1937 James Young Cabriolet

Chassis number B14KT is one of four pontoon-bodied Bentleys fitted by James Young, now considered one of the finest coachbuilders of the interwar period. The four "pontoon" cars are different, B14KT being the most elegant. It was delivered new in May 1937 to Pass & Joyce Ltd, principal agent for cars bodied by James Young at the time, and was first owned by a certain L. Appleyard. B14KT, a very elegant four-seater, also features James Young's patented parallelogram doors. These are supported by an arm mounted on a central pivot which makes them open outwards on the side, to facilitate access to the rear seats. Mr. Appleton had previously owned B84FB, another "pontoon" body with parallelogram doors and had probably been seduced by the process. Half a dozen James Young Bentleys feature a parallelogram door on one side, but B14KT appears to be one of four to have two.

Registered DKR 759 in the UK, the Bentley survived the second war, well protected. Over time, the car eventually returned to the UK in 2000 in dire need of a restoration,with all of the work carried out between 2000 and 2003 by renowned specialists.

Additional restoration was further done in 2003, by its current owner. Including,work was done on the gearbox and running gear (including a new driveshaft), a new champagne-coloured lined soft top was fitted and the door and window mechanisms redone. B14KT is featured in Fraser & Knapek's Bentley Beauty (pages 237, 238, 239), but with its old soft top. A full dossier showing the car's restoration and history is supplied with the car, a copy of the chassis plan and an original owner's manual, together with its UK V5 registration papers.