1927 Bentley 6½ Litre Vanden Plas Tourer

A rare black 1927 Bentley 6½ Litre Vanden Plas Tourer, one of 544 6½ Litres built, arriving at the 2019 Holiday Motor Excursion presented by the Horseless Carriage Club (HCCA) of Southern California.

A bigger engine. More displacement. More power. That was how engineers solved problems long before anybody gave a darn about fuel economy. This was a time when Rolls-Royce named its cars after horsepower figures and Bentley named its cars after engine size. In 1924, W. O. Bentley raced a Rolls-Royce test driver and realized his 4¼ Litre car couldn't match the Rolls-Royce's power. As a result, the 6½ Litre was born.

Bentleys of this era all looked rather similar, and it's hard to tell them apart visually. I've seen several examples of the 4½ Litre cars, but this is the only 6½ Litre I've ever caught. It's certainly a good way of politely rubbing in other Bentley owners' faces that they've just been outclassed. Because bigger is always better, right?

Would you choose this 6½-Litre Bentley over a contemporary Rolls-Royce? Leave a comment on YouTube and let me know!