Bentley – 4 1/4 Litre Coupé de Ville (1938)

The fascinating story of this Bentley 4¼ Litre Coupé de Ville can be narrated meticulously to the day. On 20th June 1938, a purchase order was received by the biggest British Rolls-Royce dealer Jack Barclay, and Bentley Motors, which was taken over by Rolls-Royce in 1931, immediately manufactured the chassis fitted with the magisterial six-cylinder engine and an overdrive gearbox. Already on 15th August 1938, the final test took place and three days later, the chassis arrived at Lillie Hall, the London branch of Rolls-Royce. After a further five days on 23rd August 1938, the renowned coachbuilder James Young Ltd. – owned by Jack Barclay – located in Bromley took delivery of the chassis, where an impressive body with daring contours was penned by designer F. McNeil.

Now referred to as Brougham de Ville, as the body was designated by James Young Ltd., a three-part detachable roof was conferred on the stately automobile above the front seats. The coachbuilders at James Young worked at double-quick pace. Scarcely two months had passed by before the public were privileged to admire the luxury motor car at the Earls Court Motor Show. The registration took place immediately afterwards on 1st November 1938. Following a number of custodians in England and the USA, this unique one of one, meanwhile restored faith- fully to precepts of the original documentation, joined the collection of its current owner in 2019.