*Automatic transmission
*Right hand drive
*Present ownership since 2011
*Acquired in the USA
The rationalisation policy begun in the late 1930s continued at Rolls-Royce after the war with the introduction of standard bodywork. The new 'standard steel' body was available at first only on the Bentley MkVI, the equivalent Rolls-Royce - the Silver Dawn - not appearing until 1949. A separate chassis was retained and the range featured a new design of independent front suspension, hydraulic front brakes, and a new 4,257cc, six-cylinder, 'F-head' (inlet-over-exhaust) engine, the latter enlarged to 4,566cc in 1951. In 1952 a much needed improvement to the standard bodywork arrived in the form of an enlarged boot together with alterations to the rear wings and suspension, subsequent models incorporating these changes being known as the R-Type Bentley and E-Series Silver Dawn.
Chassis number 'B292YD' was manufactured in 1954 and has the Rolls-Royce/General Motors Hydramatic four-speed automatic transmission that had recently become available as an option (and would be standardised on the successor Bentley S1). Little is known of this car's history and the documentation on file consists of the original State of New Jersey Certificate of Title and bill of sale when the vendor purchased it from Sports & Specialist Cars of Hopewell, New Jersey in October 2011. Having been stored for the intervening period, the car may require some re-commissioning prior to road use. Subsequently exported, the Bentley is subject to the low import duty rate of 5% should it remain in the UK.