1938 Derby Bentley Drophead Coupe B84LS

My Derby Bentley six-place convertible with rumble seat is a special "one-off" specifically documented in the Bentley books. It was originally commissioned in 1937 by Scottish sportsman Captain Douglas Krauss and was first registered in the UK in May of 1938 as ELB3. At that time, it was tested and documented by AutoCar Magazine as a “one-off” special-
bodied Vanden Plas drophead coupe.

When WW II ended, B84LS was shipped to Australia by its second owner, who was the sister of the other director of Penguin Books of London. As she found the car too large for her new home in
Sydney, she sold it to Mr. Kenneth Hoskins, who was a prominent businessman and a client of Marshall Motors, Australia's oldest, largest, and most experienced Mercedes Benz dealer. Hoskins had all service on the car performed by Rolls Royce in Sydney, including the fitting of power steering under the direction of the RR factory in the UK.

In 1965, on a promise, Marshall Motors took the car on trade and, in 1984. had it shipped to California for storage pending a move to the US. In 1986, the owner his beloved Bentley moved to
Atlanta, where he continued to pamper his favorite car.

The engine (4.25L) was pulled down in early 1991, and its water jackets were cleaned.
No parts required replacement! The body was completely dismantled, bead-blasted to the bare aluminum, then repainted in Mercedes Benz Magnetite Blue. Concurrently, all the chrome was replated at the finest plating facility in the country in Nashville, TN, and the interior was eupholstered using Connolly hides, with English carpeting and separate lambs wool rugs and a German cloth top. New tires were fitted and stainless steel spokes were installed in the wheels and polished. An original luggage rack and trunk were also added.

Over the past 2-3 years, two examples of special-bodied Bentleys have graced the auction block in the USA, and found new owners after considerable long-term ownership. A 1938 Derby fixed
head coupe sold for $1.7 + million, and a 1948 drophead coupe for $1.2 + million. Both cars were comparable with this B84LS suggesting a value in the same range.

This has been my pet for so many years that I feel it has become a part of me.