Bentley showcases heritage at next week's Retromobile

Bentley Motors will be displaying one of the most famous cars in its history – the 3 Litre that won Le Mans in 1924 with John Duff and Frank Clement at the wheel (above) at Retromobile, held in Paris on 5-9 February. The priceless car will be shown in Hall1, Stand P48.

Now celebrating the 90th anniversary of its Le Mans victory, Duf and Clement's 3 Litre was the first overseas winner of the 24 Hours, and started a period of domination for Bentley in the 1920s as well as helping to establish the company’s reputation at the top end of the automotive industry. Ettore Bugatti might have called it 'the world's fastest lorry', but the 3 Litre's track and road prowess was truly impressive, for those chosen few who could afford one.

Some nine decades later, Bentley’s connection with motor sport remains as strong and passionate as ever with the new Continental GT3 race programme underway and the company set to compete at Silverstone, Monza and Paul Ricard later this year. It's will hopefully join the Speed 8 (below) as an endurance racing legend.

Richard Charlesworth, Head of the Bentley Heritage Collection, said: 'This is a wonderful car to lead our presence at Rétromobile in Paris and we are particularly grateful to the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and Musée Automobile de la Sarthe for their kind support. The car is truly one of the great racing Bentleys and is part of this marque’s unique association with France and motor racing.'

• More at the Retromobile website