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1936 Bentley 3½ Litre Sedanca Coupe by Gurney Nutting Heads to Market in New York
A 1936 Bentley 3½ Litre with sedanca coupe coachwork by J. Gurney Nutting & Company has been offered for sale in New York, following a refurbishment completed in 2012 and roughly three decades in a single collection.
By Charlotte Redford · 4 min read
A 1936 Bentley 3½ Litre carrying sedanca coupe coachwork by the London firm J. Gurney Nutting and Company has been offered for sale in New York. The car, chassis B18FB, is presented by a selling dealer with literature, superseded UK tax discs and a Florida title.
The 3½ Litre was introduced in September 1933 as Bentley's first model since Rolls-Royce acquired the company. Built at Rolls-Royce's factory in Derby, England, it was known as «The Silent Sports Car» and was supplied to a range of coachbuilders in both open and closed configurations. This example is said to have been produced in October 1935 and was later bodied by Gurney Nutting.
Chassis B18FB spent time in the United States during the 1960s before being reimported to England. From 1992 it remained in a collection for approximately 30 years. A refurbishment by Fiennes Restoration of Lechlade-on-Thames, England, was completed in 2012, and the car was shown at events in the United Kingdom into the 2020s. It was subsequently exported to the United States and acquired by the selling dealer in 2026.
The bodywork is finished in dark blue and features a black fabric-covered roof with a roll-back forward panel. Exterior details include a Flying B radiator mascot, a Lucas tri-bar driving lamp and headlights, a centrally hinged hood with side-panel louvers, running boards, coach doors, trafficators, polished landau bars and a rear luggage trunk. A collection of paint meter readings is included in the gallery.
The car rides on 18-inch painted wire wheels with bright Bentley-branded knock-off hubs, wrapped in 5.25/5.50–18-inch Ensign bias-ply tires showing 2022 date codes. A matching spare wheel with a Dunlop Goldseal tire is mounted at the rear. Braking is mechanically actuated at all four wheels via drums, with assistance from a gearbox-driven servo. Suspension uses solid axles, semi-elliptical leaf springs wrapped in gaiters and hydraulic lever-arm shock absorbers, the latter adjustable for firmness via a manette on the steering wheel hub.
Power comes from a 3,669cc inline-six with a cast-iron block, a separate aluminum crankcase, a seven-bearing crankshaft, a crossflow cast-iron cylinder head, pushrod-actuated overhead valves and twin SU carburetors. Factory output was rated at approximately 110 horsepower. The engine is mated to a four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on its top two gears. The 3½ Litre model rides on a 3,200mm wheelbase.
The right-hand-drive cabin is trimmed in light blue pleated leather, with front bucket seats and a rear bench. A gray headliner and carpets are fitted, and equipment includes a right-hand shifter, a dash-mounted rear-view mirror, a locking glovebox, B-pillar-mounted mirrors and cigar lighters, and a rear fold-down armrest. The four-spoke steering wheel fronts a wood dashboard panel housing Smiths instrumentation, including a 5k-rpm tachometer with an inset clock, a 110-mph speedometer and gauges for oil pressure, water temperature, amperage and fuel level. The five-digit odometer shows 76,000 miles, approximately 20 of which were added by the selling dealer.
The offering reflects continued demand for pre-war Bentleys with documented histories and coachbuilt bodies. The 3½ Litre occupies a significant place in the marque's story as the model that re-established Bentley under Rolls-Royce ownership, and examples with Gurney Nutting coachwork are recognised for their distinct closed-coupe styling. This car's combination of a known refurbishment, long-term collection history and UK show participation gives it a clear provenance trail for prospective buyers.
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