1997 Bentley Continental R

Introduced in 1991, the Continental R was the first Bentley in 26-years to not share a body style with a concurrent Rolls-Royce and was inspired by the highly collectable Continental R-Type of the 1950s. The elegant two-door coachwork was styled by John Heffernan and Ken Greenley whose penmanship gave the Continental R an air of refined brutality, akin to a rugby player in a Saville Row suit. By 1997 the turbo-charged 6.75-litre V8 had been tweaked which meant a 0-60mph time of 6.3 seconds, a remarkable feat for a car weighing in at over 2.4 tonnes. Further enhancements included a liquid-cooled charge cooler along with an improved Zytek EMS3 engine management system improving throttle response and fuel efficiency along with a digitally controlled turbo over-boost.

At the time of its launch, it was the most expensive production car of its day with a list price in 1996 of £187,000 - the equivalent of £356,000 today. As a hand-built car that was beyond Crewe’s production capacity, just 544 right-hand drive examples of the Continental R were built from a production total of 1,292 between 1992 and 2001. Whilst later versions also proved popular, it's the Continental R that is widely regarded as the saviour of the Bentley name, proving without doubt, that there was a future for the badge with buyer demand for a luxuriously-appointed sporting coupé steeped in heritage, and just on the right side of ostentation. The Continental R was perhaps the last example of a car built to be the best regardless of cost, with a healthy disregard for the strictures of the industry’s obsession with the bottom line.

First registered on 1st January 1997, this Continental R was one of just 43 examples produced in right-hand drive during that year. Finished in the traditional Bentley colour of Ascot Green but with an unusual shade of tan leather upholstery, known officially as Saddle, specified from new. The non-standard features, as confirmed by the original factory specification in the accompanying history file, include fully-veneered waist rails, a Chestnut console and Burr Walnut dashboard, colour-keyed door mirrors, electric rear blind, an Ascot Green steering wheel rim, painted headlamp surrounds, Bentley wing vents and extended runners to the passenger seat.

Sold by us in 2019 to our vendor, the car’s exemplary service history has been added to by the retention of marque specialists RR&B of Bromsgrove for maintenance work since. The current, advisory-free MOT is valid until 4th May 2024 and the mileage was a shade under 76,000 miles at the time of cataloguing. Once a Ferrari-driving, London-dwelling barrister, until the purchase of a country house with ample garaging, this was the first Bentley our vendor had owned. Naturally he became smitten, and four years and some 6,000 miles later, he is keen to experience the shorter wheel-base Continental T, so we have the privilege to offer this old friend once again.