Image credit: © conceptcarz.com (Reproduction Or reuse prohibited).
This 1939 Bentley 4.25 Litre Sports Coupe is known as the 'Honeymoon Express.' It was built for the chairman of the coachbuilder Park Ward and was shown at the Earls Court Motor Show in London in 1938. It is one of very few two-passenger cars built on the 4.25 Litre 'Derby' chassis and was lavishly outfitted with bespoke features, including a sunshine roof, frameless Triplex side windows, deluxe wheel discs and unique rear wheel spats. A particularly racy feature is the power-operated blind for the rear window. During the war it was used by London Rolls-Royce dealer R.A. Robertson, who had it painted in camouflage in a successful effort to avoid the German bombs. In the 1960s it was acquired by Maurice Richmond while on active duty in the US military and was brought to the United States for restoration.
This 1939 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Sports Coupe rests atop an MR Series chassis and its coachwork was created by Park Ward Ltd. for display on their stand at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1938. Among its unique and modern designs were the sliding, Webasto roof panel, frameless side windows, and rear-wheel spats. It had a power-activated rear window privacy shade, and limited truck space located behind the seats. The car's Art Deco-inspired styling and privacy shade prompted the motoring press to nickname the car, the 'Honeymoon Express.'
The Bentley was used by the chairman of Park Ward Ltd. for several months as his personal transport following its display at Earls Court. By April, ownership had passed to London Rolls-Royce dealer R.A. Robertson, who had the Coupe repainted in camouflage during the war years. It would pass through a succession of UK-based ownership before entering the care of an American serviceman name Maurice Richmond in 1965 while stationed in the U.K.
In 1967, the Bentley was imported to the United States and remained in California for the next 35 years. In 2002, it was purchased from Mr. Richmond by Charles Crail, also of California, who sold it to UK- and Belgium-based collector George Rombouts-Howitt. While in Mr. Rombouts-Howitt's care, the car was given a full mechanical and cosmetic restoration by Wildae Restorations Ltd. in Devon, and Alpine Eagle Ltd. in Oxford, England.
After the seven-year restoration was completed in 2011, the car participated in a Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts' Club Annual Rally where it secured the Peter Blond Award. The following year, it was selected from over 100 applicants to participate in the Louis Vuitton Classic Serenissima Run. At the conclusion of the event, the Bentley was awarded the Coachbuilders Golden Age Award.
Robert Mirvis acquired the Bentley in 2015 and had it reimported to the United States and had it displayed at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2015, where it earned a class award. The following March, the Bentley Coupe received First in Class honors at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. Later in 2016, the car was purchased by its present caretaker.By Daniel Vaughan | May 2022
The Bentley was used by the chairman of Park Ward Ltd. for several months as his personal transport following its display at Earls Court. By April, ownership had passed to London Rolls-Royce dealer R.A. Robertson, who had the Coupe repainted in camouflage during the war years. It would pass through a succession of UK-based ownership before entering the care of an American serviceman name Maurice Richmond in 1965 while stationed in the U.K.
In 1967, the Bentley was imported to the United States and remained in California for the next 35 years. In 2002, it was purchased from Mr. Richmond by Charles Crail, also of California, who sold it to UK- and Belgium-based collector George Rombouts-Howitt. While in Mr. Rombouts-Howitt's care, the car was given a full mechanical and cosmetic restoration by Wildae Restorations Ltd. in Devon, and Alpine Eagle Ltd. in Oxford, England.
After the seven-year restoration was completed in 2011, the car participated in a Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts' Club Annual Rally where it secured the Peter Blond Award. The following year, it was selected from over 100 applicants to participate in the Louis Vuitton Classic Serenissima Run. At the conclusion of the event, the Bentley was awarded the Coachbuilders Golden Age Award.
Robert Mirvis acquired the Bentley in 2015 and had it reimported to the United States and had it displayed at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2015, where it earned a class award. The following March, the Bentley Coupe received First in Class honors at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. Later in 2016, the car was purchased by its present caretaker.By Daniel Vaughan | May 2022
2022 Gooding & Company : Amelia Island Auction
Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $700,000-USD $900,000
Sale Price :
USD $775,000
2016 RM Sotheby's : Monterey
Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $750,000-USD $900,000
Sale Price :
USD $770,000
2015 RM Auctions - Paris
Pre-Auction Estimates :
€600,000-€725,000
Sale Price :
USD $769,440 (€ 672,000.00)
1939 Bentley 4¼ Liter Auction Sales
Recent Sales of the Bentley 4¼ Liter
(Data based on Model Year 1939 sales)
1939 Bentley 4¼-Litre Vanden Plas-style Tourer Chassis#: B-143-MX Sold for USD$120,829 2022 Bonhams : Goodwood Revival | |
1939 BENTLEY 4 1/4 LITRE SPORTS COUPE Chassis#: B30MR Sold for USD$775,000 2022 Gooding & Company : Amelia Island Auction | |
1939 Bentley 4¼-Litre Vanden Plas-style Tourer Chassis#: B-137-MX Sold for USD$215,629 2020 Bonhams : Goodwood Speedweek | |
1939 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Cabriolet Chassis#: B160 MR Sold for USD$687,139 2020 Gooding & Company : Passion of a Lifetime | |
1939 Bentley 4¼-Litre All-weather Cabriolet Chassis#: B-80-MR Sold for USD$131,605 2019 Collector's Motor Cars and Automobilia, RAF Museum Hendon | |
1939 Bentley 4 ¼ Liter Pillarless Coupe Chassis#: B131MX Sold for USD$199,360 2019 Bonhams : Quail Lodge Auction | |
1939 Bentley 4¼-Litre Tourer Chassis#: B-7-MX Sold for USD$207,572 2018 Bonhams : London Olympia | |
1939 Bentley 4¼ Tourer Coachwork by Dick Brockman in the style of Vanden Plas Chassis#: B 136 MX Sold for USD$197,120 2018 Bonhams : Amelia Island Auction | |
1939 Bentley 4¼-Litre 'Embiricos' Coupe Recreation by Bob Petersen Engineering Chassis#: B119MX Sold for USD$671,000 2017 RM Auctions : Amelia Island | |
1939 BENTLEY 4¼ LITER Coupe Chassis#: B131MX Sold for USD$172,700 2017 Bonhams : The Amelia Island Auction | |
1939 Bentley 4¼-Litre Sports Coupe 'Honeymoon Express' by Park Ward Chassis#: B30MR Sold for USD$770,000 2016 RM Sotheby's : Monterey | |
1939 BENTLEY 4¼-LITRE 'RAZOR EDGE' BROUGHAM SALOON Chassis#: B66LS Sold for USD$71,314 2015 Bonhams : The December Sale | |
1939 BENTLEY 4¼-LITRE DROPHEAD COUPÉ Chassis#: B95LE Sold for USD$383,419 2015 Bonhams : The December Sale | |
1939 Bentley 4¼-Litre Sports Coupé 'Honeymoon Express' by Park Ward Chassis#: B30MR Sold for USD$769,440 2015 RM Auctions - Paris | |
1939 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Overdrive Chassis#: B119MX Sold for USD$472,051 2013 Coys - Techno Classica | |
1939 Bentley 4¼-Litre 'High Vision' Sports Saloon Chassis#: B148MR Sold for USD$76,095 2013 Bonhams - Collectors' Motor Cars and Automobilia | |
1939 Bentley Vanvooren Sunroof Coupe Custom Ordered from Bentley by Lucie Vogt Chassis#: B132LS Sold for USD$330,000 2012 Mecum - Monterey, CA | |
1939 Bentley 4.25 Litre Experimental Saloon by Park Ward Chassis#: 3B50 11 Sold for USD$21,043 2012 H & H Donnington Priory | |
1939 Bentley 4 ¼ Litre MX Sports Saloon by Park Ward Sold for USD$73,729 2012 Coys - Blenheim Palace | |
1939 Bentley 4¼-Litre Vanden Plas Style Tourer Chassis#: B164MR Sold for USD$146,388 2012 Bonhams - Collectors' Motor cars and Automobilia at Goodwood |
Bentley 4¼ Liters That Failed To Sell At Auction
1939 Bentley 4¼ Liter's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1939 Bentley 4¼ Litre Sedanca Coupé in the style of Henri Chapron | B185MX | 2024 RM Sothebys : Cliveden House | $80,000 | $140,000 | |
1939 BENTLEY 4¼-LITRE VANDEN PLAS-STYLE TOURER | B-133-MX | 2020 Bonhams : The Golden Age of Motoring Sale (1886 1939) | $150,000 | $200,000 | |
1939 Bentley 4¼ Litre James Young Fixed Coupe | 2018 Shannons Sydney Spring Classic | ||||
1939 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Tourer | B25MX | 2018 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach | $900,000 | $1,200,000 | |
1939 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Pillarless Coupe | B131MX | 2018 Gooding & Company : Scottsdale, Az. | $250,000 | $325,000 | |
1939 Bentley 4¼-Litre Drophead Coupé | B137MX | 2016 Bonhams : Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais | $200,000 | $250,000 | |
1939 Bentley 4.25 Litre Touring Saloon | B149MX | 2013 H & H Auctions Imperial War Museum | |||
1939 Bentley 4.25 Litre Touring Saloon | B149MX | 2013 H & H Auctions Imperial War Museum | |||
1939 Bentley 4.25 Litre Experimental Saloon by Park Ward | 3B50 | 2012 H & H Auctions Rockingham Castle | |||
1939 Bentley 4¼-Litre M-Series Sports Saloon | B83MX | 2012 Bonhams Paris, La Halle Freyssinet Motocars | $85,000 | $100,000 | |
1939 Bentley ¼ Litre MX Overdrive Drophead Coupe by Vanden Plas | B191MX | 2011 Coys Auction Blenheim Palace | $150,000 | $175,000 | |
1939 Bentley 4¼ Liter | B102 MR | 2010 Bonhams Greenwich Concours d'EleganceCollectors' Motorcars | $80,000 | $100,000 | |
1939 Bentley 4.25 Liter Pillarless Saloon | 2006 Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction | $160,000 | $225,000 |
Vehicles With Comparable Market Values
Similar sales to the $295,814 range.
1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV Chassis#:DB4/882/L Sold for $296,233 2024 RM Sothebys : Monaco | |
1976 LEOPARD 1 A5 BATTLE TANK Chassis#:OTO168 Sold for $297,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Palm Beach | |
1930 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Transformable Cabriolet by Castagna Chassis#:1585 Sold for $298,523 2024 RM Sothebys : Paris | |
1962 CHEVROLET IMPALA SS CUSTOM COUPE Chassis#:21847F143551 Sold for $297,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1966 SUPERFORMANCE GT40 MKII KEN MILES SPECIAL EDITION Chassis#:GT40P2415 Sold for $297,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1958 CHEVROLET CORVETTE CUSTOM CONVERTIBLE Chassis#:AZ393315 Sold for $293,700 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1932 Ford Sedan Delivery Deluxe Sold for $297,000 2024 Mecum : Kissimmee | |
2020 McLaren 720S Spider Chassis#:sbm14fca8lw005066 Sold for $297,000 2024 Mecum : Kissimmee | |
1969 Pontiac GTO Ram Air IV Convertible Chassis#:242679r167185 Sold for $297,000 2024 Mecum : Kissimmee | |
1973 BMW 3.0 CSL 'Works Evocation' Chassis#:2285395 Sold for $298,534 2023 RM Sothebys : Munich | |
1965 Porsche 912 Prototype Chassis#:13415 Sold for $297,000 2023 Mecum : 2023 Monterey | |
1969 Datsun Fairlady Z432 Chassis#:ps3000105 Sold for $297,000 2023 Mecum : 2023 Monterey | |
2015 Lagonda Taraf Sports Saloon Chassis#:SCFTMDCS4FGS50011 Sold for $294,025 2023 Bonhams : Festival of Speed | |
1965 FERRARI 212 BARCHETTA ROADSTER RE-CREATION Chassis#:330GT6513 Sold for $297,000 2023 Barrett-Jackson : Palm Beach | |
1989 Porsche 911 Speedster Chassis#:WP0EB0917KS173811 Sold for $296,500 2023 Broad Arrow Group : Amelia Island | |
1968 Porsche 911 S Coupe Chassis#:11801121 Sold for $293,750 2023 RM Sothebys : Amelia Island | |
1989 Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 G50 Coupé Chassis#:WPOZZZ93ZKS000690 Sold for $295,032 2023 Bonhams : Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris | |
1939 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet Project Chassis#:57751 Sold for $295,032 2023 Bonhams : Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris | |
1993 Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 Coupé Chassis#:WP0ZZZ96ZPS470438 Sold for $295,032 2023 Bonhams : Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris | |
1954 Porsche 356 Pre- A 1500 Coupe Chassis#:51678 Sold for $295,400 2023 Bonhams : Scottsdale Auction |
1939 Bentley 4¼ Liter
• Additional valuation insight and sales data• History
• Specifications
• Image gallery
• Other Bentley 4¼ Liter model years