‘Soulless’ might best describe any person who, gazing upon this gorgeous Bentley drophead coupé, could not instantly picture themselves at the wheel, wafting along some sun-kissed coastal road on the French Riviera. Roof down, sweeping bends, wind in your hair, the deep blue Mediterranean sea sparkling in the warm sunshine, a romantic table for two awaiting. You're there now, aren't you! And so was I when given the privilege of driving this rare car recently, albeit along rather less glamorous roads near Linlithgow in central Scotland.
TSJ 174 is a 1950 Bentley Mark VI drophead coupé (chassis no. B257FU) whose striking coachwork, by the respected firm Abbott of Farnham, sumptuously clothes Bentley's renowned 4¼-litre, straight six engine (no. B378F) and one of the loveliest interiors I've come across. Owners, Ros and Alan Stewart, tell me the 73,000 miles on the odometer is correct. With seating for four people, Abbott called this body style a ‘foursome drophead coupé’. They built 14 examples of which it is thought maybe nine survive. So it is a rare beast – and a rare treat to find myself sitting behind the wheel.
First impressions? Well, any delusions about the south of France quickly fade as the day in question is
