1952 Bentley Mark VI Coupe

The Bentley Mark VI was the first Bentley introduced by Rolls-Royce after the war, and it was the first car in the company's history to be supplied with a factory-installed body - in this case, one built by the Pressed Steel Body Co. Over the life of the Mark IV (production ran from 1946 to 1952), about 20% of customers continued to favor custom coachbuilders, as the factory body did not necessarily reflect their individual tastes.

This is the last of a series of fourteen Bentley Mark VI chassis to have Pinin Farina coachwork; it was completed in October of 1951 for export to the Geneva Auto Show in Switzerland. It has lived, literally, all over the world.

Its first owner kept the car in Switzerland until his demise in 1969. It was then sold to a Swiss Collector who sold it to Frank Dale & Stepsons in 1971. It remained in their care for 15 years and was eventually imported to the United States before relocating to Japan. From there it spent another ten years back in England before arriving in the United States.

In 2011, it was restored and refinished in its original colors. The body, chassis and engine have never been separated. Thanks to the current owner, this beautiful one-off has been saved for posterity.