Hibernia Auto Restorations also has salvaged the 1947 fiery red Bentley Mark VI that King Farouk of Egypt drove even after he was exiled to the island of Capri in 1952.
The car, whose coach was built by the famed Paris-based design firm of the era, Figoni et Falachi, also went through a series of owners through the years before coming to a rusty rest in a Morristown, N.J., garage.
Before setting to work on the Bentley, Glen Smith, a Hibernia mechanic, consulted blueprints of the original model.
Then he carefully took it apart, storing every part in a plastic bag, labeling and cataloging it to make reassembly easier.
In his quest for authenticity, Smith learned that King Farouk had decreed that no one else in Egypt could own a red auto. The only exceptions were the military jeeps, painted red, that traveled as part of the king's entourage.
Farouk getting into his Mercedes Benz 540K, a wedding gift from Adolf Hitler, circa 1938
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2014/01/30/King-Farouk-s-fabulous-wealth-1977.html
Far from being just a personal gift, this served to showcase Germany's engineering abilities: "a first-rate sports Cabriolet, the best, most attractive and most precise car manufactured in the entire world." The 540 K received a special and unique dashboard layout and a contrasting beige leather interior with a matching hood. Although the King was forced to abdicate in 1952 and spent the rest of his life in exile in Monaco and Italy, the car remained untouched in Cairo until 1988. A French collector purchased 169387 at auction and stored it in a barn in France. http://forums.aaca.org/f180/party-animal-king-farouks-mercedes-540k-364760.html
http://www.fmm.co.za/dt_portfolio/mercedes-benz-540k-cabriolet/
http://www.prewarcar.com/magazine/un-solved-mysteries/king-farouks-custom-mystery-update-v-dan-lalee-retractable-streamliner-and-chris-craft-003467.html
https://www.pinterest.com/mido013/cars-boats-king-farouk-of-egypt-palace-cairo/
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1991-07-18/topic/9107160560_1_hibernia-auto-restorations-cars-and-owners
http://www.gizmag.com/worlds-most-valuable-barnfind/35178/
The car, whose coach was built by the famed Paris-based design firm of the era, Figoni et Falachi, also went through a series of owners through the years before coming to a rusty rest in a Morristown, N.J., garage.
Before setting to work on the Bentley, Glen Smith, a Hibernia mechanic, consulted blueprints of the original model.
Then he carefully took it apart, storing every part in a plastic bag, labeling and cataloging it to make reassembly easier.
In his quest for authenticity, Smith learned that King Farouk had decreed that no one else in Egypt could own a red auto. The only exceptions were the military jeeps, painted red, that traveled as part of the king's entourage.
Farouk getting into his Mercedes Benz 540K, a wedding gift from Adolf Hitler, circa 1938
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2014/01/30/King-Farouk-s-fabulous-wealth-1977.html
Far from being just a personal gift, this served to showcase Germany's engineering abilities: "a first-rate sports Cabriolet, the best, most attractive and most precise car manufactured in the entire world." The 540 K received a special and unique dashboard layout and a contrasting beige leather interior with a matching hood. Although the King was forced to abdicate in 1952 and spent the rest of his life in exile in Monaco and Italy, the car remained untouched in Cairo until 1988. A French collector purchased 169387 at auction and stored it in a barn in France. http://forums.aaca.org/f180/party-animal-king-farouks-mercedes-540k-364760.html
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1991-07-18/topic/9107160560_1_hibernia-auto-restorations-cars-and-owners
http://www.gizmag.com/worlds-most-valuable-barnfind/35178/
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