Bentley car club tours Midcoast, Owls Head Transportation Museum, Firefly Restorations
From left, Camilla Brauer, Sandra Massman and Darby Wathne talk at Marshal Point Light Sunday before resuming their tour of the area. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
A vintage Bentley with Marshal Point Lighhouse in the background. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Steve Brauer from St. Louis waves from his 1931 Bentley at the Samoset Resort. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
An antique Bentley parked outside Firefly Restorations in Hope Monday, May 19. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Bentley club members inside Firefly Restorations in Hope May 19. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Julian Aldridge, 9, of Norfolk, Conn., enjoys a few minutes behind the wheel of an antique fire engine in Hope Monday afternoon. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
The Bentley car club members gather with Andy Swift (seated) and his wife, Kathy, during their visit to Swift’s Firefly Restoration barn in Hope. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Andy Swift, left, of Firefly Restorations in Hope, describes how the restored 1898 San Francisco water-powered pumper works to members of the Bentley car club May 19. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
A vintage Bentley awaits its turn at the driving skills test. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Three Bentleys line up at OHTM. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Bentleys at Marshal Point. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
A 2014 Bentley Flying Spur carries a $251,000 price tag. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
2014 Bentley Flying Spur interior. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
2014 Bentley Flying Spur detail of the double cross stitching throughout the interior. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Fine vaneer, rich leather and quaity craftsmanship have always been benchmarks of Bentley. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Bentley cars on the tarmac at OHTM. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Bentley car club members were able to view a wide assortment of restored and in-progress fire apparatus restorations during their visit to Firefly Restorations in Hope May 19, including the steam fire engine, Kearsarge 3, which helped save a church in Boston in the Great Fire of 1872 famous for being the organizing spot for the Boston Tea Party. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
One of Andy Swift’s many fire apparatus restoration projects on display in his shop in Hope. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Even this antique car was once used to fight fires. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
A fire engine detail at Firefly Restorations. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Fire apparatus paint jobs are done in the Firefly shop in Hope, but gold leaf work is done by a craftsman in Tenants Harbor. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Not all fire apparatus are brought back to their original look and luster like this wheel, some are simply preserved “as is,” complete with scratches and wear marks, and work paint and gold leaf details. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
The ‘showy’ end of a fire engine... (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
...and the working end of a fire engine. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Andy Swifts tells the Bently car club that one of the apparatus in his shop, the steam fire engine named Kearsarge 3, helped battle the Great Boston Fire of 1872 and save the Old South Meeting House, the church in the Downtown Crossing area of Boston that is famous as the organizing site of the Boston Tea Party. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Andy Swift and his Firefly Restorations have received numerous recognitions over the years, including for his donated work to restore a New York City Fire Department’s antique hose wagon following the 9/11 tragedy. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
From left, Camilla Brauer, Sandra Massman and Darby Wathne talk at Marshal Point Light Sunday before resuming their tour of the area. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
A vintage Bentley with Marshal Point Lighhouse in the background. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Steve Brauer from St. Louis waves from his 1931 Bentley at the Samoset Resort. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
An antique Bentley parked outside Firefly Restorations in Hope Monday, May 19. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Bentley club members inside Firefly Restorations in Hope May 19. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Julian Aldridge, 9, of Norfolk, Conn., enjoys a few minutes behind the wheel of an antique fire engine in Hope Monday afternoon. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
The Bentley car club members gather with Andy Swift (seated) and his wife, Kathy, during their visit to Swift’s Firefly Restoration barn in Hope. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Andy Swift, left, of Firefly Restorations in Hope, describes how the restored 1898 San Francisco water-powered pumper works to members of the Bentley car club May 19. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
A vintage Bentley awaits its turn at the driving skills test. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Three Bentleys line up at OHTM. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Bentleys at Marshal Point. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
A 2014 Bentley Flying Spur carries a $251,000 price tag. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
2014 Bentley Flying Spur interior. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
2014 Bentley Flying Spur detail of the double cross stitching throughout the interior. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Fine vaneer, rich leather and quaity craftsmanship have always been benchmarks of Bentley. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Bentley cars on the tarmac at OHTM. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Bentley car club members were able to view a wide assortment of restored and in-progress fire apparatus restorations during their visit to Firefly Restorations in Hope May 19, including the steam fire engine, Kearsarge 3, which helped save a church in Boston in the Great Fire of 1872 famous for being the organizing spot for the Boston Tea Party. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
One of Andy Swift’s many fire apparatus restoration projects on display in his shop in Hope. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Even this antique car was once used to fight fires. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
A fire engine detail at Firefly Restorations. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Fire apparatus paint jobs are done in the Firefly shop in Hope, but gold leaf work is done by a craftsman in Tenants Harbor. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Not all fire apparatus are brought back to their original look and luster like this wheel, some are simply preserved “as is,” complete with scratches and wear marks, and work paint and gold leaf details. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
The ‘showy’ end of a fire engine... (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
...and the working end of a fire engine. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Andy Swifts tells the Bently car club that one of the apparatus in his shop, the steam fire engine named Kearsarge 3, helped battle the Great Boston Fire of 1872 and save the Old South Meeting House, the church in the Downtown Crossing area of Boston that is famous as the organizing site of the Boston Tea Party. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
Andy Swift and his Firefly Restorations have received numerous recognitions over the years, including for his donated work to restore a New York City Fire Department’s antique hose wagon following the 9/11 tragedy. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)
MIDCOAST — The North American Vintage Bentley Meet kicked off May 18 at the Owls Head Transportation Museum. Around 30 vintage Bentley cars, ranging from 1921 to a more modern 2014 model, adorned the tarmac at the museum while club members toured the museum and eventually took turns in a driving skills test. This was the starting point for the club’s North American Tour and they were to continue to roam around New England from here.
The members of the club began their visit at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, and toured the area around Rockland, Port Clyde and the Marshal Point Lighthouse before returning to Owls Head and the museum. They then headed to Hope, where they met with Andy Swift and toured his antique fire engine restoration business, Firefly Restorations, before hitting the road for a drive to Mount Desert Island and a stop in Bar Harbor.
Vintage Bentley automobiles are some of the most prestigious cars in the world. Bentley cars at the meet were brought in from California, Arizona, Missouri, Texas and New York. Though not driven to Owls Head, the cars were shipped in and driven around the area.
John Lee of Brunswick said the cars would drive all day at 60 mph on the highway and are very comfortable. They are detailed in fine leather and wood veneer to accentuate the meticulous detail and the craftsmanship that went to each and every car.
A 1926 Bentley would cost as much as $5,000 at the time. To put it in perspective, a new Ford Model A of the same year would set you back $300.
Andy Parris, aftersales manager for Bentley, is based out of Boston. He explained why two very new 2014 Bentleys were at the vintage Bentley meet.
“Part of out DNA is based on heritage,” he said. “Part of what we build is based off these cars. What we have done, is try to look at the lines, the features, and try to incorporate them into the modern look. We like to bring in these cars to show how the old mixes with the new. And a lot of the owners here also experience the newer Bentleys. Heritage is a very big part of our business.”
“These cars are very, very solid. They are fast, nimble and quiet. And the heritage is here. The younger drivers go more for the modern cars. A Bentley is something you are born into. You have an understanding of it and you grow with it. Many of the owners have been around this brand for many, many years.”
From Owls Head and MDI, the Vintage Bentleys continued their tour of the Northeast. The event was a rare opportunity to see classic, vintage Bentley cars from all over the United States and meet some of the friendly people who own and drive them.
Chris Wolf can be contacted at news@penbaypilot.com. Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or 706-6655.
Event Date
Address
United States
