- Hedley Studios’ scaled, road-legal recreation of the iconic Bentley Blower enters production
- Sign-off follows extensive road-testing programme, culminating in 650-mile event on Channel Island of Jersey
- 40 mph island-wide speed limit and stunning scenery deliver perfect proving ground for Blower Jnr’s charm, drivability and character
- First customer deliveries expected in late summer
Following the completion of a joint sign-off event, Hedley Studios has begun production of its first road-legal, driveable piece of automotive artwork, the Bentley Blower Jnr.
Designed and developed in conjunction with Bentley Motors, Blower Jnr is an 85% scale recreation of the 1929 Bentley Blower. This electrified, road legal creation carries the spirit on the original, near-100-year-old legendary Bentley to a whole new generation, and the Blower Jnr has now completed 18 months of on-road testing to refine and prove the design.
The final sign-off took place on the coastal roads and historic lanes of Jersey – the largest of the Channel Islands and a place steeped in natural beauty. With narrow roads, an island-wide speed limit of 40 mph and a total area of just 45 miles, Jersey was the perfect place for a smaller-scale electric vehicle to complete its development journey, and one where Blower Jnr’s character and charm could be appreciated to the full.
Covering over 650 miles across three days, a select group of representatives from both Hedley Studios and Bentley Motors were joined by international media to evaluate the Bentley Blower Jnr’s full on-road driving potential, set against the stunning backdrops and vistas of the Jersey coastline.
The completion of these test drives marks an important step in the Bentley Blower Jnr’s development, as production of customer models gets underway. Utilising meticulous, hand-crafting techniques, Hedley Studios’ team of artisans will hand-beat the panels of the Bentley Blower Jnr’s bodywork, while expert engineers assemble the fully-electric 48-volt powertrain.
Only 349 examples of the Bentley Blower Jnr will go into production, with prospective owners able to customise their commission to their own individual style. Hedley Studios’ team work closely with each client to curate a Blower Jnr that is bespoke to their taste, from specific colour finishes to a choice of racing number.
This personalisation process is further enhanced through the use of the Hedley Studios configurator, in which clients can let their imagination run wild with almost limitless levels of personalisation at their fingertips. A range of curated style packs provide a baseline for Blower Jnr personalisation, making each example a truly unique piece of automotive artwork.
Ben Hedley, CEO and Founder of Hedley Studios, comments:
“Heading into production of the Bentley Blower Jnr marks a seminal moment for our brand, as we bring to life our very first road-legal piece of automotive art. Our team of engineers and craftspeople have worked tirelessly to design and craft the Bentley Blower Jnr, and in close collaboration with clients around the world, they have begun the design process of some wonderfully unique examples of the Bentley Blower Jnr. With only 349 examples of the Bentley Blower Jnr to be built, we’re very excited to embark on this production process and see these pieces of handcrafted art out on the roads. The sign-off process in Jersey was a wonderful sight to see, and navigating the picturesque and undulating roads of the coastline behind the wheel of the Bentley Blower Jnr would have been an enviable experience for those involved.”
We’re anticipating that the first customer deliveries will commence in just a matter of months, and we’re just as excited as our clients are to see them behind the wheel and out on the road.”
Mike Sayer, Head of Product Communications and the Bentley Heritage Collection for Bentley Motors, adds:
“From the moment that we first took the original 1929 Bentley Blower Team Car #2 to Hedley Studios, we knew this project was going to deliver something truly special. Years later, and with thousands of road miles under the wheels of the development prototypes – appropriately called EXPs as the first Bentleys were – we’re ready to put the car into production.”
Hedley Studios has reimagined a car that sits at the very heart of Bentley’s history and heritage, with extraordinary attention to detail and craftsmanship. The Blower Jnr may be smaller in scale, but its presence, performance and sense of occasion invoke the spirit of the original. We can’t wait to see these cars on the road soon, and look forward to taking delivery of the first car to join our Heritage Collection.”
The Bentley Blower Jnr
Blower Jnr is a collaboration between Hedley Studios and Bentley’s Heritage Collection. The original Team Car from 1929 – insured for £25m – was used by Hedley Studios to master the design of Blower Jnr, with details recreated at a sizeable 85 per cent scale. The result is a vehicle that will have even experts looking twice – with the car measuring 3.7 metres long and 1.5 metres wide. Unlike Hedley Studios’ other products, Blower Jnr is fully road legal and designed specifically to be used on the road and is perhaps the most sophisticated city car ever built.
Crafted by hand to the same standards as any Bentley, and adorned with beautiful details all inspired by the original Team car, Blower Jnr is built around a 48V electric powertrain with a 15 kW (20 bhp) motor, meaning a top speed of 45 mph / 72 km/h in the UK and EU (25 mph / 40 km/h in the USA due to legislation) and an expected range of around 65 miles, with tandem seating for two adults.
Beyond the headline figures, the beauty of Blower Jnr is in the recreation and repurposing of details from the original car. The frame is painted steel, to which an authentic chassis specification is attached. Leaf springs and scaled-down, period-correct friction dampers bring a comfortable ride, while Brembo disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear provide the stopping power. The electric motor is mounted across the rear axle, while the batteries and drive electronics are all housed in a hidden undertray.
The bodywork is crafted in two sections, and while the rear body structure is crafted in carbon fibre rather than being an ash frame, it’s covered in impregnated fabric, just as the original. The bonnet, with its multiple cooling louvres, is hand-crafted in aluminium using traditional techniques and fastened with beautiful leather buckled bonnet straps. The two-person cockpit is in a 1+1 layout, with a central adjustable driving position and the passenger travelling behind in the rear seat. An optional bespoke weekend bag fits behind, in the scaled down and repurposed fuel tank complete with lockable latch.
At the front of the car, the supercharger now houses the charging port that connects the onboard charger to any Type 1 or Type 2 socket, and is surrounded by the famous Bentley mesh grille, in an authentic nickel-plated radiator housing.
At first glance the dashboard looks like a scaled-down replica of the original, with Engine Turned Aluminium forming the dashboard itself. The fuel pressurisation hand pump has been repurposed as the drive mode selector, with a choice of Comfort, Bentley or Sport. Forward, Neutral and Reverse are selected via a lever that looks and feels like the ignition advance control from the original Blower. Other switchgear for the headlights and indicators copies the form and materiality of the magneto switches from the Team Car, while the battery charge gauge recreates the original ammeter.
