Open Two-Seater
Coachwork: Carlton Carriage Company
Chassis #: B55KU
Engine #: B7BK
Bentley produced 1,234 examples of their 4¼-Litre chassis; of those, 530 received coachwork by Park Ward, and most of them were steel saloons. Only a few Derby Bentley cars, however, received bodies from a more exclusive body builder named Carlton. The company was originally known as the E.B. Hall & Company, a North London horse-drawn carriage maker. It evolved into designing and building special car bodies on a few select Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Daimler chassis. After they were licensed to produce the Weymann fabric bodies, they changed the company name to Carlton Carriage Company. The Carlton Carriage Company built just four bodies on the 4¼-Litre chassis. This particular example, chassis number B55KU, is the only two-seater open tourer ever built. The others were a sedanca coupe, a saloon, and a four-seater drophead coupe.The design has the touring spare placed in the front wing rather than the boot lid. It has Ace deluxe wheel discs (also known as 'Easi-Clean'), a vintage Bentley-type fold-down twin aeroscreen (often called the Brooklands windscreen), a correct slanted Winged B mascot, and its original Marschal headlamps and centrally mounted driving lamp. Under the bonnet is a correctly restored engine. It is finished in its period-correct color scheme of midnight blue with a saddle tan interior.
The original owner ordered this car with special-order instruments. There is a Smiths tachometer with a clock built into its center top. The speedometer and tachometer are positioned to the left of the driver's position. The ignition and lamp switch are placed even further left, in front of the single-passenger seat.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2014
1937 Bentley 4¼ Liter
Bentley
2014 RM Auctions at Monterey
Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $1,400,000-USD $1,600,000
Sale Price :
USD $1,595,000
1937 Bentley 4¼ Liter Auction Sales
Recent Sales of the Bentley 4¼ Liter
(Data based on Model Year 1937 sales)
1937 BENTLEY 4¼-LITRE PILLARLESS SALOON BY VANDEN PLAS Chassis#: B127JY Sold for USD$124,620 2021 RM Sothebys : A Passion for Elegance | |
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre All-weather Tourer Chassis#: B179JY Sold for USD$192,954 2018 Bonhams : London Olympia | |
1937 BENTLEY 4-1/4-LITER SEDAN Chassis#: B190KT Sold for USD$37,400 2018 Barrett-Jackson : Las Vegas | |
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre 'Woodie' Shooting Brake Chassis#: B142JD Sold for USD$135,128 2018 Bonhams : Goodwood Revival | |
1937 BENTLEY 4 1/4 SALOON Chassis#: B92KT Sold for USD$53,000 2017 Dragone Lime Rock Park | |
1937 Bentley 4 ¼ Litre Fixed Head Coupe Chassis#: B91JY Sold for USD$286,000 2017 Worldwide Auctioneers : Scottsdale, AZ | |
1937 BENTLEY 4 ¼ LITER ALL-WEATHER PHAETON Coachwork by Thrupp & Maberly, Ltd. Chassis#: B-39-KU Sold for USD$173,250 2016 Bonhams : The Amelia Island Auction | ![]() ![]() |
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre Sports Saloon Project Chassis#: B188LS Sold for USD$21,280 2015 Bonhams : The Beaulieu Sale | |
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre 'Aerofoil' Sports Saloon Chassis#: B90KT Sold for USD$385,603 2015 Bonhams : The Chantilly Sale | |
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre Open Two-Seater by Carlton Chassis#: B55KU Sold for USD$1,595,000 2014 RM Auctions at Monterey | ![]() ![]() |
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre Parallel-Door Sedanca Coupé Chassis#: B28KT Sold for USD$234,797 2014 LES GRANDES MARQUES DU MONDE AU GRAND PALAIS | |
1937 Bentley 4.25 Litre Vanden Plas Coupe Chassis#: B128KT Sold for USD$226,928 2013 H & H - Rockingham Castle | |
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre Saloon Chassis#: B117KU Sold for USD$35,588 2012 RM Auctions - London | |
1937 Bentley 4 ¼ Litre Sports Saloon Sold for USD$30,542 2012 Coys - Blenheim Palace | |
1937 Bentley 4.25 Litre Vanden Plas Pillarless Saloon Chassis#: B127JY Sold for USD$31,042 2012 H & H Auctions - Rockingham Castle | |
1937 Bentley 4 ¼ Litre Coupé by Gurney Nutting Sold for USD$293,146 2012 Coys Auction - Monaco 'Legende et Passion' | |
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre Drophead Coupe Chassis#: B197HM Sold for USD$91,048 2012 Bonhams - Collectors' Motor Cars and Automobilia | |
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre All Weather Tourer Chassis#: B170KT Sold for USD$212,901 2011 Bonhams - The December Sale | |
1937 Bentley 4¼ Litre Allweather Convertible Chassis#: B7HM Sold for USD$249,683 2011 Bonhams - Collectors' Motor Cars | |
1937 Bentley 4¼ Litre Disappearing Hood Sports Tourer by Hooper Chassis#: B190LS Sold for USD$208,221 2011 RM Auctions - Salon Privé |
Bentley 4¼ Liters That Failed To Sell At Auction
1937 Bentley 4¼ Liter's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre Drophead Coupé By Vanden Plas | B 32 KT | 2023 RM Sothebys : Paris | $175,000 | $225,000 | |
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre All-weather Tourer | B7HM | 2021 Bonhams : Goodwood Revival : Collectors Motor Cars and Automobilia | $90,000 | $140,000 | |
1937 BENTLEY 4¼-LITRE BROUGHAM SALOON | B33JY | 2021 Bonhams : The Bond Street Sale | $70,000 | $100,000 | |
1937 Bentley 4¼ Litre Derby Park Ward Razor Edge Pillarless Saloon | 2019 Shannons Melbourne Summer Classic | ||||
1937 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Sports Tourer | B1KU | 2019 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach | $400,000 | $500,000 | |
1937 Bentley 4 ¼ Litre Aerofoil Sports Saloon | B 90 KT | 2017 Bonhams : The Chantilly Sale | $300,000 | $400,000 | |
1937 Bentley 4¼ LITER SPORTS SALOON | B119KU | 2017 Bonhams : Scottsdale, AZ | $150,000 | $180,000 | |
1937 Bentley 4¼-Litre Drophead Coupé | B79KU | 2016 Bonhams : The Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | $180,000 | $240,000 | |
1937 Bentley 4.25 Litre Vanden Plas Style Tourer | B-183-JY | 2012 The Pavilion Gardens | |||
1937 Bentley 4 1/4-Litre Sedanca Coupe | B70KT | 2011 Gooding and Company Pebble Beach Auctions | $300,000 | $400,000 | |
1937 BENTLEY VANDEN PLAS DROPHEAD COUPE | 2001 Kruse Auction Scottsdale Arizona | $47,500 | |||
1937 BENTLEY VANDEN PLAS DROPHEAD COUPE | 2001 Kruse Auction Scottsdale Arizona | $51,000 |
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1937 Bentley 4¼ Liter
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