1951 Bentley Mark VI Parkward Coupe

The Mark VI heralded a number of firsts for the Bentley marque - it was the first post-war production model and was no longer supplied in chassis form only, marking a shift towards standardisation.

The Mark VI was also the first Bentley assembled at Crewe with the vast majority fitted with standard steel coachwork by Pressed Steel. The smaller, lighter and owner-driver oriented Mark VI was launched in May 1946 and featured the 4257cc B60 six-cylinder engine with light alloy cylinder head (developing an estimated 132bhp) on a 120-inch wheelbase, with coil sprung independent front suspension and the ability to reach 100mph when required. There remained a demand from traditionalists to choose their own coachbuilder and around 999 Mark VI chassis were clothed by outside firms, including Park Ward.

During the lifespan of the Mark VI and its successor, the R-Type (with the larger 4566cc engine and bigger boot), Australia was the largest export market in the world for Bentley exceeding even the United States. Today, a good Mark VI is recognised as having excellent build quality, performance and style in addition to being excellent value while a coachbuilt model, particularly with high quality aluminium bodywork by the renowned company Park Ward & Co Ltd, who were later absorbed by Rolls-Royce and merged with H.J.Mulliner in 1961.