1947 | Bentley Mark VI Vanden Plas

Sold | £33,350 GBP

• One of just six Drophead Coupés built by Vanden Plas on the Mark VI chassis
• Interesting ownership history, including registration in Lebanon
• Acquired by Jim Boland from Irish Bentley impresario Paul Empey
• Evocative cosmetic restoration with original details throughout

Please note this car is offered without registration papers, bidders should satisfy themselves as to registration requirements in their own jurisdiction.


In May 1946, Bentley unveiled its first post-war model: the Mark VI. While the factory bodywork was limited to a four-door sports saloon, buyers seeking something more individual could, as for decades prior, turn to one of the renowned coachbuilders of the era, such as James Young, Hooper, and Park Ward, for custom coachwork on the Bentley-supplied chassis.

Chassis number B18BH was one of 21 Mark VIs fitted with coachwork by the renowned London firm Vanden Plas, so famous before the war for its rakish sporting bodies on Bentley chassis. The design had, like its contemporaries, evolved into a full-figured, streamlined, deeply curvaceous and slightly baroque theme, reflected in this body, one of six Drophead Coupés created for the Mark VI. The last of the sextet, it was originally delivered in October 1947 to Peter Whaley of L W Whaley & Son on Follifoot Ridge in Harrogate, Yorkshire, and was first registered as “DL 1”, later changed to “GAK251”.

It is noted that the Bentley passed to D Harris of Perman Laboratories in Hull, in 1950 to John Crowther & Sons of Yorkshire, in 1955 to F L Egerton (resident of the Bristol Hotel in Beirut, Lebanon) and finally in 1958 to R Webster of The Beacon House in Monken Hadley, Hertfordshire. Early history in the 1960s is not known, but the Bentley eventually came in 1973 into the hands of Paul Empey, Managing Director of the Irish Rolls-Royce and Bentley importer Huet Motors. From he it was acquired for The Boland Collection, the registration book indicating in the late-1990s.

The last car to be restored by Mr Boland, it wears a rich blue finish over a red leather interior. This significant post-war Bentley still exhibits much signs of originality. Notably, the factory chassis number is still painted onto its frame rail, and of course the Vanden Plas sill plates, it retains the original Bentley Motors bulkhead plate, and such touches as the original radiator tag. At the time of cataloguing it was still in attractive condition, well-suited to countryside drives or club rallies following recommissioning. Please note, following a period of static display, it is recommended that the car is inspected by a mechanic prior to being driven.

Significant as one of just six such cars built, this ranks among the last examples of genuine Vanden Plas coachwork on a Bentley chassis, and in its own way is every bit as rakish and enthralling as the firm’s prewar creations. It is easy to see why it was so tempting to the late Jim Boland—a temptation sure to reach more than a few visitors at Cliveden House.

Please note this lot has entered the UK on a temporary import bond, which must be cancelled either by exporting the lot outside of the UK on an approved Bill of Lading with supporting customs documentation or by paying the applicable VAT and import duties to have the lot remain in the UK.


To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/ch25/.