As Bentley enters its centenary year, the oldest remaining and first racing model – EXP 2 – was displayed at Retromobile recently. Joining its illustrious forebear in Paris was the new Continental GT Convertible. Although separated by 100 years of automotive evolution, the two models share fundamental Bentley characteristics: both are genuine Grand Tourers offering sector-defining levels of performance with innovative technology at their core.
A legacy of the Cricklewood era, EXP 2 is the second Bentley ever to be made, its debut was at the 1919 Olympia Motor Show and is a landmark car in the brand’s history. Drawing influence from W.O. Bentley’s pre-war competition experience – when he pioneered the use of aluminium pistons – EXP 2 is also the brand’s first car to win a race, powered by a 3.0-litre four-cylinder engine with a top speed of 80 mph. Frank Clement, W.O.’s development engineer and racing driver, won the Junior Sprint Handicap at Brooklands in May 1921 in EXP2 – the first recorded racing victory for Bentley.
