Legendary British racer Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin would be rolling over in his grave if he knew what his 1932 Bentley 4 ½ Litre Supercharged ‘Blower’ just sold for at a British auction.
According to Bentley, the single seat, 240bhp supercharged red racer was bought for $7.06 million -- the highest amount ever paid for a Bentley at auction, outstripping the previous record-holding Bentley Speed Six known as ‘Old No 2,' which sold for $4.4 million in 2004.
In 1932, Birkin -- an ex-fighter pilot -- set a world record at the Brooklands track by getting the 'Blower' up to 138 mph, which in 1932 was an astonishing feat. In 1929 and 1931, he won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
PHOTOS: The awesome classic cars the Prince of Monaco is auctioning >
Please follow Getting There on Twitter and Facebook.
Join the conversation about this story »