the first time this year. Pre-war it made up nearly half of French production and brought the greatest racing successes. The 174 Sport had carried on that trend in the 1920s. The big 3.8-litre sleeve-valve engine put out over 110 bhp. Two cars were entered for their experienced works drivers André Boillot and Louis Rigal in one and veteran Louis Wagner and Christian Dauvergne in the other. Bentley came to Le Mans with renewed hope of a better showing. In financial difficulties, the company had been recently bailed out by Woolf Barnato, heir to a South African mining fortune. With £100000 (equivalent to well over £5million in 2015) his investment company, Baromans, bought up a controlling share of Bentley and Barnato became the chairman. The company had been trying to break 24-hour records without success. Two works 3-litre Speed models were entered. Driven by Frank Clement/George Duller and doctor Dudley Benjafield with journalist Sammy Davis, they became the kernel of the “Bentley Boys” works team. A third car, a new short-wheelbase 3-litre Super Sport, was privately entered by wealthy, 21-year old gentleman-driver Arthur “Tommy” Thistlethwayte. Bentley mechanic Les Pennel came up with a new way to carry the 180 kg compulsory “passenger ballast”. Rather than using sandbags, which rolled around and dried out over time, he installed steel tubes filled with lead of an equivalent weight. Bolted to the front and rear of the car they gave better weight distribution and handling. Ariès again bought four cars to Le Mans. The new surbaissée version of the 3-litre GP2 model had a distinctive, streamlined “tank” body-styling. Team principal Baron Charles Petiet this year was able to get Jean Chassagne as a driver to replace Louis Wagner who had gone to Peugeot. A pre-war French racing hero and veteran of three Indy 500s he was paired with his former riding mechanic, now team-driver, Robert Laly. The other 3-litre was a “boat-tail” GP3 variant for Arthur Duray/Charles Flohot. As before, they also entered a pair of “Super” versions of the 1.1-litre CC2 car. Charles Montier and his Ford-based specials, runners in the first three Le Mans, did not return. However, another American company arrived at Le Mans this year. John Willys had bought Overland Automobile in 1907, renaming it Willys-Automotive in 1912 and by 1915 was the second-biggest American car-manufacturer behind Ford. It built cars under both the Overland and Willys-Knight names. It