Page 15 - The Kellner Affair Sample Pages

THE KELLNER AFFAIR: MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH
Paulin designs his second Bentley,
July to December 1938
So in July 1938, just as Pourtout was putting the nishing touches to La Streamline in his carrosserie, W.A. Robotham wrote to Walter Sleator to suggest that Paulin “...do one or two sketches... of a Lincoln Zephyr-type of front end and radiator, and also bring with him other sketches he has.” In the coming months, this evolved into the Bentley MK V Corniche prototype chassis 14- B-V, tted with a body designed by Paulin and built by Vanvooren. Due to the extremely detailed research presented by James Fack in his article Entente Cordiale: Georges Paulin, Rolls-Royce and the Bentley Corniche in no. 3 of the annual publication The Roycean, it is possible to x the dates of the creation and demise of the Corniche with great accuracy.
At the instigation of Sleator, Paulin visited Derby in September and October 1938 to consult about the Corniche. In spite of Paulin’s French insularity, the language barrier – and somewhat to Paulin’s personal surprise – things went well. Upon his return to Paris, he was offered employment by Rolls-Royce at a monthly salary of 7,000 francs, a substantial sum which made it possible for him to quit his day job at Émile Dürrenberger’s dental clinic. In the ensuing weeks, modi cations to the original drawings were discussed and
Georges Paulin design drawing of the initial and aerodynamically correct “bread van” or “Kammback” tail proposed by him for the Corniche. (Thérèse Paulin, Will Morrison)
In the late summer of 1938, Paulin was asked to submit designs for an aerodynamic four passenger car to be built by Vanvooren on a prototype lightweight Bentley MK V chassis. It was to be called the Corniche. (Thérèse Paulin, Will Morrison)
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