| Only a handful of fabric-covered Weymann-bodied automobiles have survived the 80 or so years from the late 1920's/early 1930's when the fabric bodied process was widely practiced. Known survivors are mostly Bentleys from the European continent while American survivors include a few Stutzs and a couple Duesenbergs. It was a time when coachbuilders of finer horse-drawn carriages had been pushed into the wings, occasionally rendering a repair on a horse-drawn vehicle while the primo craftsmen from their ranks worked for the coachbuilders of luxury auto bodies. Interestingly, both coachbuilders catered to the same rich crowd at one time or another.
Flamboyant, strikingly bold, extravagantly dashing and colorful, over-the-top competition was intense among luxury car builders. It was a time when rich, style-conscious clients ordered expensive coachwork influenced by the Art Moderne movement which flourished in the 1920's. Streamlining and modernistic inclinations were beginning to bud big time.
The fabric-covered body concept patented by Charles T. Weymann revolves around the idea that bodies based on aircraft design procedures in which the body panels are layered with a thick padding followed by a top layer of lacquered fabric are lighter, quieter and safer than a conventional metal-based bodies. Weymann promoted the notions that his sedan bodies weighed about half as much as conventional sedan bodies. Passengers experienced less noise due to the manner in which the thin ash framework is built; the wood pieces are joined together by metal bracketry with gaps between them. They never touch and never squeak. Plus, the thick buildup of materials insulated the passenger compartment from road noise. Roads, at the time, were far from smooth. Also pitched was the idea that a fabric-covered body being lighter than a similar metal-bodied one has a lower center of gravity and, thus, is less likely to roll over in an accident.
The 1930 Bentley Speed Six, the centerpiece of our story, has a Weymann body built by the J. Gurney Nutting Co., Ltd., of England, one of many luxury car makers who purchased rights to build the Weymann patented design.
This particular Bentley's glorious history is told in Automobile Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 1. The glory road it traveled began when the original owner Glen Kidston, London playboy and accomplished racer among other passions he harbored, purchased it for sporting runs. Over the years, it passed through several owners until 2001 when Richard Scott, Sidney, Ohio, purchased it. Scott had picked this particular car since its restoration would not follow a conventional trail. Scott loves an adventure.
People who know Scott says he‚s a disciple of perfection. A veteran with some 20 frame-off auto restorations and a slew of elegant horse-drawn vehicles restorations under his belt, Scott loves a tough challenge and, certainly, isn't one to turn over the restoration of such an incredible car as the Bentley Speed Six to just any restoration shop. Having worked with D & D Classic to produce several national winners, Scott felt comfortable in bringing his Bentley to D & D. An added attraction was D & D owner/partner Roger James‚ experience with vintage aircraft restoration. James has been involved in the restorations of several fabric covered airplanes. He even maintains a hangar where he stores and restores his own planes and hangs out with his aero buddies. Enlisting the James gang was not a random selection for a man like Scott who has been the first in line several times to approach a restoration in a way not known before. Some 20 years ago, reportedly, he was the first to have a complete wooden body built for a late '40's Chrysler Town and Country - every stick of wood from one end to the other. Likely, as suggested in the AQ article, Scott may have been the first to have a Weymann fabric-covered car completely restored.
The process of restoring a fabric-bodied vehicle isn't practiced in most restoration shops. A padding had to be layered over the aluminum body skins of the 1930 Bentley. Then the padding was covered with an aircraft covering material, known as Poly-Fiber. Next a Poly-Brush coat was applied followed by a Poly-Spray coat (a silver-colored spray with ultraviolet protection). The final application for the Bentley was a black finish coat with flattening and flex-agent additives. Then there were days and days of hand sanding progressing to finer and finer grit papers until the surface simulated a slick and shiny lacquered finish. The French use the term "tole souple" to describe the process. Literally, it translates to "enameled or lacquered armor-looking surface that is supple, pliant."
Arriving at D & D in February 2001, the Speed Six received a ground up restoration "in a very short time" says D & D owner/partner Mark Kennison. "By August 2001, it was done and ready for Pebble Beach where it won its class and the Most Elegant Closed Car Award."
During the restoration Scott literally scrounged worldwide for authentic tools and components which many advised would be impossible to locate. Our advise: Don't tell Scott something can't be found! Or done!
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