1950 Bentley Mk. VI H. J. Mulliner Sports Saloon
Coachwork to Design 7122 by H. J. Mulliner

Registration No: LLP 188
Chassis No: B78HR
MOT: July 2026

• Supplied new to G. N. Hunter of the Sun Engraving Co. Ltd. who produced the Tactical Targets book for RAF pilots for the Normandy landings on D-Day
• Mulliner bodied Mk. VI Bentley to Design 7122
• Known ownership history from new
• Subject to a phenomenal c.£113,500 expenditure since 1989
• Supplied with a large history file dating back to the build records

Introduced in 1946, the Mk. VI was Bentley's first post-war model. 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. However, despite the excellence of the 'basic' car, there remained a core of marque enthusiasts (around one in five, in fact) who found its styling too anonymous and preferred to commission bespoke coachwork. A prestigious coachbuilder with an eye for elegance, H. J. Mulliner clothed some 307 Mk. VI chassis.

Of all the coachbuilders commissioned to style the Mk. VI, the two most popular were H. J. Mulliner and Park Ward. The former produced a range of designs, of which the Design 7122 semi-razoredge saloon proved particularly well-received; a structurally-improved version of the earlier Design 7059/C, around 160 of both designs were built and chassis B78HR was among them. Delivered in November, 1950, it received body number 5184 and was originally finished in Black Pearl over Vauxhall Grey, with Dark Blue hide upholstery. It retailed through J. Olding Ltd. and was purchased by George Noel Hunter of the Sun Engraving Co., London WC2. One of the world’s largest printing firms, Sun worked with many major publishing houses and notably produced the Tactical Targets map books, which directed British troops during the 1944 invasion of Normandy.

Pleasingly retaining its original registration ‘LLP 188’, B78HR is now resplendent in Navy over Smoke Blue. It was upgraded with overdrive in the 1960s and is understood to have had just nine owners from new. Resident for a time in California, it spent a short period in Germany where the engine was comprehensively overhauled in 1992. It returned to Britain in 1996, and spent the period from 1998 to 2023 in the care of one particularly attentive enthusiast. The Bentley has received £113,468 of expenditure between 1989 and the present and was the winner of its class at the 2009 Bentley Drivers’ Club Concours.

In the hands of the current owner, a Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club member for 38 years, it has benefitted from further work including a service, replacement of the oil filter and seal, and fitment of the correct type of rear number plate. It is offered with a huge history file including copies of the chassis records, ownership history, a buff logbook, some historic photographs, American and German documents, MOTs and invoices back to 1989 and a detailed maintenance and mileage log beginning in 1998. It boasts an MOT with no advisories valid until July, 2026, and will be driven to the sale from Sheffield.

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