Bentley MkVI Standard Steel Saloon

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Beautifully built in the finest Bentley tradition, the stately MkVI made its debut in May 1946 after months of painstaking development to ensure that it would pass muster on the crucial export market.

For the first time ever at Crewe, the decision was taken to produce a standard model with an all steel body, thus doing away with the traditional handmade aluminium panels and ash frame of its predecessors. This enabled the firm to keep assembly of the car largely in-house although, with high volume aspirations, the body shells were farmed out to specialists Pressed Steel Ltd. in Coventry, the completed units returning to Crewe for painting, trimming and final assembly.

The chassis itself was a traditional cruciform structure with leaf springs at the rear and independent coils up front, a central lubrication system allowing oil to be applied to moving parts of the suspension from a central reservoir. Reassuringly powerful servo assisted drum brakes provided ample retardation.

Motive power came from a beautifully smooth 4.25-litre straight-six with twin SU carbs and an aluminium cylinder head, driving the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox (floor-mounted to the right of the driver) with a single plate clutch. With a top speed of 95mph, the big saloon could hold its own with most sports car of the day.

The MkVI enjoyed considerable success both at home and abroad with some 5,200 cars leaving the factory before it was replaced by the largely similar R-Type in 1952. “Years of painstaking research and development with mechanical perfection as the goal show their results unmistakably. Smoothness and quietness and sheer quality are in the superlative," was how Autocar summed it up.

This particular MkVI was supplied new in October 1950 to Lloyd Tyrell-Kenyon, 5th Baron of Gredington in the county of Flint. A passionate bibliophile and a leading collector of English liturgical manuscripts, Lord Kenyon was also a noted university and museum administrator and is widely credited as the man who transformed the National Portrait Gallery from an obscure refuge for devotees of historical portraiture into one of the world’s most celebrated national galleries, being chairman of the trustees for over 20 years.

The Bentley has been in the current ownership for the last four years during which time work has been carried out to the exhaust system and brakes. The chassis, which is in excellent condition (as shown in photographs on our website), has also recently benefited from rust proofing as has the entire underbody.

The car has the advantage of the fully revised steering and front suspension that Bentley introduced to the model in 1950 to give better handling and greater steering accuracy.

The owner describes the mechanical condition as ‘good’, the bodywork as ‘good’ and the paintwork and chrome as ‘reasonable’, although the original and nicely patinated blue leather interior requires localised attention to the front seats. The matching set of radial tyres are described as ‘excellent’.

Forming part of a collection of fascinating vehicles amassed by the vendor over the years, the Bentley is said to start, run and drive well, although the last MOT expired in January 2013 (no longer being required under the new regulations which exempt pre-1960 vehicles from this test). Eminently useable as it is, this grand old dowager can be allowed to age gracefully or could be turned into a very smart example indeed with relatively little effort.

These MkVI Bentleys have many fine qualities and we can't help feeling that they are significantly undervalued in the current market, a point recently echoed by influential pundit, Quentin Willson. Another one to buy now before everyone else cottons on, perhaps?

Please note that the true colour of this car is much closer to picture 1 and 8 (ramp shot) than it appears to be in the other photographs.