Bentley Mark VI Standard Steel

The Mark VI was Bentley's first post-war car and the first Rolls-Royce group model to carry factory coachwork as standard. This 1952 Standard Steel has the Pressed Steel body, finished at Crewe, with rear-hinged doors and a sliding sunroof.

Its paperwork is unusually complete, with Rolls-Royce factory invoices going back to the 1950s. It was first registered in January 1952 as TGY 8 and has a documented chain of owners, including a Bayswater hotelier who kept detailed service records and took it regularly to the Continent. An AA inspection in 1975 recorded about 180,000 miles and an engine rebore at 120,000 miles.

The car was repainted from its original dark grey to cream and black in 1979. It had a major overhaul in 1999 and a full bare-metal respray in 2000, with corrosion treated or replaced at a cost above £14,000. Use since then has been sparing, and a substantial history folder covers servicing and parts. It is Austrian registered with EEC taxes paid and also carries the UK registration BSL642. It is kept in Vienna. The page prices it in euros (€44,000) and marks it "Accepted".