‘Birkin' Bentley named Car of the Year at International Historic Motoring Awards

Bentley's single-seater sportscar that has set records on the track and at the auction house has been named the star at an annual international classic car ceremony.

December traditionally heralds the start of the motoring awards season, where the world's newest vehicles stand side by side to be declared best car in their class, price range or geographic region. But it is also the time of year when classic cars and those who own and care for them are celebrated and rewarded.

Presented by five-time Le Mans winner and double World Sports Car Champion Derek Bell and hosted at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, the International Historic Motoring Awards are decided by an international panel of expert judges including US chat show host and avid classic car collector Jay Leno, car designers Ian Callum and Peter Stevens and Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Chief Judge Ed Gilbertson.

The Car of the Year award went to the 1931 4.5-Litre Supercharged 'Birkin' Bentley that set the Outer Circuit record of 137.96 mph at Brooklands in 1932, in the hands of Sir Henry 'Tim' Birkin, before going on to become the most expensive UK car ever sold at auction, when it went under the hammer for £5 million ($8.04 million) at Bonhams this summer.

However, it was not the only classic supercar on display as guests at the event were greeted by four of the most rare and desirable British-built or developed classic vehicles currently available: a 1963 Aston Martin DB5; a 1938 Bentley 'Embiricos' Special; a mid-1960s Ford GT 40; and the famous 1964 Lindner Nöcker lightweight E-type Jaguar.

The awards, now in their second year, also celebrate personal and institutional achievement with the UK's National Motor Museum named Museum or Collection of the year and Restoration of the Year going to Paul Russell & Co. for its work on a 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S.

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