1951 Bentley Mark VI Fixed Head Coupe

There were 5202 examples of the Bentley Mark VI constructed with 4190 of those being constructed with the Standard Steel configuration. Many were given bodies by the factory but a few were left for custom coachwork by outside builders. Many of the custom coachbuilt bodies were handled by the Park Ward & Company. The company was established in 1919 by William McDonald Park and Charles W. Ward. They were located in Willesden, London. Their first Bentley custom coachbuilt body by Park Ward was constructed in 1923. When Rolls-Royce gained ownership of Bentley, Park Ward became the prominent coachbuilder for Bentley automobiles. More than half of all Derby Bentley's were bodied by Park Ward.

In 1939, Rolls-Royce purchased the Park Ward Company and became the coachbuilder's sole customer. As such, most of the custom coachbuilt Bentley's were also clothed by Park Ward.

This 1951 Bentley Mark VI Coupe has a custom built body by Park Ward. It is powered by a 4257-cc F-head six-cylinder engine that is matted to a four-speed manual gearbox.

Park Ward bodied 16 of these Fixed-Head Coupes on the Mark VI chassis. This car spent its early life in Sussex, England before being sent to the US in the 1960s. During the 1970s it was a regular entrant at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It participated in the 2004 Pebble Beach Motoring Classic where it completed the 1000 mile journey without issue.

This car was estimated to sell for $75,000-$125,000 at auction and was offered without reserve. On auction day this magnificent vehicle failed to meet the estimated value but was sold non-the-less. It was sold for $56,100.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2007