Bentleys invade Le Mans again

Record-breaking grid in France as 71 vintage Bentleys head to La Sarthe for the Benjafields Racing Club Le Mans centenary

- Jayson Fong

SPECTATORS AT THIS year's Le Mans Classic were treated to a true spectacle as 71 vintage Bentleys from the Benjafields Racing Club descended on the Circuit de la Sarthe. The occasion was a special centenary race to celebrate the marque's rich heritage intertwined with that of Le Mans. In true Bentley Boys style, the Le Mans experience wasn't just confined to the track, but was accompanied by a flurry of activity that took the club from the UK to Le Mans and back again.

Following a celebratory lunch, HRH Prince Michael of Kent flagged the cars away from London's Royal Automobile Club. The convoy of Bentleys then dashed across the Sussex countryside towards an overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen, via a supper stop at Cowdray House. The following day, residents on the French side of the Channel woke to the echo of the iconic Bentley burble as a full deck of the pre-war supercars landed and made swift progress inland to Le Mans.