Bentley Mark VI
(1946 – 1952)
Bentley Mark VI, 1948, #B81DZ, Standard Steel Sports Saloon. Early models did neither sport a chrome strip on the waistline nor A-post fitted air-intakes.
The Bentley Mark VI marked a radical change for Rolls-Royce. It was the first car to be offered by the company with factory built coachwork. The Standard Steel Saloon body was produced at Pressed Steel’s factory. Powered by a six cylinder in-line F-head engine (inlet over exhaust) with a capacity of originally 4,257 cc the car performed really impressive. From those coachbuilders who had remained in business but few were able to significantly enhance the balanced lines of the standard coachwork. About 20 % of the Bentley Mark VIs’ were fitted with coachbuilt bodies. From 1949 left hand drive MkVIs were available; from 1951 onward an engine with increased capacity of 4.566 cc did improve performance
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Bentley Mark VI, 1947, #B136BH, Graber Drophead Coupé. Hermann Graber’s company Carrosserie Graber of Wichtrach near Berne in Switzerland was to become the most successful non-English coachbuilder on post-war Bentley motor cars. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Vladimir Bär)
Technical Data:
6 cylinder in-line engine, bore x stroke 88.9 x 114.3 mm (3 1/2 x 4 1/2 in), capacity 4,257 cc (from 1951 bore x stroke 92.08 x 114.3 mm (3 5/8 x 4 1/2 in) capacity 4,566 cc); aluminium alloy cylinder head, twin SU carburettors (left-hand drive variant: single Stromberg carburettor); single dry plate clutch, 4-speed gearbox, hypoid bevel final drive; independent front suspension with coil springs, semi-elliptic springs rear; drum brakes servo-assisted; wheelbase 3,048 mm (120 in), tyre size 6.50 x 16
Bentley Mark VI, 1947, #B141BG. A combination of searchlight/rear view mirror like the one added to this special drophead coupé had been a fashionable extra during the early post-war period.
No. made:
4000 Bentley Mark VI 4 1/4 litre (832 with coachbuilt bodies)
1202 Bentley Mark VI 4 1/2 litre (180 with coachbuilt bodies)
5202 Bentley Mark VI altogether