£74,750 (Est: £70,000 - £90,000)
1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre Drophead Coupé
Bonhams • UK • 13 Sept 2025
Market Position:
Mid-Market
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£74,750 (Est: £70,000 - £90,000)
1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre Drophead Coupé
UK • 13 Sept 2025
Vehicle Details
AI Listing Summary
This 1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre Drophead Coupé was originally exported to Czechoslovakia and rebodied in VDP style in the early 1990s. It has a known ownership history with documented restoration work and maintenance.
Condition
6
The car has been restored and re-bodied, indicating it required significant work. The listing mentions that in 1981 the 'Utility' (shooting brake) body was cut down to pickup style and there are photographs of the car from this period, before being restored to its original VDP design.
/ 10
63,700 miles
FUW 415
United Kingdom
B 53 LE
1938
Auction
£74,750 (Est: £70,000 - £90,000)
1938 Bentley 4¼-Litre Drophead Coupé
Bonhams • UK • 13 Sept 2025
Market Position:
Mid-Market
Track live values and receive listing alerts
Description
• Exported new to Czechoslovakia •
Originally a drophead coupé by Vanden Plas • Known ownership history • Restored and re-bodied in VDP style the early 1990s This beautiful Derby Bentley was delivered in August 1938 to Ernst Leow Beer in Czechoslovakia having been bodied as a drophead coupé by Vanden Plas.
On 4th November 1938, 'B 53 LE' was reimported into the UK and registered as 'FUW 415', though the first logbook is dated 1st February 1939.
The logbook described the car's colour as 'Beige', while the registered keeper was recorded as Ernest Leow-Beer of London W2, whose family, like many Jewish Czechs, had fled that country following Germany's annexation of the Sudetenland.
Previous owner Malcolm Hobbs purchased 'FUW 415' in 2010, and the following description is a shortened version of his thoroughly researched history (on file).
The second owner from 31st May 1939 was Charles John Clarke, proprietor of E Clarke & Company of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.
A continuation logb...
Price Analysis vs Other 4.25 Litres
£17,688
Lowest Price (Since 2020)
£64,608
Median Price (Since 2020)
£578,299
Highest Price (Since 2020)
World Record
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Mid-Market
Compared to previous sales, the sale price placed this vehicle in the mid-market for the 4.25 Litre.
Lowest Price
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Average Price
Compared to historical records, the sale price placed this vehicle squarely in the mid-market for the 4.25 Litre.
Rare Sale
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Previous 4.25 Litre Sales
MOT Information
Valid
Expires on 8th Mar 2027
Latest MOT mileage:
90,693 miles
MOT History
Passed
On 9th Mar 2026, 90,693 miles
Passed
On 5th Sept 2012, 67,701 miles
Passed
On 26th Aug 2011, 63,977 miles
Passed
On 14th Jul 2010, 63,375 miles
MOT Mileage Trend
Gallery
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101 New Bond Street, London, Greater London, W1S 1SR, England
Operating from London, Bonhams is a physical auction house handling classic, historic competition, and collector cars. They conduct live auctions globally, offering vehicle consignment, appraisal, and valuation services.
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