The 1946 Mark VI was the first post-war Bentley model and thereby a car born in a difficult time of national and global recovery that also had to suit the emerging new world. Clearly the Rolls-Royce Bentley joint company of the era judged their entry into the post-war world correctly, because the Mark VI was the most successful Bentley model to date by the time production ended in 1952. Powered by an all-new 4¼-litre straight-six, the Mark VI platform (effectively a shortened Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith) could be bought as a rolling chassis to pass onto a coachbuilder, as was traditional, but was for the first time also offered with a factory-standard body design fitted and trimmed at Bentley’s own factory. The majority of the 5208 examples built were factory-finished ‘Standard Steel’ models, but around a fifth of them were coachbuilt elsewhere.

The 1949 example you see here has the royal provenance of having been bought new by Lavinia the Duchess of Norfolk, delivered to her in January 1949 with an aluminium ‘sports saloon’ body by highly regarded Kent-based coachbuilder James Young Ltd. The asking price for any Mark VI was as steep as one might imagine, at £5648 in the late 1940s – equivalent to just under £169,000 in today’s money – but the duchess was offered a generous discount by James Young to £5400 (what would now be £161,572). Originally black over grey leather, it was later repainted in the rather fetching blue that it wears elegantly to this day – reminiscent of the Campbell Bluebird speed record machines. Unsurprisingly there were a few special requests in the original order, helping make this a truly one-of-a-kind example of an important Bentley.

On this Mark VI, all four doors open backwards, which is unconventional compared both to modern cars and to the more traditional ‘coach doors’ arrangement where front and rear doors would open in opposite directions. Said doors feel substantial and are decked out in sizable planks of attractively finished wood trim with finger channels in the tops to help you move them smoothly. Once they’re out of the way, an interior finished like a contemporary sitting room awaits, with soft leather adoring the four plush seats. One optional extra requested by the Duchess of Norfolk was to have a pair of armrests in each front seat; the rear bench doesn’t need fold-out armrests as the sides feature solid ones akin to those of a wingback chair, with a chrome ashtray each. Rear passengers also benefit from a pillar-mounted vanity mirror to the side and a fold-out tray hewn from a substantial block of wood in front of them. All of the aforementioned, plus the equally substantial grab handles for all passengers, are in excellent condition, the leather having been replaced in the original colour specification less than three years ago (at a cost of £14,400) but the wood seemingly original.

Up front, occupants are met with a full-width wood dashboard that has aged gently, giving a vintage charm from the pocket watch embedded into the glovebox lid, to the original audio system hanging below the centre of the dash. For the driver, the centre of the steering wheel features adjusters for the throttle and fuel mixture, plus a ‘Riding’ lever for the adjustable shock absorbers. The gear lever for the four-speed manual transmission is between the seat and the door, supposedly so the driver can slide across and exit safely onto the kerb or verge if parked at the roadside; both its grey leather gaiter and gloss black gear knob present in great condition too. Finally, sat within the immaculate replacement headliner is a sliding sunroof for front-seat occupants – believed to have been optioned on fewer than 20 Sports Saloons.

Curiously for something coachbuilt, the James Young body on this Mark VI closely copies the design of a factory Standard Steel car, but is stated by an accompanying info sheet to be made of aluminium – perhaps as a way around the post-war steel shortage and government-imposed limitations on its use, which led to Standard Steel bodies being quite thin. The sheet metal has survived the decades very well – as has the 1960s paintwork which now presents in honest condition, very good for the most part but with blemishes on the passenger-side rear wheel arch in the door jamb and the odd crack at tight corners around the windscreen.

The chrome bumpers show no damage or corrosion at the front and only minor corrosion at the lower corners of the rear (potentially from the rear wheels throwing moisture at them), while the other brightwork including the grille, wheel centres, door handles, bullet-shaped cover for the tailgate opener and the iconic ‘Flying B’ bonnet ornament all present marvellously. Whilst the odd small detail or pockmark may betray the car’s age, it remains straight, true and resplendent overall and draws positive attention from passers-by effortlessly.

According the paperwork included, the car has only wanted for minor things outside of ordinary maintenance for much of its life – gaskets, pipes, seals and such like. With that said, however, less than 1000 miles ago the car underwent refurbishment in three areas; the brakes received a new master cylinder and handbrake cable, the suspension kingpins, bearings and bushes were replaced, a new gearbox mount was fitted and the rear carburettor received a new float. This work came to £3600 as per the invoice included in the paperwork and it means that these critical facets of the car are fresh and thus safe for driving.

As a point of note, the odometer only reads to five digits and displays 57,365 miles. A lengthy description of the car’s life story by a previous owner suggests repeatedly that the true lifetime mileage should be 157,365 miles. In either case, present condition is arguably the more important factor than measuring mileage alone. The Bentley repeatedly started up easily during photoshoot day with the straight-six whisper-quiet at idle, and the seller did not report there being any issues with the car in normal driving.

One look at a Bentley Mark VI shows you a car that looks fit for royalty and the fact that someone of bona fide nobility commissioned this one and owned it for several years backs this impression up beyond question. Born at a time of great change, it still stands today as a vehicle that can still soothe its occupants and spark intrigue in onlookers like few others. It has aged gracefully from a mechanical standpoint as well, because its condition means it’s still capable of eating up miles like a true Bentley. It would be a superb wedding car, a fine ticket to classic car shows and a beguiling way to traverse the country in something rather different from your average motorist.

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