1948 Bentley Mk VI Saloon
No Reserve

Registration No: LSV 242
Chassis No: B478DA
MOT: Exempt

• In current ownership for nearly four decades (since 1988)
• Lavished with a full professional bodywork restoration in its original colour shortly after the vendor's purchase
• Last on the road in 2015, and now offered in need of recommissioning
• Supplied new viâ Jack Olding & Co. Ltd. of London, W.1

Introduced in 1946, Bentley's Mk. VI was the first vehicle ever offered by the company with factory-designed coachwork, and the first to be assembled in Rolls-Royce's Crewe factory rather than the old Derby premises. Aimed at the emerging 'owner-driver' luxury car market, the newcomer was closely based on the 1939 Mk. V (of which only fifteen were produced). Built around a massive cruciform-braced chassis with independent front suspension and a leaf-sprung 'live' rear axle, it was fitted with a freshly developed 4,257cc OISE (overhead inlet, side exhaust valve) straight-six engine mated to a four-speed manual gearbox. Capable of over 100mph when clad in the factory's understated 'standard steel saloon' coachwork, the Mk. VI quickly developed a reputation for being a refined yet responsive drive.

Attractively presented in a very fetching but not so common Maroon, this 1948 Mk. VI is offered as a very worthwhile recommissioning project after being owned for almost forty years by one enthusiast owner. Chassis B-478-DA was finished in Maroon from new, with the build records indicating that it was finished with a single body line with Beige hide upholstery, Fawn headlining, and Maroon carpets. It was then sold through Jack Olding & Co. of London W.1, but little further history is known until 1985, when the Bentley was acquired by a private owner in Nottinghamshire.

Painted Cream, it was thereafter seen in service as a wedding car before the present owner took it upon himself to return it to its former glory, and acquired it in 1988. He proceeded to treat it to a professional bodywork restoration to its original colour scheme over the ensuing years. Upon its completion, the owner very much enjoyed driving the Bentley to rallies and other events, but circumstances eventually compelled him to take it off the road in 2015, since when it has been dry-stored in a garage. It now appears as a straightforward recommissioning project, with the engine recently having been spun over on the starter by the (now retired) mechanic who has maintained it in the current ownership. Displaying a large degree of originality and some gentle patina, it would possibly make an ideal entry into the world of classic Bentleys. The Mk. VI is offered for sale with a substantial selection of photographs of the restoration, the current V5C, and copies of the Bentley factory build sheets.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452