1938 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre H.J Mulliner Sports Coupe

1938 Bentley 4 1/4 Litre H.J. Mulliner Sports Coupe Description

• Year: 1938
• Mileage: 0
• Primary color: Black and Shell Grey
• Transmission type: Manual
• Engine: 4 1/4L.

1938 BENTLEY 4 1/4 LITRE "HIGH VISION" COUP COACHWORK BY HJ MULLINER

*CHASSIS NO. B47LE
*ENGINE NO. S2BU
*REGISTRATION NO. EXP 71
*BODY NO. 4576

Ownership History:

1. Stanley Waddilove Delivered 1938 Bradford, England
2. W. Banks Hinshaw date purchased date unknown. West Sand Lak, New York
3. LW Chapin II purchased 5-20-73 Rochester, New York
4. John Ultz Purchased 1984 Rochester, New York
5. Alan Fisher, last owner, purchased in 2000 Huntington Beach, California

The Derby Bentley, introduced towards the beginning of the 1930s, had undergone a number of significant developments by the end of the decade, not the least of which was an increase in bore size that upped the capacity to 4,275 cc. The new 4 1/4 Litre model, introduced in 1936, offered more power than before while retaining the well-proven chassis with its faultless gear-change and servo-assisted brakes. The Derby Bentley was an exclusively coach built automobile; of the 2,442 made only six two door coups were built by HJ Mulliner, and only two are known to have survived.

B47LE, with its two door coup body, has a sporty art deco look with rare sunshine roof and moonroof panels at the roof peak, with roll top shutters and novel sun shades on pantograph arms. Bentley experts consider this HJ Mulliner design the epitome of the 4 1/4 Litre series; in fact Bentley twice ran two full page ads for the company in "Autocar Magazine" featuring B47LE, which are shown on this website. The car comes with the original art deco rear wheel spats, which need to be restored. A full set of tools, and the handbook are included. The interior is in excellent condition but not concours, and looks as good in person as it does in these photos. The paint is older, looks good at ten feet, but the car deserves a repaint.

B47LE was ordered from Bentley Motors in Derby, England, on December 29, 1937 by a Mr. S. Waddilove of Bradford, England. The running chassis was delivered to HJ Mulliner of Chiswick, London, on March 10, 1938.

The car was delivered to the Bentley agent, Central Garage in Bradford, and from them to Waddilove on May 5, 1938. Shortly thereafter, he moved to a grand estate, Heathcote in Ilkley, which is described in an attached PDF document written by the caretaker's daughter.

The next owner was W. Banks Hinshaw, of West Sand Lake, New York, purchase date unknown. It was then bought by LW Chapin II of Rochester, New York, in 1973; John Ultz also of Rochester, in 1984; and the last owner, Alan Fisher of Huntington Beach, California, in 2000.

Extensive care and maintenance documentation, starting with Mr. Hinshaw's ownership through Mr. Fisher's, was provided by Mr. Fisher (see attached PDF file). They show that about $80,000 was spent on restoration and maintenance. Some of the work commissioned by Mr. Fisher, which includes an engine rebuild, can be found listed in an attached document. The crown wheel and pinion, rear bearings, and wheel spline shaft were all redone with a 5% higher ratio, which helps the ride at higher speeds.

This a great opportunity to own a unique sporty Bentley with a great history and excellent mechanical care.

Asking $110,000

Note: The car comes with spats that need restoration.

For receipts and correspondence go to: https://camden.box.com/s/mgtsoyw94o63spb3ypqqpesyq3er24i5

• ,
  Santa Barbara, CA, 93108, US
• (805) 568-1934

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