Bentley Flyer

This painting was inspired from a 1926 Bentley Speed Six that I saw parked in a prestigious car show.  The car had been previously owned by Nicolas Cage, as I was told.  The car was a beautiful green, with an aggressive racing stance.  I instantly fell in love with it.  

I wanted to capture it on canvas in vintage, sepia tones, as if I was working from an old photograph.

The 6 1/2 litre "sport model" Bentley was co-founder W.O. Bentley's choice for their Racing efforts.  The Bentley Motors' 6 1/2 litre Racing cars were unveiled in 1926, and would continue through 1930.  Bentley's straight-6 engine included an overhead camshaft, 4 valves per cylinder, and two spark plugs per cylinder; all exotic technologies at the time.

The Bentley 6 1/2 litre cars (called the Bentley Speed Six starting in 1928) would become the most successful racing Bentley, winning the Le Mans every year from 1927 through 1930.