The immediate post-war years were dark times for Rolls-Royce. Britain’s motto was to “export or die”, and Rolls-Royce, like other motor car manufacturers, looked at producing a more affordable car. Accordingly, the Bentley Mark VI was the first Rolls-Royce Works car produced with a standard body, known as the “Standard Steel Saloon”, which came at a cost of £2,345, including purchase tax. It was powered by a new six-cylinder F-Head engine (with an overhead intake and side-mounted exhaust valves), and about 80 percent of the Bentley Mark VI chassis carried the surprisingly elegant standard steel body of a large four-door saloon fitted with a sliding sunshine roof.

Of the 5,201 Mark VI chassis built, only 999 were consigned to coachbuilders for special bodies, such as the elegant Hooper-bodied Coupé offered here. Hooper was one of the most highly regarded coachbuilders in England. It was known for superb quality and timeless designs, and it also carried royal warrants to the British Sovereigns. Most Hooper body orders came from Rolls-Royce, but a few early commissions were from Daimler. Its clients included the Emperor of Japan, the King of Egypt, King Edward VII, Prince Hamiddulah of Bhopal, and the Shah of Persia. After the war, one of Hooper’s first coachbuilding commissions was for a convertible body for the King of Arabia on a pre-war Rolls-Royce Phantom III chassis.

The car offered here, chassis B92H, was one of fifty-one Mark VI 4¼-litre chassis bodied by Hooper, and it is one of only seven Mark VI cars to carry design number 8282, which was an elegant and extremely rare two-door coupé with a distinctive and dramatic coachline that swept in a downward arc from radiator shell to tail, over what is commonly referred to as Hooper’s trademark “Empress” rear wings. Noted designer Osmond Rivers, of Hoopers, prompted this design, which was one of Hooper’s prettiest offerings. It appeared in two-door form, as on this car, as well as a four-door model. The style was retained from 1951 until 1955, when the Bentley S1 was launched. Almost without exception, Hooper built four-door saloons and limousines; therefore, this is a rare offering.

Original documentation accompanying the car validates that it was delivered new after final testing on 12 February 1951 to A. Henshaw, of Lincolnshire, England. It then passed through a series of American enthusiasts before being acquired by the present owner over two decades ago, who sent the car to Automotive Restorations, of Stratford, Connecticut, for freshening. It is now finished in a gleaming era-correct Velvet Green paint finish, which is complemented by its sumptuous and correct green leather interior with fine burled walnut veneers, and it presents as a spot-on, honest motor car.

This Mark VI is still fresh, as it has travelled a scant 1,000 miles since restoration, and it is accompanied by copies of original Works records, more recent restoration receipts, and photographs. This is not just another pretty face; it is a thoroughly modern car which is responsive, powerful, and as manageable in city traffic as it is on the highway. The servo-assist braking system provides excellent stopping power, and the four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh in second, third, and top-gear snicks into gear precisely and is a joy to use.

This Bentley would be welcome at the most prestigious concours, tours, and club fetes, and it is a motor car that will provide its new owner the best of all worlds, as it is a celebrated marque that has a time-proven rugged chassis, stunning design from a renowned coachbuilder, impeccable road manners, superb condition, and sound value.