Barnato was born at Spencer House, 27 St James's Place, London, the youngest son of Fanny Bees and Barney Barnato, a diamond and gold mining magnate. His father died near Madeira in 1897, officially ruled a suicide, leaving Barnato and his siblings, Leah Primrose and Isaac “Jack” Henry, a substantial inheritance held in trust. Barnato was educated at Charterhouse School and Trinity College, Cambridge.
Barnato began motor racing in 1921, after importing an eight-litre Locomobile from the United States, competing at the Brooklands Easter meeting where he finished third in the 100-mile Long Handicap. He purchased his first Bentley, a 3-litre model, in 1925, a year before acquiring the business itself, and won numerous races at Brooklands with it. He became a member of the “Bentley Boys”, a social set of wealthy British motorists who favoured W. O. Bentley’s cars.
Inspired by the 1924 Le Mans win by John Duff and Frank Clement, Barnato financed Bentley’s business through his company, Baromans Ltd. He initially invested over £100,000, saving the company and its workforce, and later injected further cash: £35,000 in 1927, £40,000 in 1928, and £25,000 in 1929. Despite this investment, the Wall Street crash of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression impacted the business, leading to Bentley Motors Limited being placed in receivership in July 1931. The firm was eventually purchased by Rolls-Royce in November 1931 for £125,000. Barnato received approximately £42,000 for his shares and subsequently bought a stake in Rolls-Royce. By 1934, he was again on the board of Bentley Motors (1931) Ltd.
W. O. Bentley considered Barnato “the best driver we ever had and, I consider, the best British driver of his day. One who never made a mistake and always obeyed orders.” In addition to his Le Mans successes, Barnato won the Brooklands Six Hour Race and Double Twelve Race in 1930.
In March 1930, Barnato engaged in the “Blue Train Races”, betting he could beat the French express train, Le Train Bleu, to London. He departed from Cannes in his 6½ litre Bentley Speed Six, arriving in London at around 3:30 pm, having covered the 830 miles in 22½ hours, at an average speed of 43.43 miles per hour. He drove an H. J. Mulliner-bodied formal saloon in the race.
During World War II, Barnato served as a wing commander with the Royal Air Force, protecting aircraft factories from Luftwaffe bombing raids. He was married three times: to Dorothy Maitland Falk (1915–1933) with whom he had two daughters, Virginia and Diana; to Jacqueline Claridge Quealy (1933–1947) with whom he had two sons, Michael Jay and Peter Woolf; and to Joan Jenkinson from December 1947 until his death. His daughter, Diana Barnato Walker, became a pilot, ferrying aircraft during the war.
Barnato died at the London Clinic on 27 July 1948, following a thrombosis after an operation for cancer. His funeral cortege was led by his Bentley “Old Number One”. He is buried at St Jude's Church in Englefield Green, Surrey, next to his daughter-in-law and daughter. Estimates of his wealth at the time of his death ranged between £1.5 and £5 million. The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) named its highest award, the Woolf Barnato Award, in his honour, presenting it annually since 1948.
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