Video: The special Bentley that still hold a Brooklands record

18th February 2025

Adam Wilkins

When the Bentley factory closed, chairman Woolf Barnato had his choice of parts and engineers to create a car with one purpose – to break the lap record at Brooklands. Having cherry-picked the best components for the job, he enlisted Willy Hassan to assist with the creation of a very special car. The result was the Bentley Barnato-Hassan Special, and we were delighted to welcome it to the 81st Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport.

One thing is for sure: the long wheelbase one-off is not suited to the Goodwood Motor Circuit. Designed for the constant high speeds of the Brooklands banking, the Barnato-Hassan Special faced challenges with the tighter turns it encountered during the Parnell Cup. But what a spectacle it provided.

Capable of in excess of 150mph on straights, the Barnato-Hassan Special secured an outright record at Brooklands with a speed of 142.6mph. While that was subsequently broken, the car’s claim to the Class B record stands to this day. After it had proven its mettle, the car moved on to its second keeper who retained ownership for 50 years.

At 81MM, we met its current owner David Little who admitted there was no sensible reason for buying the car, but it was the fulfilment of a long-held dream. Reason enough? We reckon so – and what a treat it was to see it at Goodwood. Even if this one-off Bentley wasn’t strictly in its element, David was still able to provide a great display of car control as he treaded the huge Bentley around the circuit.