Simanaitis Says
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OXBURROW AND FULLER CONTINENTAL TOURERS SURELY GOT AROUND
OF COURSE, IT’S THE BENTLEY DRIVERS CLUB—contrasted with the Rolls-Royce Owners Club. The italics mine, not theirs. Confirmation of this is evident in Bentley Motors: On The Road, a compendium of magazines published by Bentley from July 1935 to October 1939. As noted in the Introduction to its Notes & Indices volume, “… the magazines are a delightful reminder of the 1930s from both a motoring and lifestyle point of view.”
Bentley Motors: On The Road, 2 volumes, assembled by Bernard L. King, Dalton Watson Fine Books, 2003.
These books also display the research expertise of Bernard L. King in his 142-page Notes & Indices. It’s also at the heart of these tidbits here: Ambling through the 416 pages of the accompanying volume, I came upon a lovely photo of a trio in a Bentley “Overlooking the Harbour, Monte Carlo.”
This and other images from Bentley Motors: On The Road.
How evocative of Bentley motoring at its best.
BLY 4. What’s more, King’s Notes & Indices offers details of the cars: This one is a Bentley Oxborrow and Fuller Continental Tourer, coachwork by Vanden Plas. Built in 1935 on chassis number B112DG, the car carried registration BLY 4 throughout its adventures.
Indeed, BLY 4 is pictured five more times in On The Road. In one, it’s shown competing in the Eastbourne Rally “undergoing the Elimination Test of reversing between posts on a gradient.”
King noted in a Comments section of the Notes & Indices, “There are many pictures of this car in the magazines, featuring the Waters sisters on a Continental tour.”
The Waters Sisters. In the “Personalities” portion of his Notes & Indices, King identified this talented pair: “Elsie (1895–1990) and Doris (1904–1978) were an English radio and stage comedy duo, best known for their brilliant comic songs and sketches and for their Cockney characters Gert and Daisy.”
Here they are enjoying “Spring in the High Alps.”
King continued, “The sisters wrote all their own material and were popular throughout the 1930s and 1940s, even making two musical comedy films Gert and Daisy’s Weekend and Gert and Daisy Clean Up during the war years.”
Research on my part reveals a third film: It’s in the Bag, 1944. Indeed, there are Gert and Daisy tidbits a’plenty to appear at SimanaitisSays before long. (Actually five days ago—prematurely!) But let’s continue our automotive theme here.
“Elsie and Doris,” King recounted, “were motoring enthusiasts and owned a vintage Bentley 6 1/2, chassis number BA2600, said to have been purchased second hand especially for a Continental tour to save damaging their 1935 Rolls-Royce 20/25 chassis number GLJ54 on France’s road!”
BLY 4: At the “Palace of the Prince of Monaco.”
Whence the “Oxborrow and Fuller” Moniker? “Several pictures of the sisters,” observed King, “are shown when they accompanied H.E. Raphael, owner of car dealer Oxborrow and Fuller, on another Continental tour in a Vanden Plas bodied tourer, chassis B112DG, to his own design.” That is, Raphael apparently advised Vanden Plas during the coachwork fabrication.
CLW 44. Pipping BLY 4 in the happy snap count with a total of ten is another Oxborrow and Fuller Continental Tourer, chassis number B121FC registered CLW 44.
Above, “This self-appointed traffic regulator must be known to many owners traveling in the vicinity of East Grinstead. He is there in all weathers and all day.” Below, “An Oast House near Rotherfield, Kent.”
King recounted, “A common sight in Kent, these distinctively shaped buildings house hop-drying kilns. With the popularity of Continental lagers, the beer brewing industry has been much reduced in the last 80 years and many oast houses have been converted to living accommodations.”
BOP 600. Earning a special mention is BOP 600, chassis number B47FC, yet another Oxborrow and Fuller Continental Tourer. “Incredibly,” King noted, “still in the same ownership of the Thornley family in Warwickshire.”
“Sir William L. Sleigh, LLD., DL., JP., presents Miss Thornley with the first prize for coachwork at the Scottish Rally.”
The Thornleys were evidently rally enthusiasts as well as road tourers.
Above, “One of the tests at the Scottish Rally.” Below, BOP 600 “On the Eastbourne Road.”
CLA 811. Another Oxborrow and Fuller Continental Tourer, chassis number B68FB registered CLA 811, also has an interesting tale. King recounted that the car was “Recently shown at the 2003 BDC Concours at Hatfield House in England where the current owner won the best Derby Bentley cup.”
King continued, “The original owner, Kenneth Sanderson, took the spats off for the 1951 Monte Carlo Rally to aid cooling of the rear brakes and they are since lost.”
CLA 811: “A prize-winning car at the Monte Carlo Rally.”
King continues, “In the magazine photo of the 1936 Monte Carlo Rally, his wife, Joy, is shown at the wheel. Sanderson ran a family whisky company of which one famous blend was VAT 69.”
Indeed, this reminds me of Rob Walker also supporting his enthusiasm for motor sports through the magic of distillation. ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2025
Simanaitis Says 
While some understandably think only the 1919-31 W.O. Cricklewood Bentleys are the real item, the ’33-on Derby cars had real merit. In today’s world, perhaps the 200 or so 1938-39, a few ’40s also produced, MX “Overdrive” Bentleys might be best, having the larger 4 1/4-liter ’36-on engine. The MX was offered to counter complaints of spun bearings on the Autobahn and France’s Route Nationale.
Only a car from England’s winding roads would consider 3.65:1 final gearing “overdrive.”
Regardless, so many of the above 1933-on Bentleys have “The Look.”
A late friend and consummate fellow autoholic maintained much of the Sceptered Isle cars’ complexity was to placate powerful labor unions. Will leave that to others, only know concurrent domestic cars easier to work on, but too often lack that charm and aura.
Alvis, in 1936, was alone in the world in offering synchromesh on first gear. Must’ve been lovely to live when traffic less frenetic, in a nation preserving more of its past.
The bit about CLA 811 surrendering her skirts a wonderful conundrum. Rear spats reduce air drag at high speeds. Some late ’30s Alfa Romeos, wanting it both ways, put louvers in theirs.
The Bentley’s were slotted, though not as aero-efficient as louvred.
Amen. And why we expend much time so visiting. But Monsignor Simanaitis has shown us plenty of worthwhile domestic blue highways, quietly scenic drives, coast to coast.
A happy 11th day of Christmas to all here gathered. Eleven pipers piping.
Though the world was never quite as sophisticated and glamorous as these tales indicate, I wish it could have been.
How true, Mark.
Dennis:
Good stuff. I love reading about road travel during that era, and I have the book, so I’ll pull it out again. Will also send copies of your column to two owners of 1930s Bentleys.
Frank
Thanks, Frank, for your kind words. And thanks for the pass-alongs.