Bonnet Straps Fit for a Bentley

Some commissions make you stop for a second when the enquiry comes in. This was one of them. The car was a 1923 Bentley 3 Litre race car, and it was in with Fakenham Classic and Sports Cars, who were rebuilding its engine ready for a race in Argentina. The owner needed new leather bonnet straps too, and the team at Fakenham, who had come across my work online, gave him my number.

There was a deadline. The car was being shipped over to Argentina to race the following week, and the straps had to be on it before it went.

Cars like this have real history behind them, so the straps had to be right. They had to suit the period, suit the car, and be strong enough to survive a race on the other side of the world.

A bit of history

The Bentley 3 Litre was the first car W.O. Bentley put into production, and it made the marque's name. These cars were built to be driven hard. They raced at Brooklands and at the very first Le Mans 24 Hours in 1923, and a 3 Litre won Le Mans outright in 1924. They were the start of the "Bentley Boys" era, and as this car proves, they're still being raced hard more than a century later.

One thing you'll notice on almost any racing car from that era is the leather straps across the bonnet. They aren't there for decoration. At speed, on bumpy tracks and roads, a bonnet catch alone can't always be trusted. A good leather strap holds the bonnet down firmly so it can't lift, rattle or come loose mid-race.

The brief

Bonnet straps on a car like this have three jobs, and they all matter:

• Look the part. They need to suit a car from the 1920s, with nothing that looks modern or out of place next to the original fittings.
• Work properly. They're structural. They hold the bonnet down through vibration, heat, wind and weather, and they need to keep doing that race after race.
• Fit exactly. Each strap had to be made to the car's measurements so it wraps the bonnet snugly and buckles up with the right tension.

And all of it had to be finished in time to make the boat.

How they were made

1. Choosing the leather. I used thick, full grain leather. It's strong, it resists stretching and it copes with being outdoors. It also has the character you'd expect to see on a car of this age.
2. Cut to size. Each strap was cut and shaped by hand to the measurements for the car, with the edges bevelled so they sit cleanly against the bonnet.
3. Dyed and finished. The straps were dyed and the edges burnished smooth, which stops them fraying and gives them a finish that lasts.
4. Hand stitched. The buckle ends were saddle stitched by hand. If a single thread breaks, a saddle stitch won't unravel, which is exactly what you want on a part that's under strain.
5. Hardware fitted. Strong, traditional style buckles were fitted, and the holes were punched and spaced so the bonnet can be pulled down tight.
6. Sealed and conditioned. Finally, the straps were sealed and conditioned to deal with rain, road grime and engine heat.

A surprise in the boot

Handover day came, and the new straps were ready in time for the car's trip to Argentina. Then, just as I thought the job was done, the customer opened the boot of the Bentley and pulled out another set of bonnet straps. These belonged to a different vehicle, and they'd clearly seen plenty of miles. His question was simple: could I make a new set just like them?

Of course I could.

Copying old straps is a different kind of job from making new ones from scratch. The originals had already been fitted and used, so they told me exactly what that vehicle needed. I took every measurement from them: the length and width, where the buckle sat, and the position and spacing of the holes. That way the new straps would go straight on and fasten exactly as the old ones did, just without the years of wear.

From there, the second set went through the same process as the first. They were cut from the same thick full grain leather, then finished, hand stitched, fitted with buckles and sealed. As with everything I make, both sets were made by hand in my Norfolk workshop.

Why I loved this one

I've always believed leather goods should be built to last and should carry a story. Not many things carry a story like a Bentley that's over a hundred years old and still crossing oceans to go racing. It's a real thrill to think of something I made in my workshop holding the bonnet down on a track in Argentina. Having the customer go straight to the boot for another set before the first job was even finished is the best compliment I could ask for.

Thank you for trusting me with this one, and good luck out there. And a big thank you to Fakenham Classic and Sports Cars for passing my number on.

Over time, both sets of straps will darken and take on a patina from sun, oil and miles. That's exactly how it should be.

Got a classic that needs some leather?

If you own a vintage or classic car, a motorcycle or anything else that needs bonnet straps, tool rolls, luggage straps or other leatherwork, I'd love to hear from you. I can make new pieces to your measurements or, like the second set here, recreate worn-out originals so they fit just as they did before. Send me your measurements or a few photos through my bespoke projects page and we'll work out what's needed together.