The total identify of immediately’s Good Worth or No Cube candidate is the Bentley Mark VI 4-door commonplace metal sports activities saloon. That’s a mouthful, however hopefully, the automotive’s value gained’t show too arduous to swallow.
Since 1998, Bentley has been owned by Volkswagen, and shortly after that buy, VW tried an up-market push to raised align the decrease echelon model with its fancy-pants new British brother. A part of that push was the 2004 VW Passat W8 we checked out yesterday. The overly advanced and really costly to restore engine, together with an AWD chassis and all the posh accouterments VW may throw at it, makes for a weirdly compelling automotive even now, twenty years later. A modest $2,750 price ticket and the promise that nothing was amiss with our automotive led to a few of you being keen to miss its potential for impending doom. The consequence was a slim 54 p.c Good Worth win.
Engineer Walter Owen Bentley based his namesake automotive firm in 1919. Over the following decade, he noticed it go bankrupt twice and at last be bought to arch rival Rolls Royce in 1931. Bentley left the corporate 4 years later, as by that point the model had been totally absorbed into Rolls.
This 1948 Bentley Mark VI was the primary post-WWII automotive to hold the Flying B and the primary series-built full automotive ever supplied by Rolls Royce. Previous to the Mark VI all of Rolls’ vehicles had been bought as rolling chassis’ with coach-built bodywork. To save lots of the corporate cash, the Mark VI shares its ladder body chassis and suspension with the Rolls Royce Silver Wraith. Atop is an all-steel physique manufactured by Pressed Metal in Cowley and shipped to the Rolls manufacturing unit in Crewe for paint and meeting.
Energy for the Bentley is made by a four-and-a-quarter cc straight six with an F head valve practice and two SU H4 side-draught carburetors. Bentley by no means supplied official energy scores for the engine, however the widespread thought is that it makes round 130 horses. A four-speed all-synchromesh guide transmission was fitted with the gear lever on RHD vehicles reminiscent of this sprouting from the ground on the precise aspect of the driving force’s seat. That require a little bit of gymnastics to step over when getting into or exiting the automotive. In complete, 4,001 Mark VIs had been constructed, with 3,171 of them being manufacturing unit Pressed Metal-bodied vehicles and the remainder being coach-built specials.
In accordance with the advert, this dealer-offered Mark VI has come from long-term possession the place it apparently sat for an excellent very long time. The advert claims the automotive runs when gasoline is launched to the carb float bowls however that the gas system will want a full goingover to make it run correctly. Per the photographs, it seems that the final time this automotive was registered for the street was in 1999, so all techniques—cooling, brakes, lubrication, and many others.—ought to be addressed. Luckily, regardless of being a Bentley, these are pretty easy vehicles and had been constructed extraordinarily nicely so it shouldn’t be too daunting a job to deliver it again to road-worthiness.
Aesthetically, there’s cause to take action as nicely. The automotive seems terrific, and whereas the advert notes rust, that seems to be little greater than floor corrosion on the chassis and exhaust. All the principle drivetrain parts—engine, gearbox, and rear finish—appear to be weeping their numerous oils, however that’s just about par for the course on any previous British automotive.
Issues look fairly good within the well-appointed cabin as nicely. The leather-based is a bit age-worn, and the entrance passenger seat has a tear that may require some work, but it surely’s in any other case full and with out main flaws. And sure, each entrance and rear doorways are center-hinged. It has a clear title and reportedly simply 6,684 miles on the clock.
The asking value for this Rip Van Winkle Bentley is $13,950. Does that sound truthful, contemplating the automotive’s situation and presentation? Or does the work required to deliver it again to life really feel unbefitting of such a value or of a Bentley proprietor?
You resolve!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go right here if the advert disappears.
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