1927 Bentley 6 1/2 Litre

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys The Monterey Auction event, 13 - 15 August 2026.
$600,000 - $800,000 USD

• Desirable short-chassis 6 -Litre, one of the greatest vintage Bentleys
• Formerly owned by Jack Jeffery, Barry Cooney, and Jack Goffette
• Exceptionally beautiful coachwork, fitted within two decades of its birth
• A well-kept touring automobile, much enjoyed by the Manns on events

I love this car first for the look of it; it is just a very aggressive-looking car, that leaves no question that it is a tough machine. I had looked at it before, did not buy it then, and after it had been sold to another, had second thoughts. When it and another car we admired, the 1914 Rolls-Royce, came up for auction, we went to Denmark for the sale intending to buy either one, or the other, or both. Of course, we ended up buying both! It is blindingly fast. S.M.

W.O. Bentleys original 3-Litre and successor 4 -Litre were strong automobiles, known for their aggressive performance and the strength of their engineering. There was no such subtlety to the 6 -Litre, which was a large hammer built for the single purpose of going very fast, indeed. Not only larger than earlier models, its overhead cam engine, with four valves per cylinder, was greatly refined, as well, for smoother power, and was known for its ability to carry even the heaviest coachwork at nearly modern road speeds. They ran with success at Le Mans and in other great events of their era and were the basis for exceptional custom coachwork by Europes finest shops.

The Mann 6 1/2-Litre, one of about 20 original short-chassis examples with a 132-inch frame, was originally shipped to Australia; it was first registered there in 1927 to David MacKay, followed by a Mr. McGill of Molong, New South Wales, who in the early 1930s had it rebodied by a Sydney coachbuilder.

In 1940 the car passed to Jack Jeffery, who later recalled having to spend a day at the McGill home while they interviewed and vetted him as to his worthiness to be their Bentleys caretaker. After taking delivery, Mr. Jeffery mechanically restored the chassis, engine, and drivetrain, and discarded the heavy second body while considering something more sporting. He eventually settled on coachwork inspired by the famous 8-Litre Bentley owned by Forrest Lycett, bodied as an especially rakish two-seater by Corsica, and acquired numerous photographs of that car to use as a basis.

World War II soon brought the project to a halt, and, unconvinced he would make much progress, Mr. Jeffery eventually traded the car to George Pearse for a speedboat. Mr. Pearse, too, made little headway, however, and soon Mr. Jeffery bought his Bentley back and in the early post-war years finally completed the car to its Corsica-inspired design. It was featured at the conclusion of the work in a feature article in the September 1950 issue of Australian Motor Sports.

Soon Mr. Jeffery parted with the car yet again, this time for good. It changed hands several times through the late 1960s, and in 1971 was brought stateside by the prolific trader in vintage automobiles, B. Paul Moser of California. Mr. Moser sold the Bentley in 1975 to W.E. Blackaby, from whom it was acquired in 1982 by Barry D. Cooney, at the time a very active and well-known collector of vintage Bentleys and Rolls-Royces in the Pacific Northwest.

In 1984 the Bentley was purchased by Jack Goffette, who kept it for many years, using it in numerous events on the West Coast, most prominently in vintage racing at Laguna Seca something that Mr. Mann was quite impressed by, as a longtime participant in Monterey racing events who notes, that is not a track to be toyed with, especially in a vintage Bentley. Included in the file are many of the invoices for work undertaken on the car by Washington state specialists, as Mr. Goffette continuously refined the cars performance to maximize its ability on the track. It was later sold to noted enthusiast Peter Hageman, in whose care Mr. Mann admired it and considered acquiring it. Eventually it was sold to a collector in Denmark, and when it became available once more in 2015, it was finally added to the Mann collection.

The car retains its highly sporting and deeply attractive coachwork, built and installed with inspiration from the great firm of Corsica at the tail end of the Classic Era, and with an unusually skilled hand at design and construction. It retains its original crankcase, steering box, and other major components, and has numerous unusual, rare, and desirable early-production 6 -Litre features, correct to this car, such as a hood with two ventilator doors per side, a light-pattern front axle, and rod-operated brakes. In fact, the mechanical specification is little-changed from the 1950 restoration, aside from Hartford-style friction shock absorbers mounted by Mr. Goffette. Mr. Mann desired to tour in the car, and thus installed adjustable, concealed electric power steering for a virtually modern driving experience, designed both a top for the car as well as a storage compartment in the well behind the seat, which accommodates not only the neatly folding top but also any gear one wishes to bring on the tour.

It is in that spirit that the Bentley is offered today; Mr. Mann encourages its new owner to take part in the several vintage Bentley events held in North America, savoring the exceptional performance of a great automobile that has been very well-loved over its entire life.

This car has been pretty damn good. S.M.To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/mo26/.