1948 Bentley Mark VI Sports Saloon
James Young’s London coachworks produced just 56 two-door Sports Saloons on the Bentley Mark VI chassis, making it the most expensive Bentley catalog option at £4,405 (compared to £3,845 for Park Ward’s Foursome Drophead Coupe and £3,820 for Mulliner’s four-door Sports Saloon).
These bodies were distinguished from the standard factory steel saloon by their lightweight aluminum outer panels over traditional ash framing (with certain components such as the front fenders typically steel), a common practice among high-end British coachbuilders of the period.
The design featured remarkably thin windshield pillars and sharp roof angles contrasting with flowing fender curves, while expanded trunk capacity was aided by an exterior luggage rack mounted low at the rear.
Launched in 1946, the Mark VI represented Bentley’s first postwar model and the marque’s first complete factory-assembled automobile in standard form. It shared its 120-inch wheelbase with the short-wheelbase Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith and introduced an all-steel body for the factory saloon, abandoning traditional wooden body structures used before the war.
The James Young Sports Saloon retained classic British luxury character through varnished woodwork, rear-seat shelving, and period appointments, while offering advanced features for the era such as electric windows, an electric windshield washer, and a sunroof. Power came from Bentley’s 4.25-liter (259-cubic-inch) F-head inline six.
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