Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely exceptional
and extraordinarily example of this 1949 4.25L 6 cyl Bentley Mark
VI sedan. Bentleys first post-war model, the Mark VI featured an
updated version of the company's pre-war six-cylinder engine, now
with a high-lift camshaft and dual SU carburetors for more
horsepower and known as the Silent Sports Car with a factory-built
Standard Steel Saloon body.Today the saloon presents as an
absolutely exceptionally tidy and well-sorted driver, with recent
mechanical inspection with a new water pump and adjusted carbs etc,
wearing an older restoration in its original Dark Navy Blue color
that would still be pride of show anywhere. Notably, the interior,
swathed in it's all original Light Gray with Dark Blue piping
Connolly leather with beautiful rich woodwork, is particularly
comfortable and sumptuous. Further, the car is offered with full
sets of road and hand tools, as well as its original handbook.The
Livery for this car was finished in a very attractive color
combination, a very Dark Navy Blue color exterior with a dark Red
coachline and with a a sumptuous 'Light Gray amp; Blue Piping'
leather interior. The car has lovely original timber with 'Widow's
Peak' door sill design, original R70 Lucas center driving light,
classical razor edge design, closed rear quarters, a sliding rear
sunroof, painted matching wheel discs with chrome centers and
complete hand and road tools and it's original owner's handbook.In
1946 Bentley introduced the Mark VI which stayed in production
until 1952 with just over 5,200 examples built in total. The Mark
VI's were large and impressive and marked the first automobile
completely constructed by Rolls Royce and signified their desire to
move towards a 'Standardized' body construction. Prior to this all
Rolls Royce amp; Bentley's were provided only a rolling chassis to
the commissioned coachbuilders. The vehicle was then outfitted
under the directions of the individual buyer. The car has the
legendary Bentley 4257cc (4.25 litre) F-Head inline six cylinder
engine with twin SU carburetors and aluminum cylinder head. Power
was sent to the rear courtesy of a 4 speed manual gearbox with a
single plate clutch and synchromesh on 2,3 and top. Top speed is
around 94 mph. Servo assisted drum brakes provided the stopping
power and the suspension were independent with coil springs (still
wrapped in their original factory leather buckled straps!) The car
drives extraordinarily well with the very smooth shifting original
4 speed manual transmission matched to the original 4.25L 6
cylinder engine for an extremely strong and responsive drive and
with the car driving as straight as an arrow with no strange road
wobbles, shakes or rattles, a truly remarkable and daily driver
with supremely smooth and easy transmission shifts in all gears!
The car has adjustable ride control, Lucas fog lights, sealed beam
third headlight, sliding sunroof and a mohair headliner.The Mark VI
was both the first car from the Rolls-Royce factory with all-steel
coachwork and the first complete car assembled and finished at
their factory for Bentley. These very expensive cars when new were
a genuine success and the chassis continued to be supplied to
independent coachbuilders as they had been since inception. Like
pre-war Bentley's they were large, stately and impressive and
featured rear hinged 'suicide' doors at the front with concealed
hinges, a sliding sunroof, a permanently closed windscreen with an
electric defrosting and demisting unit hidden in the scuttle and a
second heater that made use of the coolant and was fitted with an
electric fan beneath the left front seat. Twin screen window wipers
were fitted and provision was made for the fitting of a radio with
a short and flexibly mounted aerial that could be swung up above
the center of the screen.A four-speed syncromesh manual
transmission was fitted in all Bentley MK VI's with the change
lever to the right of the driver on RHD cars and on the column on
LHD versions. The car rode on a massive separate chassis using leaf
springs at the rear and featuring independent coil springing at the
front, quite an impressive advance for the marque in this period. A
control on the steering wheel center adjusts the hardness of the
rear springing by hydraulically adjusting the rear dampers. This is
achieved via opening a check valve that provides pressure by
diverting transmission oil to the dampers. A pedal-operated central
lubrication system type 'Bijur-Girling' allows oil to be applied to
moving parts of the suspension from a central reservoir by using a
foot pedal. This standard steel sports saloon shorter wheelbase
chassis and engine was a variant of the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith
of 1946. In late 1952 both the Rolls Royce Silver Dawn and Bentley
Mk VI standard steel bodies were modified to incorporate a trunk
(boot) of about twice the size and the result became known as the R
type Bentley based on the Chassis number at which the change took
place.For those who are unfamiliar, Rolls Royce amp; Bentley no
longer exists as it had for over one hundred years - this is one of
the original line of cars built in the legendary Rolls Royce
factory in Crewe, England with a quality and craftsmanship that far
surpasses that of today's mass produced models with many BMW parts
- this is a rare opportunity to own a piece of automobile history,
from a time when Rolls Royce and Bentley were truly building the
world's finest motor cars.This increasingly desirable and legendary
marque, 1949 Bentley Mark VI along with it's tall grille and
Bentley 'Flying B' hood ornament mascot on the hood is a moving
work of art from a time when Rolls-Royce and Bentley were famously
building the "Best Cars in the World" with the craftsmanship and
quality of these cars obviously speaking for themselves.So buy with
confidence, this Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Full Classic,
will no doubt prove a fabulous investment for the astute investor,
Bentley or Rolls Royce enthusiast or collector to own one of the
best available Bentley Mark VI cars anywhere!
