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1950 Bentley Mk VI Special
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Registration No. LJJ 895
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Motor Cars
1950 Bentley Mk VI Special
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Registration No. LJJ 895
Chassis No. B19 GT
Engine No. B9 G
Estimate £25,000 - £30,000
The Bentley Mark VI has become extremely popular as a basis for building sports specials because in the early post-war period steel was in short supply and the cars as originally built usually had ‘Standard Steel’ bodies by the factory, using none too good quality steel. So although the chassis and engines were to the normal very high standard and lasted for ever if properly maintained, the bodies did not, and many become ripe for ‘specialisation’ by the end of the 1960s.
LJJ 895 is one such example, being first registered in London on 1st July 1950, with four door standard
Steel Saloon coachwork, and delivered to the managing director of Elliot Automation.
The car has been known to the Bentley Drivers Club since the early 1970s and at some stage the chassis
was extensively rebuilt to accept the sporting 2-door 4 seater body the Bentley wears today. To achieve attractive proportions this involves moving the engine and radiator back in the chassis by some 12 inches, whilst avoiding the massive central cross bracing. This is usually achieved in the more expensively built examples by cutting and welding an extra length in front of the cross member, or by moving the
cruciform back in the frame. In either case, the balance of the chassis is preserved, and a much better
looking car results, as here.
The most celebrated of these properly built specials were those constructed in the 1970s by Derry Mallalieu Engineering, of Aylesbury which this car very closely resembles. Altogether nearly 40 Bentleys of
various designs were built by then, and by the end of production in 1979 completed cars were costing £45,000, which was virtually the same as a brand new Bentley saloon from the factory. Altogether over 400 Mk VI cars have been rebodied and converted to sport specification.
When alleviated of all the excess weight the performance even with the standard twin carburettor 4¼ litre Bentley engine is electric, and with some attention paid to lowering the suspension, the handling improves in keeping with the extra performance, and of course the brakes are well able to cope.
LJJ 895 is a very smart and useable example of these very popular sports cars. Paintwork in Royal Blue is in good order, with crimson piping and upholstery, and an effective hood and tonneau cover are fitted. A relatively tall windscreen gives good visibility and weather protection, and the original and correct 12 inch Lucas P100 projector headlights are still fitted.
Performance is, of course of a very high order, and the car is a pleasure to drive, with all the traditional
Bentley attributes of smooth silent power. A current V5c allows free road fund tax, and the MoT lasts until next March.
A very stylish sporting Bentley ready to enjoy and a great driving experience.