1940 Bentley MK V Sports Saloon

Lot details
Registration No: FYL 811
Chassis No: B34AW
Mot Expiry: Exempt

- 1 of 7 MKVs extant and the last chassis to leave the Derby works

- First registered to renowned dealer Jack Barclay (as 'JB 1') and evaluated by him over a two-year period before being returned to the factory.

- Fitted with Park Ward coachwork and later restored by Andrew Wood (now of P&A Wood) whilst he was an apprentice at Hythe Road.

- Correct type engine sourced from Woolf Barnato's sister Bentley chassis B-16-AW

- Featured in 'A Pride of Bentleys' by John Adams and Ray Roberts

Further Info:

The luxury sportscar market had become fiercely competitive by the late 1930s. Conscious that some were able to boast superior performance, better roadholding (courtesy of independent front suspension) and sleeker coachwork, Rolls-Royce began work on a successor to the Bentley 4¼ Litre. The project took two routes. Georges Paulin was commissioned to develop a high-speed aero saloon christened the Corniche but his prototype experienced handling difficulties which a tyre swap failed to cure and crashed whilst on test in France. Aerodynamic instability and chassis flex due to the use of thinner gauge metal were mooted as possible causes. The accident-damaged chassis was recovered to Derby and subsequently scrapped as were all the other Corniche frames. At the same time Park Ward, which had not long been taken over by Rolls-Royce, began preparing an alternative but more traditional design that was almost on a performance par with the stillborn Corniche. Shorn of running boards and destined for various Motor Show appearances, Park Ward's newcomer would become the MK V. Interestingly the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust is currently recreating a Bentley Corniche.

Seventeen MK V chassis were completed before the outbreak of hostilities and ten are recorded as having been destroyed, leaving just seven cars which remain in existence today. These cars are the rarest of all the Bentleys made and are highly prized among collectors and museums.

The MK V was the first Bentley to employ independent front suspension a feature which made a significant difference to its handling. The chosen wishbone / coil spring system was attached to a stiffer, stronger version of the outgoing 4¼ Litre chassis that incorporated notably deeper side rails. The advanced engine was closer in concept to the torquey Wraith unit and improvements made included higher compression pistons; modified camshafts; reworked inlet and exhaust manifolds; and twin SU carburettors. Other refinements included synchromesh on second gear as well as the upper ratios and a divided propeller shaft.

It was intended to display a prototype of the exciting new Bentley MK V at the 1939 London Motor Show, but this was prevented by the outbreak of WW2.

Chassis number B-34-AW was the last chassis to leave the Derby works and, as will be seen, subsequently became of considerable historical importance. Indeed, bearing in mind the post-war rationalisation of the Rolls-Royce / Bentley ranges, it is reasonable to regard this as the last of the company's truly handmade cars, the lineage of which dated back to 1908. Chassis B-34-AW was intended to debut at the 1939/1940 New York World Fair but, owing to the risks involved in shipping at that time, was instead offered to Jack Barclay in June 1940 as a Park Ward Sports Saloon, and duly registered `JB 1'. It is important to understand that all the MK Vs were effectively experimental cars, and the deal was that Barclay would evaluate B-34-AW over a two year period and provide Rolls-Royce with regular updates, which he did.

With the original agreement satisfied, the Rolls was then registered as `FYL 811' and sold to a Mr P G Hingley of Worcestershire - images in the book `A Pride of Bentleys' by John Adams and Ray Roberts show the car was liveried in Yellow over Black around this period. Following six further keepers, it was acquired by Andrew Wood, now of the renowned marque specialists P & A Wood of Essex. At the time of his purchase, Wood was an apprentice at Rolls-Royce's Hythe Road Works and, according to the vendor, was therefore probably the person who installed the engine from Woolf Barnato's Bentley MKV (chassis number B-16-AW) - it was a time when spare parts were scarce, and engines and gearboxes were readily exchanged, and the originals repaired and fitted to ensuing vehicles. Andrew and his brother Paul restored the car under the watchful eye of the Hythe Road foreman, installing the latest factory improvements to ensure the car was to the optimum specification.

This, their first Bentley restoration, was recently celebrated when the car was invited to, and displayed at, the opening of P & A Wood's new Rolls-Royce showroom. B-34-AW is in fact the last Derby Bentley made.

Following a much more recent restoration of its lightweight body which consists of a steel frame with alloy wings, boot lid, bonnet and doors, `FYL 811' is now resplendent in its original colour of Corniche Maroon and is complemented by Pale Grey hide upholstery and matching Grey carpets bound in leather. According to the vendor, this unique and highly collectable Bentley is `driving superbly'. It is now in need of a fresh keeper - hopefully somebody who will fully appreciate its distinguished history.