B142NZ in an H J Mulliner Bentley Mk VI Lightweight.
B142NZ was ordered on August 8, 1951. A few months later Rolls-Royce delivered the chassis to H. J. Mulliner coachbuilders for fitment of lightweight saloon body number 5391. The finished vehicle was destined for Messrs. John Croall & Sons. The car was to be a company demonstrator at their Edinburgh headquarters. At that time, Croall owned the Mulliner works and sold Rolls-Royce motorcars in Scotland.
Croall had a long history in the coach field, having been established in 1820 as a coach and livery company in the shadow of Edinburgh castle. By 1850 the company had expanded into the undertaking and funeral coach business. In 1897 the original John Croall firm was incorporated as John Croall & sons, and the business expanded to include casket making and coach building. At the 20th century dawned Croall became one of the first coach builders to fit bodies to the new motorcars.
In 1909 Croall & Sons purchased a controlling interest in the H. J. Mulliner works of Chiswisk, West London. By 1950 Mulliner was one of the premier coach builders for Rolls-Royce motors, though they were moving away from individual coachbuilt bodies and toward a line of standard steel saloons. The chassis for this car was usually fitted with a standard body and sold as the Bentley Mark VI. This car had more stylish aluminum sport saloon coachwork, and was referred to as a Mark VI Lightweight.
This car was the direct predecessor of the famous Flying Spur that would be built on the next generation S-Series chassis. B142NZ remains largely original, with the same frame and body that left the coachbuilder in 1951. Croall sold the Mulliner work to Rolls-Royce in 1959, and they continued to build the Flying Spurs. Today Mulliner remains part of Bentley, for whom they build the company’s bespoke motorcar commissions.
Postwar Bentley engines had 4.25 litre displacement up to the time of this car, when the motor was enlarged to 4.5 litres. This car still has the original engine, numbered B71N.
The car carries a British registration number of CVV62, which was issued in Swansea, Wales. Its association with the car is unconfirmed. According to the present owner B142NZ was exported to the United States about 30 years ago, and it lived in Kentucky until being sold at Sotheby’s Auburn auction in the fall of 2016. At that time the car was advertised as having a current British MOT inspection and papers detailing several thousand pounds of restoration work (circa 1984) by A B Price of Warwickshire, England.
The car was subsequently offered for sale by Hyman, Ltd, of St. Louis, but no private ownership records for the car are known to exist.
John Elder Robison
John Robison is the founder of J E Robison Service Co of Springfield, MA. His company specializes in the repair and restoration of Rolls Royce and Bentley motorcars. John is also known as an author and advocate for people with autism and neurological differences. His books include Switched On, Look Me in the Eye, Be Different,and Raising Cubby. John has also written numerous articles on Rolls Royce service and repair, and he’s the technical editor for the Rolls-Royce and Bentley Club (the RROC). He’s always available to advise owners about the care and feeding of their fine motorcars. www.robisonservice.com 413-785-1665
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