Bentley Blower Jnr completes Sign-off and Enters Production
Bentley Blower
After completing a joint sign-off event, Hedley Studios has officially begun production of its first road-legal, driveable Bentley Blower Jnr. The Blower Jnr is a codeveloped and designed 85% scale recreation of the 1929 Bentley Blower.
The Blower Jnr is an electrified, road-legal creation that carries the spirit of the original, nearly 100-year-old Bentley into a new generation. The Blower Jnr has now completed 18 months of on-road testing to refine and prove the design before it officially heads into production.
Bentley Blower Jnr
The final sign-off took place on the coastal roads of Jersey, where the narrow roads have a total area of 45 miles and an island-wide speed limit of 40mph. Jersey was the ideal location for a smaller-scale electric vehicle to complete its development journey and showcase its character and charm.
To mark such a momentous occasion, a select group of individuals from both Hedley Studios and Bentley Motors joined international media to evaluate the Bentley Blower Jnr over three days and 650 miles.
Bentley Blower Jnr
Bentley Blower Jnr
Bentley Blower Jnr
The completion of the test drives marks a critical step in the Bentley Blower Jnr’s development as production on customer models is set to begin shortly. Using meticulous, hand-crafting techniques, the team at Hedley Studios will hand-beat the panels of the Bentley Blower Jnr bodywork, while their engineering team will assemble the full-electric 48-volt powertrain.
Only 349 examples of the Bentley Blower Jr will go into production, with each customer customizing their commission to match their individual styles, from color finish to their choice of a racing number. The first customer deliveries are expected to commence in a few months, with Bentley taking the first car as part of their Heritage Collection.
The Bentley Blower Jnr
Bentley Blower Jnr
The Bentley Blower Jnr is a collaboration between Hedley Studios and Bentley’s Heritage Collection. Hedley Studios utilized the original Team Car from 1929 (insured at $33.7 million) to master the design of the Blower Jnr., which is recreated at an 85% scale. The Blower Jnr is Hedley Studios’ first road-legal product and measures in at 3.7 meters long (12 feet) and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) wide.
The Blower Jnr is built with a 48V electric powertrain with 15 kW (20 bhp) with a top speed of 45 mph in the UK (25 mph in the US due to regulations) and an expected range of 65 miles.
The true beauty of the Blower Jnr lies in the recreation and repurposing of the details from the original car. The frame is painted steel and will feature an authentic chassis specification. Leaf springs and scaled-down, period-correct friction dampers are added for a comfortable ride, while Brembo disc brakes are mounted at the front with drums at the rear. The electric motor is mounted across the rear axle, while the battery pack and drive electronics are hidden in an undertray.
Bentley Blower Jnr
Bentley Blower Jnr
The bodywork is crafted in two sections, with the rear body structure crafted in carbon fibre. While this is different than the original ash frame, it’s covered in impregnated fabric, just as the original. The bonnet is handcrafted in aluminium using traditional techniques and fastened with leather buckled bonnet straps.
The cockpit is a 1+1 layout with a central adjustable driving position, and the passenger travels behind in the rear seat. There is an optional bespoke weekend bag that fits behind, in the scaled-down and repurposed fuel tank.
The front of the motorcar, the supercharger now houses the charging port that connects the charger to any Type 1 or Type 2 socket, surrounded by the famous Bentley mesh grille, finished in authentic nickel-plated radiator housing.
The dashboard resembles a scaled-down replica of the original, with the engine-turned aluminum forming the dashboard; however, the fuel pressurization hand pump has been repurposed as the drive mode selector, featuring Comfort, Bentley, and Sport modes.
Forward, Neutral, and Reverse are selected via a lever that has the same look and feel as the ignition advance control from the original Bentley Blower. Switchgear, such as for the headlights and indicators, copies the form and materiality of the magneto switches from the Team Car. The battery charge gauge recreates the original ammeter.
Bentley Blower Jnr
“From the moment that we first took the original 1929 Bentley Blower Team Car #2 to Hedley Studios, we knew this project was going to deliver something truly special. Years later, and with thousands of road miles under the wheels of the development prototypes – appropriately called EXPs as the first Bentleys were – we’re ready to put the car into production.”
Hedley Studios has reimagined a car that sits at the very heart of Bentley’s history and heritage, with extraordinary attention to detail and craftsmanship. The Blower Jnr may be smaller in scale, but its presence, performance and sense of occasion invoke the spirit of the original. We can’t wait to see these cars on the road soon, and look forward to taking delivery of the first car to join our Heritage Collection.”
-Mike Sayer, Head of Product Communications and the Bentley Heritage Collection for Bentley Motors
“Heading into production of the Bentley Blower Jnr marks a seminal moment for our brand, as we bring to life our very first road-legal piece of automotive art. Our team of engineers and craftspeople have worked tirelessly to design and craft the Bentley Blower Jnr, and in close collaboration with clients around the world, they have begun the design process of some wonderfully unique examples of the Bentley Blower Jnr. With only 349 examples of the Bentley Blower Jnr to be built, we’re very excited to embark on this production process and see these pieces of handcrafted art out on the roads. The sign-off process in Jersey was a wonderful sight to see, and navigating the picturesque and undulating roads of the coastline behind the wheel of the Bentley Blower Jnr would have been an enviable experience for those involved.”
-Ben Hedley, CEO and Founder of Hedley Studios