1947 Bentley Mark VI Drophead Coupe by Graber

Estimate:

$150,000-$180,00

Est. 150 bhp, 4,257 cc inline six-cylinder F-head engine, four-speed manual gearbox, coil spring and wishbone front suspension, semi-elliptic springs with adjustable shock absorbers at rear, and hydraulic front, mechanical rear drum brakes. Wheelbase: 120"

- One of as few as seven Mark VI Drophead Coupes by Graber
- Fastidiously maintained and beautifully presented
- Complete with impressive documentation and restoration photos
- Featured in Motor Klassik and Rolls-Royce and Bentley, by Klaus-Joseph Rossfeldt

Unlike many other manufacturers, Bentley’s parent company Rolls-Royce survived the ravages of World War II in relatively good financial health. In 1946, the all-new Mark VI debuted as the first new post-war Bentley model of Rolls-Royce design. Remarkably, the first example was delivered to its owner in September 1946, just 16 months after V-E Day. A powerful new six-cylinder engine powered the Mark VI, displacing 4,257 cc and featuring an aluminum-alloy F-head design. All told, 4,949 Mark VIs were built through 1952.

The Mark VI was also the first Bentley to be fitted with standard factory-designed steel bodywork, as the bodies were fitted to the chassis, trimmed and painted to a high standard rivaling the best custom coachbuilders of the era. Custom coachwork, however, remained available at the buyer’s discretion. The handsome designs executed by Switzerland’s famed Carrosserie Graber remain among the most successful to grace the Mark VI chassis.

Hermann Graber, who was born in Wichtrach, Switzerland near Bern, learned the coachbuilding trade from his father, becoming a well-respected builder of horse-drawn vehicles before making his first automobile body for a Fiat 508 in 1927. He achieved additional fame in St. Moritz two years later, where he won the Concours d’Elegance for his work on a Panhard-Levassor 20 CV – an achievement that undoubtedly expanded his international renown and eventually resulted in additional commissions from such respected marques as Alfa Romeo, Bentley and others.

According to the original chassis card, Dr. Robert Kaffeli of Basel, Switzerland commissioned B136BH in 1947, and it is exceedingly rare as one of only 35 Bentleys ever bodied by Graber. Of those 35, as few as seven and as many as 12 Drophead Coupes were built on the Mark VI chassis. Dr. Kaffeli ordered his car via the Bernese Rolls-Royce dealer Bellevue Garage A.G. Chassis B136BH was originally finished in red and factory-fitted with a radio, a speedometer calibrated in kilometers, and double-filament headlamp bulbs. Unique to Graber-bodied Bentleys, B136BH was originally fitted with a painted metal dash panel, rather than the traditional wooden unit characteristic of the majority of Bentley production. Currently, it is equipped with air conditioning, but it remains unclear whether this very desirable passenger amenity is factory-original to the car.

The Mark VI was restored during the 1980s, refinished in dark blue and fitted with a cream cloth top. Once completed, B136BH was featured in Germany’s Motor Klassik magazine, and it was depicted on page 137 of Rolls-Royce and Bentley, written by marque authority Klaus-Joseph Rossfeldt. In 1997, B136BH was again restored in Switzerland, and then in late 2000, the current owner acquired B136BH from Dr. Vladimir Bär, of Erligheim, Germany, and imported it to the UK. In 2001, with indicated mileage of 88,250 kilometers, the speedometer was exchanged for one calibrated in miles. Since then, the current owner commissioned an extensive mechanical refurbishment of B136BH, and approximately four years ago, a new dark blue convertible top was fitted. In 2010, the restoration was refreshed in Miami.

Sparingly enjoyed and presented in fastidiously maintained condition throughout, B136BH is complete with original documents, restoration photographs, the original speedometer reading 88,250 kilometers, UK registration documents and a thick file with restoration and service invoices.