Bentley MK 1/1 and K-type

Here’s a bit of history on these Bentley exotics.  I find history a great way to understanding the present.
Posted by TS Travel  Published in Car Models

In 1946, the first cars left the production line. An interesting fact is that for the first time, the client could buy either a complete car, or a rolling chassis (as it was before the war). The first postwar Bentley left the factory as the MkVI. Some models of this car had been built already in 1939. The car still was like its predecessor, the MkV, but it was equipped with a new chassis with a shorter wheelbase of 10 ft 4 in. And as the engine was mounted in front of the car, the radiator was now located in front of the forward axle instead of behind it.The Bentley six-cylinder engine had, as did the Rolls Royce, a rather complex cylinder head. The inlet valves were namely overhead valves and the exhaust valves lateral valves. Until 1951, the engine capacity was 260 and afterwards 278.6 cu. in.  The bore for the cylinders was increased from 3.46 to 3.62 in. The gearbox had four

driving positions, the first of which was not synchronized. But the car could drive well in the second driving position. In 1952, an automatic gear box could be ordered.The brakes were boosted. So they functioned hydraulically on the front wheels and mechanically on the rear wheels. The front wheels were equipped with independent suspension, but in the rear, a rigid axle was mounted.

The first MkVI left the factory in October 1946 and the last one in June 1952. In total, 5,201 cars were sold, the major­ity of them Standard Saloons.The four-door version had a steel body made by Park Ward. Technically, the MkVI was nearly identical to the Rolls-Royce SilverWraith, but the Bentley was a little bit sportier.The Bentley was mostly steered by the owner personally.\u003c/span\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\”BG\”\>    At the London Motor Show of 1952, the R-Type,\nthe successor of the MkVI was presented. The new car was not very different from its\npredecessor. The engine was unchanged. It was very difficult to find any\ndifferences in the body. The Standard Saloon was made at Park Ward's and had a\nlarger storage compartment than its predecessor. The car\nwas made extra long by the MkVI, although the wheel base remained the same.\u003c/span\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\”BG\”\>   The special model of the R-Type offered by the\nfactory, the Bentley Continental Sports Saloon, was far more interest­ing. This\nfascinating coupe was a creation of the coachbuilder Mulliner. The engine of the\nContinental Sports Saloon was\u003c/span\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\”BG\”\> \u003c/span\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\”BG\”\>slightly perfected. The compression ratio was now\n7.25 instead of 6.4:1, and the car's top speed was thus about 125 mph. Unlike\nthe other R-Type models, which were geared by an automatic gear box, the\nContinental was available with a manually hand-operated four-speed gearbox,\nwhich gave the car an even sportier character. The R-Type was built from\nSeptember 1952 to December 1954 and was followed by the S-series.\u003c/span\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\”BG\”\>The MkVI and the R-Type were sold\nmostly with a factory body but some car enthusiasts preferred their\n"own" body. Because of that reason, they ordered a rolling chassis. The car was mechanically complete, but the body ended at the\nwindshield. The construction of the car had to be completed by a selected\ncoachbuilder. Many coachbuilders could give free play to their creativity on\nthe Bentley chassis: VandenPlas, Abbott, Duncan, Harold Radford, Winclovers,\nJamesYoung, Gurney Nutting, Hoopers, Franay, Mulliner, Freestone &Webb,\nPark Ward, as well as Pininfarina and Graber.\u003c/span\>\u003c/p\>”,1] ); //–>
At the London Motor Show of 1952, the R-Type, the successor of the MkVI was presented. The new car was not very different from its predecessor. The engine was unchanged. It was very difficult to find any differences in the body. The Standard Saloon was made at Park Ward’s and had a larger storage compartment than its predecessor. The car was made extra long by the MkVI, although the wheel base remained the same.

The special model of the R-Type offered by the factory, the Bentley Continental Sports Saloon, was far more interest­ing. This fascinating coupe was a creation of the coachbuilder Mulliner. The engine of the Continental Sports Saloon was slightly perfected. The compression ratio was now 7.25 instead of 6.4:1, and the car’s top speed was thus about 125 mph. Unlike the other R-Type models, which were geared by an automatic gear box, the Continental was available with a manually hand-operated four-speed gearbox, which gave the car an even sportier character. The R-Type was built from September 1952 to December 1954 and was followed by the S-series.

The MkVI and the R-Type were sold mostly with a factory body but some car enthusiasts preferred their “own” body. Because of that reason, they ordered a rolling chassis. The car was mechanically complete, but the body ended at the windshield. The construction of the car had to be completed by a selected coachbuilder. Many coachbuilders could give free play to their creativity on the Bentley chassis: VandenPlas, Abbott, Duncan, Harold Radford, Winclovers, JamesYoung, Gurney Nutting, Hoopers, Franay, Mulliner, Freestone &Webb, Park Ward, as well as Pininfarina and Graber.

To see how innovation has progressed try a Bentley from DFW Elite Auto Rental. 

If you really want to do a comparison test then also give the Rolls Royce a spin.