The Rarest Prewar Derby Bentley

The Bentley Mark V is the last and most advanced prewar Bentley produced at the Rolls-Royce Derby works - and this one and only drophead is the first and most desirable of the seven surviving examples.

Starting in France

Build records show that B14AW was ordered on June 15, 1939 by the company’s Parisian agency, Franco-Britannic Automobiles. This car was to receive two-door coupé coachwork by Carrosserie Binder for exhibition on Binder’s stand at the Paris Salon in October 1939, then for delivery to the Princess Kamal el Dine (1881-1966), Boulevard Richard Wallace, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. (She was born Princess Nimet-Allah bint Tewfik, the youngest daughter of Khedive Tewfik of Egypt. She married her cousin, Prince Kamal el Dine Hussein (1974-1932) in 1904.) But the war intervened and Binder did not complete the car and she did not take delivery. The chassis was then sold on March 20, 1940, to M. Barrelon, president of Forge de la Boissière, (19 Rue de l'Ancienne Mairie, Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris); and later it received the sleek two-door three-position drophead Saoutchik coachwork it has to this day. It is not known if Saoutchik completed coachwork started by Binder, or if it is a unique Saoutchik creation - regardless, there appear to be no other Saoutchik examples that share this design, and it’s the only drophead erected on a Mark V chassis.
After the War

The car was shipped back to England after the war when Capt. S.G. Klein of London became its second owner on February 22, 1951. It was registered MXT3, finished in black with a white twill hood. It was then shipped to the USA when R.A. Levy became its new owner on July 2, 1965. Around this time it was painted grey with a grey top. It was soon acquired by longtime Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club member and collector Thomas J. Bahr of Los Altos, California, in August, 1965, appearing in club records to 1980. There is an account that Mr. Bahr enjoyed the Bentley with his family as they made a number of summer trips over the years to Yosemite National Park. The Bentley was after a number of years partially disassembled by Mr. Bahr with the intention of restoring the car. He became ill and was unable to reassemble the car or continue with any projects.

Back to England

The car was located by a Classic Car dealer, purchased, packed into a container and sent back to England. The car was later purchased circa 1995 by Coys dealer, collector, and avid rally driver, Charles Howard. One could read of his exploits in his 2014 autobiography: An AUTObiography. Examples of cars that he owned (not as a dealer): The Embiricos Bentley, the “Corgi” Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost by Barker, a Blitzen Benz, the pair of Hispano-Suiza ex-Rothschild cars that were shown at Pebble Beach in 2014, and of course, this Bentley Mark V, which he entered in the Monte Carlo Rally in 2000. He also had it exquisitely restored by Alpine Eagle, Ltd. of Oxfordshire (UK) in the blue/beige exterior/interior colors the car appears in today. B14AW entered another collection of superlative cars when Mr. John W. Rich, Sr. (PA) purchased this Mark V in 2003 from Cave Creek Classics (AZ), a collection it has been in to this day. The late Mr. Rich exhibited the car that same year at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and at the 2006 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance where it won The Bentley Boys Award for the Most Sporting Bentley.

History of the Mark V

The Mark V reflected evolutionary engineering over its 4¼ Litre predecessor, featuring independent front wishbone suspension; and with successful experimental trials in 1938-39, an initial production run of 19 numbered chassis was ordered. The model was to come in a “Standard” and a lighter “Corniche” chassis types. The first four were to be Corniche chassis, but they were never completed. These were followed by the “Standard” types; the first two, B10AW and B12AW are not known to exist; the next car - this car, B14AW, is the oldest surviving Bentley Mark V, with only six other subsequent examples known to survive.

Summary

With only seven surviving Mark Vs, this is a unique opportunity to acquire the first and only open Mark V produced; of all the Derby Bentleys made, it’s the best of the best.