1952 Bentley MkVI 4½ Litre Drophead Coupe
1 of just 57 cars bodied by Park Ward to their Design Nr. 99

Registration No: OTO 620
Chassis No: B455NY
MOT: Exempt

• Restored during the 1990s and still presents as a very usable car today
• Desirable 'Long Wing' Park Ward Drophead Coupe coachwork
• Supplied with copies of the original chassis cards and rare original owner's manuals

Introduced in 1946, the MkVI was Bentley's first post-war model. Aimed at the emerging 'owner-driver' luxury car market, the newcomer was closely based on the 1939 MkV (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 4257cc 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 MkVI quickly developed a reputation for being a refined yet responsive drive. The availability of the so-called 'Big Bore' 4566cc powerplant from late 1951 onwards brought a welcome increase in flexibility and acceleration. However, despite the excellence of the 'basic' car, there remained a core of marque enthusiasts who found its styling too anonymous. Known for the quality and elegance of its renderings, Park Ward clothed some 172 MkVI chassis. Decidedly elegant, the London coachbuilder's design number 99 - a well-proportioned four-seater drophead coupe with full flowing wings – was bought by the likes of: His Majesty King Frederik IX of Denmark, Nubar S. Gulbenkian, His Royal Highness Prince Frederick of Prussia, Maharaja of Darbhanga, Viscountess Errington, the actor John Mills, Miss Marjorie Carnegie, Prince Berar of Hyderabad, 6th Marquis of Bath and shipping magnate Stavros Spyrou Niarchos.

According the accompanying copies of the original chassis cards, chassis B455NY was first delivered on the 19th August 1952 to S K Fletcher of Berrey & Underwood Ltd, Talbot Street, Nottingham by the supplying dealer, Bennetts of Nottingham and was specified originally in Tudor Grey with a Maroon interior. The first owner is understood to have kept the car until 30th June 1961 when it became the property of Major Carr of Trowbridge, Wiltshire who kept the car until April 1963. At this point, J H Beynon of Stroud, Gloucestershire became the third owner and then the final recorded owner on the chassis card was a H A Bluck of Poole, Dorset in July 1965. Little is known of the history of the car from then until the mid 1980s when the car was understood to have been acquired by a gentleman who restored the car into the Maroon and Cream over Cream Leather colour scheme that the car presents in today. He kept the car until 2016, when the car was sold to France where it has been noted that the brakes were overhauled in 2021. The car was then repatriated to the UK after being sold in 2022 and the original registration number was allocated back to the car and now the current V5C shows one former keeper.

The vendor has advised that although the last restoration was around fourty years ago, the car still presents as a very solid example that is testament to the coachworking of Park Ward. Cosmetically, the car wears some level of patina both internally and externally that a prospective new owner may choose to improve upon although it may be the perfect opportunity to simply 'use and improve'. The vendor also confirms that the car is mechanically sound and on our inspection the car started from cold relatively quickly despite having been sat for a number of weeks.

As good examples of this body style typically achieve well into six figures, we feel that the conservative estimate presents a fantastic opportunity for any purchaser to make improvements well within the potential value achievable for this example.

For more information, please contact:
Lucas Gomersall
lucas.gomersall@handh.co.uk
07484 082430