1949 Bentley Mark VI Drophead Coupe

The Bentley Mark VI was the first Bentley with completely new postwar design. It was powered by a new F-head 4.3-liter engine featuring overhead intake, side exhaust valves and an aluminum cylinder head. The Mark VI was the first Bentley with standard factory-designed bodywork (built by Pressed Steel of Oxford), however, custom coachwork was still available. A total of 4,949 were produced through 1952. The H.J. Mulliner designs that followed were elegant, hand-built, and featured graceful Art Deco forms and details.

This example is one of those 12 dropheads produced and one of just five that feature the concealed-head design, internally designated 7121. It was originally ordered through John Croall & Sons for Eva S. Borthwick-Norton. The car was ordered with the family's preferred color, deep maroon, with grey upholstery and walnut woodwork. It was outfitted with ashtrays, Lucas mirrors, double-thickness floor mats, sun visors, a radio, and a suitcase.

This car, the last of the 12 built, was comleted in July of 1951 and delivered through John Croall & Sons to Eva S. Borthwick-Norton, one of the wealthiest landowners in Great Britain and a collector of significant old master paintings and Chippendale furniture. Along with her husband, Eva owned the village of Southwick near Portsmouth, England. Several years later, it became the property of Bolton politician A.L. Tillotson. In the early 1960s, it came to the United States and into the car of its current owner, a California resident. During the 1980s and 1990s, the car was given a restoration and later, a mechanical refurbishment.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was estimated to sell for $75,000 - $100,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $104,500 including buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2019