Arthur Bentas

A photo of Arthur with his Raven. In 1950 Arthur decided to build his own car. Called The Raven, he built the car over a nine years span in the chicken house on the family farm. He completed the build in 1959, and it was the only car he ever built. Arthur brought the Raven to the NHRA National Championship Custom Car Show in Detroit, Michigan in 1959 where it won the most prestigious award, best custom-built car.

Arthur Bentas' Raven

Arthur and Joe with the restoed iteration of the Raven at the 2009 Detroit Autorama.

Arthur S. Bentas (April 30, 1923 - October 26, 2020) of Chelmsford, Masschusetts. Arthur was known as a man of vision. A true entrepreneur that was fascinated with the beauty of aeronautics, technology, engineering, and superiority.

Arthur was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, but he moved to Chelmsford with his family at an early age. Arthur graduated from Chelmsford High School, Class of 1942. After that, he pursued his education in California, at the Curtiss Wright Institute of Aeronautics. He worked for Lockheed Aeronautics testing engines for a few years.

Arthur eventually returned to Chelmsford to work on the Bentas family farm, which was a major distributor of eggs and chicken throughout the East Coast. In 1950 the Bentas family established the Wishbone restaurant specializing in chicken and continued for seventeen years.

The Raven

In 1950 Arthur decided to build his own car. Called The Raven, he built the car over a nine years span in the chicken house on the family farm. He completed the build in 1959, and it was the only car he ever built. Arthur brought the Raven to the NHRA National Championship Custom Car Show in Detroit, Michigan in 1959 where it won the most prestigious award, best custom-built car. Many other awards followed before the car was parked away in 1961. Fifty years later longtime friend Joe Germon helped Arthur restore the car, and it was once again put on tour, visiting various car shows. It was also put on display at the Peterson Museum in Los Angeles for a year. According to Arthur's obituary, "the highlight for Arthur and his award-winning car was being invited to display The Raven at the distinguished 2012 Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance Auto Event at Pebble Beach in CA."

Kavala Karts

In the 1960s Arthur opened up a Honda motorcycle dealership. He and his brother Constantine did also build and manufacture Kavala Karts, which were small racing carts. They also built small racing hydroplane boats. Both known for their performance, durability, and likability. He and his brother operated the Honda motorcycle dealership in Lowell until closing it in 1978. That year, he and his brother Constantine went on to develop a small strip mall existing of eight stores in South Chelmsford.

Arthur Bentas' Cars

Arthur Bentas' Raven