1951 Bentley

Mark VI Sedan

6 - Cyl.

Manual

B173JN

Clear

Gasoline

1951 BENTLEY MARK VI SHOULD BE DRIVEN AND ENJOYED Up for bid, with NO RESERVE! The owner's family has to part with the vehicle, so I was asked to put together this eBay listing. Below is everything I know about the car, you can send any questions and I will try to get the answers. For over 30 years, this Bentley was driven 6 miles to and from work. Occasionally taken on a road-trip. Not used as much in recent years. It was originally registered in England. There is an MOT sticker (British inspection sticker) from 1969. The next record I found is a Repair Order at a Boston dealership in 1978, made out to its American owner, who owned it from the early 1970's until now. The speedometer and odometer still work. I found receipts for repairs that show 15,314 in 1978, 19,310 in 1985, 20,365 in 1989, but nothing since then. The interior and exterior show the lack of use, but I can not verify if the odometer reading is completely accurate. The car will of course be sold "as-is", "true mileage unknown". I have had the car for a couple of weeks. The battery was weak, I replaced it with a new one. I have been driving around town and it is a pleasure to drive. One of the most enjoyable features, is the location of the gear shift, it protrudes to the right of your thigh. The natural place that your hand rests anyway, you shift effortlessly. I consider it a better location than any column or console shift, pity the idea didn't catch on. The clutch and gears are remarkably smooth, the brakes do what they are supposed to, they are heavy and groan on a hard stop. The steering is as expected from a large steering wheel in a mature car. It is fussy to start when cold. Just the right manipulation of the choke and throttle (both in the center of the steering wheel) and you will bring it to an idle. Once warmed up, the engine purrs, no internal clatter. This is the sort of thing you find a good old mechanic for, a couple of days of tweaking the carburetors and they could probably have it starting on the first try. The car is fully registered and inspected. Which means that everything to pass an inspection works; brakes, lights, horn, etc. Even the electric wipers, which have knobs on the dash to park them after use. Tires are in excellent shape. All of the gauges seem to work correctly, one picture even shows the illumination is still working. The radio turns on and lights up, but no sound. The clock tells the exact correct time, twice a day! (meaning it also doesn't work). Both are projects of choice whether to fix, but definitely possible and part of the fun of a car that should be tinkered with. No point typing every detail, most are obvious in the pictures...sunroof, picnic tables, foot rests, owner's manual, service manuals, etc. The spare tire and jack do not look like they have ever been removed. I was born and raised in England, from childhood I remember "Trafficators" on cars for turn signals (although I did have to call my Father for the name). They are a "Semaphore Signal" that come out of the side of the car, shown in one of the pictures, they still work! A standard stalk has been added to the steering column that flashes the corner lights, to bring it up to DOT standards (they work independently from the Trafficators). At some point the car was repainted and the job is far from what Bentley would appreciate. But, look at the pictures, it's not until you get up close that you notice the flaws. I was told that the car was never in an accident, but the passenger door was scratched and repaired at one time. For a restorer, it means you have solid original parts to work with. If you are thinking of restoring, the fact that the wood has never been messed with is a bonus. If you're not, it means the wood has character! As a person with British heritage, it is killing me to put this car up for bid. If this was a different year, I would be asking to buy it. What would I do with it? Drive it. While everyone else pulls up to the restaurant or country club in their $100K whatevers, you roll in, not as the rich guy (the other guys are trying to prove that), you have genuine style! I welcome, even hope, that you can come view and drive the car or send a professional appraiser. Newton, NH is right next to Newburyport, MA. If you have any questions at all, please contact me. Thanks for Looking and Good Luck Bidding! On Sep-25-10 at 08:10:00 PDT, seller added the following information: Sellers: Delight buyers. Get your own map of past buyers. On Sep-28-10 at 18:41:05 PDT, seller added the following information: I have been working with limited resources for information. The owner of the car is not completely lucid on the details, when asked for the title, he claimed that a car this old never had one. We know this isn't true and applied to the MA DMV for a Duplicate, it came in today with the mileage showing 122,613 miles. So, THE MILEAGE STATED IN THE LISTING IS WHAT SHOWS ON THE ODOMETER. The Repair Orders I have are just as written above, but were hand written by mechanics, based on what the clock read. This new information may be absolutely correct, if true, I do now have to say that the car is in incredible shape considering the mileage. There still could have been a foul up in paperwork, the car was transported from England, through Canada. There could have been a speedometer change at some point, I leave this all up to speculation. THE STATEMENT MADE ABOVE: "TRUE MILEAGE UNKNOWN" is now up for debate, you will be handed over a title that shows 122,613 miles. Depending on your plans for the car, having the mileage listed can be better than "unknown". Sorry for the confusion.