1948 Bentley MkVI Special Drophead Coupe
Fitted with a 6¾-litre Bentley V8

Registration No: ABR 375
Chassis No: B122DA
MOT: Exempt

• 1948 Earl's Court Motor Show car
• Rebodied by John Barlow in the style of Figoni et Falaschi
• Fitted with 6¾-litre Bentley V8 and automatic transmission
• Maintained by renowned specialist Jonathan Wood since 2013
• Invoices detailing over £100,000 spent in the last 10 years

It was on the Bentley Motors stand at the 1948 Earl’s Court Motor Show that ‘ABP 375’ made its debut. Clothed in a 4-door 6-light Saloon body by H.J. Mulliner to design number 7059/C, the car with chassis number B122DA was delivered to its first owner, a Mr H. Lumsden-Taylor of County Luxden Laundries Ltd. in November of that same year. Sixty years later, in 2008, the chassis of the Bentley was acquired by well-known Bentley ‘Special’ builder John Barlow. John trained at British Leyland in the bus and truck division as a craft apprentice before completing the technician apprenticeship in 1978 and moving to the drawing office as a design engineer in 1979. After taking redundancy from British Leyland in 1982, together with Ken Jones and Dave Ashley, who were in the same drawing office at British Leyland, set up J.B.A. Engineering Ltd (Jones Barlow Ashley) where John designed the JBA Falcon kit car. He left J.B.A. in 1989 to set up Royale Motor Company and created the Ford-based Royale Windsor and Sabre and the Jaguar-based Royale Drophead. After acquiring ‘ABP 375’, John set off to design a stylish Bentley ‘Special’ Drophead in the style of Figoni et Falaschi. Using his decades of experience in designing and building cars, the production of the fibre-glass body was outsourced to a GRP specialist with specially designed beams incorporated within the panels to avoid the common stress cracks which are found in lesser designs. The body was mounted on a bespoke galvanized sub-frame which bolts directly to the original body mounts on the fully overhauled chassis. The brakes were uprated and the original straight-six engine was replaced with a Bentley 6¾-litre V8 which was mated to an automatic transmission. To finish it off, the car was fitted with power steering and trimmed in supple Red leather with Wilton carpets and veneered door trims and dashboard. Unlike most fibreglass cars, this GRP body is of very high quality, shows no visible cracks or deformation and could easily be mistaken for aluminium or steel due to its solidity and panel fit.

The current vendor bought ‘ABP 375’ in November 2013 and a sheaf of invoices accompanying the car, show in minute detail how, over the last 10 years, the owner and famed Rolls-Royce & Bentley restorer Jonathan Wood have since embarked on a journey to lift an already impressive vehicle to an even higher level of engineering and finish. Well over £100,000 has been spent on fitting a reconditioned 6¾-liter Bentley V8, a redesigned ventilation and heating system, the addition of cruise control and a modern radio with USB and hands-free telephone, a redesigned dashboard and new interior veneers as well as technical & design improvements to brakes, exhaust, suspension, transmission, cooling and steering. The bonnet side panels were redesigned with louvres and handmade in aluminium by Clark & Carter Restorations. Any little squeak, rattle or clunk was investigated, remedied or a redesign carried out if necessary. The fanatical attention to detail is demonstrated by the replacement of all cross-head screws in the interior with stainless raised countersunk slotted screws as these were more in keeping with the design of the car!

Benefitting from a comprehensive service history at the hands of Jonathan Wood and his team, this Bentley 'Royale' is one of the finest Bentley MkVI Specials in the world. With its stunningly elegant Figoni et Falaschi inspired bodywork, the enormous torque of its 6¾-litre V8 and the modern comforts of the automatic transmission, cruise control and uprated heating and ventilation, ‘ABP 375’ is equally suited to drawing admiring glances at the most prestigious car events, cruising across the continent down to St Tropez or, on occasion, to awaken your inner ‘Bentley Boy’ by wiggling its tail and picking up its skirt and run after you’ve given it the full boot. Offered with a current V5 showing John Barlow as the previous keeper, a sheaf of incredibly detailed invoices and a photo album of the build in progress.

For more information, please contact:
Julian Pinkster
julian.pinkster@handh.co.uk
07889 223 904