Highland Sports Coupe project...

[Alan]

I spent 40 years engineering them. I guess I’m biased.

[Duncan Grimmond]

You have the advantage of inside knowledge, I’m just looking…

[David Stepney]

There appear to be at least two 'Blue train' Bentleys on Utube: the blue one with blue interior trim in the link and a green example with tan trim.. Are either of them the actual Woolf Barnato car or are they both recreations, I wonder. I seem to recall that the Speed Six that Barnato actually used for the race was a six light saloon which later had it's body replaced with the Gurney Nutting coupe body later. (I believe that Barnato himself referred to the rebodied car as the 'Blue Train' Bentley though.)

[Alan]

The Blue Train Bentley Coupe is chassis HM2855 registered GJ3811 and its green. There have been several replicas at least one in blue. However, it seems likely that this car wasn’t complete at the time of the “race”, and it was Barnato’s Speed Six Mulliner Saloon which actually did the run. (chassis BA 2592 Reg UU5999)

[Ray White]

Those fancy "Blue Train" Bentleys are built on a MkV1 chassis with an 8 cylinder engine.!!!.  One really would need to have more money than sense to buy one thinking it was in any way genuine.

The car that Woolf Barnato drove was in fact a 1930 Speed Six saloon by Gurney Nutting. As it happens, most Speed Six chassis survive; so not a particularly rare, if expensive, vintage Bentley.

Personally, I would prefer a top notch Mk V1 or R type which I regard as among the most under rated of Bentleys ...if you can find a sound example, that is.!

[Rogerfrench]

Not sour grapes but I tend to think these Bentleys are over-rated. Beautiful engineering but were they not known as the fastest lorry on the road? Think of all the really nice cars you could have (and afford to put juice in) if you sold it!
I've only ever been in one and that was when I was hitchhiking  from Marple to High Wycombe. (on the way to the Aldermaston march in 1966 IIRC)

They weren't "known as", that was Etorre Bugattis epithet.

[Tony Press]

The December 1984 'Automobile' magazine lists the upcoming Sothebys Auction of the restored ex Wolf Barnato 1930 Speed Six Bentley with Gurney Nutting bodywork, which Michael Worthington-Williams (incorrectly) describes as "the actual car which beat The Blue Train (chassis HM 2855) and which is immortalised in the Cuneo painting".

[Alan]

In 1984 it was probably thought that the Gurney Nutting Coupe was the car used, but since then other things have come to light- like it wasn’t on final test until 10 days after the race. It can’t have been that car. He event has been portrayed as a result of a casual bet by Barnato. It’s more likely it was a carefully planned publicity stunt by Bentley. If so, it didn’t go exactly to plan. Barnato was prosecuted for racing on public roads and Bentley were banned from the Paris motor show that year. Rover and Alvis had previously raced the train and beaten it to Calais. Barnato and car were in London before the train arrived at Calais

[Duncan Grimmond]

If it’s good enough for Etoré…

[Ray White]

All this talk about Bentleys is giving me a pain in the wallet!

I wonder how the Highland Sports Coupe is getting on?