If it had been left to the board of directors of Rolls-Royce, which took over the Bentley marque in 1931, the Bentley R-Type Continental would probably never have seen the light of day. They simply did not believe that there was a market for a luxurious coupe with such a high performance. they also felt it was too 'sporty' for a company that was noted for creating the ultimate luxury motor car. It was thanks to their chief project engineer Ivan Everden, who laid out his proposals in 1950 for a grand tourer capable of exceeding 100 mph, that in 1952 the company was able to display a real high performance luxury car, the first one since they had created since they took the company over.
If it had been left to the board of directors of Rolls-Royce, which took over the Bentley marque in 1931, the Bentley R-Type Continental would probably never have seen the light of day. They simply did not believe that there was a market for a luxurious coupe with such a high performance. they also felt it was too' sporty' for a company that was noted for creating the ultimate luxury motor car.It was thanks to their chief project engineer Ivan Everden, who laid out his proposals in 1950 for a grand tourer capable of exceeding 100 mph, that in 1952 the company was able to display a real high performance luxury car, the first one since they had created since they took the company over.. And what a car this was; not only the fastest four seater car in the world at the time but also the most expensive! The only people who were ever going to be able to afford one of these were the extremely wealthy who would not baulk at a price tag of £7600.
They got a great deal for their money though. Initially provided with a 4.6 litre straight six engine the car could tick over or cruise almost silently; in a later 4.9 litre form it could produce the then massive 172 brake horsepower which could power the car up to 118 mph. The style of the bodywork, designed by HJ Mulliner and perfected in the company's windtunnel, was impeccable and yet the aluminium coachwork weighed a mere 750 lbs.
Weight was indeed a very important factor to consider! This was a very big car indeed and at the time no tyre in existence would have been able to cope with a heavier vehicle which was capable of cruising for mile after mile at over 100 mph. To keep weight down to a minimum even a radio was omitted.
Bentley had revived it's sporting tradition and this was arguably the finest motorcar of its day as well as the fastest.
Orders came in from all over the world; after all, who, if they could afford it, would turn down the chance to buy the world's most prestigious car? By the time that manufacture ended in 1955 a total of 208 Bentley R-Type Continentals had been sold to lucky buyers.