100bhp for the unsupercharged engine, according to Bentley.
See the rest of Bond’s garage in our vehicles collection, with the films and the Bond actors beside it.
