1953/79 Bentley R-Type Mallalieu Barchetta

Lot details
Registration No: LWF 71
Chassis No: B364SR
Mot Expiry: Sept 2012

During the late '60s/early '70s, when the Standard Steel Saloon bodies of some MKVI Bentleys had succumbed to tin worm, there was a trend towards replacing them with open-topped alternatives. Not only did they allow fun, wind-in-the-hair motoring, but the reduction in weight endowed the cars with a major increase in performance. A variety of coachbuilders stepped up to the plate, one of the earliest of which was Derry Mallalieu who, having built his first special while in the USA, returned to the UK and set up shop at Wootton near Abingdon. His first production car was completed in 1974 - a 2+2 called the Barchetta. Next came the flowing two-seater Mercia. Though Mallalieu sadly died the following year, his company was already thriving and a good number of Bentley specials were created in its Oxfordshire premises - initially based on MKVI chassis and then on R-Type ones.

The Mallalieu Barchetta being sold - Car Number 25 - left the works in 1979 and was constructed around a suitably modified 1953 Bentley R-Type Saloon. The four-seater is therefore powered by a 4566cc straight-six engine allied to a four-speed manual gearbox, with synchromesh on the top three ratios. Suspension is independent at the front by wishbones and coil springs and by live axle and semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear. Braking is by drums all round - hydraulic at the front; mechanical at the rear. Steering is by cam and roller. Supplied by the Bentley Drivers Club, a high ratio crown wheel and pinion was installed in 1994 and makes the car feel notably more relaxed on A-roads and motorways.

'LWF 71' sports British Racing Green and fabric coachwork teamed with an exquisite Tan leather and polished wood interior, Beige carpets, Black hood and Green painted wire wheels. The Mallalieu and original Bentley chassis plates are mounted side by side on the scuttle. This enticing looking and no doubt rapid special is currently showing just 14,397 miles on the odometer (which is believed to represent the total covered since its creation) and is being sold with a fresh MOT. A real head-turner, the Barchetta is featured in the book 'Bentley Specials and Special Bentleys Volume One' by Ray Roberts. While accompanying paperwork includes a valuation for £75,000 (dated 1990), photocopied correspondence between Mallalieu and the first owner R Buxton Esq. of Buxton Road Mill, Leek plus invoices from the likes of Healey Bros, Andrew Baldwin, P&A Wood and Jonathan Wood (the latter's totalling nearly £5,000).

PLEASE NOTE: This vehicle has an MOT until Sept 2012.