Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ray White]

It is almost a year since MAC 651 sold at auction for 38,000 GBP. This was the superb example that I had hankered after but was unable to persuade the dealer to swap for my present stable.

Now the car is being offered by Bonhams on 14 September with an estimate 20 - 30 K but I am still not in a position to go for it.
https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/29333/lot/561/1952-bentley-mark-vi-49-litre-saloon-chassis-no-b40pv/#photos.

In the intervening period there have been some interesting changes. The speedo is missing. Perhaps it has been sent away for recalibration to better match the higher gearing afforded by the 3.42:1 rear axle. ?

The exhaust manifolds appear to have been changed; I think I can detect a crack in one of them. The distributor cap is also different which makes me think they must have had some ignition issues.

The Bonhams photos are, I think, more honest and don't try to hide the small amount of corrosion in the lower rear wings...and we all know how much further rust can be found under the paint.!

I have sometimes wondered if the car has an overheating problem. It is fitted with the later 4.9 litre S1 engine (as also found in the RR Silver Cloud 1) and although in itself probably the best straight 6 engine that RR ever produced, the Mk V1 radiator may not be adequate for the extra heat produced. This suspicion was first arroused when I noticed a pool of water under the front of the car when it was offered by the dealer last year. Could this be coming from the overflow? or is it merely a top up spill? Who knows?

Perhaps if the car is overheating it might explain why it is being offered for sale again so soon.?

Despite these misgivings I still wish I was in a position to bid for it. Until the MG is finished I am simply having to stand back and watch it slip through my fingers again...

[Ray White]

So MAC 651 sold at Bonhams auction for 29,900 GBP which makes me wonder if the car has a problem.

Considering this Mk V1 seemingly sold again for 8K less in the space of a year, either someone has taken a hit or the car was not actually sold last year but bought back in by the dealer.

Either way I can't help feeling that I have either missed out on a bargain or just dodged a bullet.