From the records B40PV was originally ordered from Jack Barclay for a JWS Uttley with delivery promised for 16 January 1952. For some reason JWS Uttley never received it (presumably he cancelled the order). At the time this car was ordered all such orders were subject to a type of purchase licence. You had to prove you needed a car (doctor, farmer etc). Only in January 1953 was this arrangement rescinded. It was quite common, in fact it was almost a rule, that orders for R-R and Bentley cars were altered from the original, much fiddling and under dealing took place with new car orders. The order reference for the car changes and eventually the car is sold by PJ Evans in Birmingham to its first owner Henry Garlick, a building contractor in Coventry on 8 May 1952 with registration MAC651, which it has to this day. Tudor grey, grey carpets, grey Vaumol leather and grey headlining. Tudor grey is the best colour for these cars - subdued without being sombre, and a light grey interior makes it look somehow larger and airier inside.
Purchase price on the delivery note is marked as a total of £5009 (inc. purchase tax) plus £3/15.9 for 18 g petrol. This was the total after various complex additional fees for 'withdrawals' (this is possibly something the retrospective discounts received by dealers depending on how many cars they had sold in say 12 mont a system also used by nearly all car makers until quite recently).
The car passes to Austin Garlick of Rugby in 1961 (his son?) and is then sold in 1969 to a man in Leamington Spa. He died in 2001 and left the car to his son, also in Warwickshire. B40PV was then sold, to make space in the garage for a games room. From 1952 until 2001 the car never appears to have left Warwickshire.
The next owner then embarked on a full restoration that would enhance the whole driving experience of B40PV creating a "wolf in sheep clothing!" but without straying off the feel and tradition of the Bentley Marque.
Work commenced with the brakes as the performance was to be enhanced later in the restoration, so a rebuilt master cylinder with a new brass cylinder, made up and fitted new pipes from the master cylinder to the front brakes, bled the brakes, and replaced the prop shaft floating mounting. A fully rebuilt 3.42:1 later-model R Type Continental differential was rebuilt and fitted. The entire breaking mechanism and brakes were overhauled. Rear brake actuators and equaliser mechanisms were all overhauled. The entire steering mechanism was rebuilt, both king p replaced. Rear wheel bearings were changed, including bearing retaining collars. Rear springs were dismantled, stripped, nickel plated, reassembled a wrapped in Denso tape.
The original 4.5 engine was deemed beyond repair and it so happened Ashley James had a 4.9 Litre S1 engine that he had rebuilt over several years at great expense.
Ashley had bought the block with a crankshaft, camshaft and pistons and rods from Mike Jones. The sump cracked so Ashley had blagged and had modified a MKVI sump. The head was off the engine and scrap because it had been overheating.
Ashley had dismantled the entire engine and cleared the waterways. Most of the engine was already in si good condition - crankshaft, timing gears, oil pump, camshaft and followers, vibration damper etc. The b crack tested. He bought a good second hand head from Montagues, made up all external pipes and had; fitted for a Flexolite spin-off filter. A good second hand distributor was bought and rebuilt. One damage replaced. Some of the big end nuts and bolts were replaced with new ones from Theo Hendrickson.
The block was delivered to Neville Pearson to recondition, re-ring pistons and replace small ends. FJ Payne: hardened exhaust valve seats. New exhaust valve guides were fitted. A good second hand flywheel and ring gear was bought, machined and crack tested.
Once finished mechanically, Ashley had had everything stove enamelled steel studs and nuts made and fitted.
Eventually, inch by inch of the chassis was throughly cleaned, prepared and re-sprayed by hand using several coats of paint. every single nut and bolt removed was re-died or re-tapped.
Electric power steering was fitted to further enhance the MkVI's driving experience.
The 3.42:1 axle means the official Bentley handbook must be ignored- first gear must be used (gingerly) for the first metre or so, then second gear can be engaged. But marry this to the silent 4.9 engine B40PV truly becomes a beast. The car now accelerates so fast in third gear that the damn thing almost gives you whiplash. A real wolf in ships clothing, the innocent looks of a MkVI but the handling and performance of an R-Type Continental!

You Tube video link https://youtu.be/rF0W-xFyMB0