Bentley Mark V
With Bentley originally intending
to launch their 4¼-litre Mark V in 1939, production of the car was halted
prematurely after War was declared in September that year, Bentley ceased to
produce civilian goods in order to help the war effort. As a result, Mark Vs
are staggeringly rare.
In those early years of the war,
only 11 examples were thought to have been produced, and these were all sold as
bare chassis for owners’ coachbuilders to customize, sending exclusivity
through the roof. This last Bentley to be built at the marque’s Derby factory
was also the first to utilize independent front suspension in place of previous
models’ leaf-sprung layouts.
