2000 Bentley Continental R Mulliner Widebody

• The Continental R Mulliner was a combination of the 'wide-body' Continental R model with the Continental T's more powerful, 420bhp engine
• Only 46 of these remarkable cars were made between 1999/2003 at a basic price of ú225,000
• Special order silver exterior at considerable extra cost. Dramatic Mulberry leather interior
• Bespoke Mulliner features include the drilled pedals, starter button, engined turned-aluminium dashboard and cockpit panels, unique ribbed seating and fluted headlining, external wing vents
• 39,300 miles (atoc). 11 Official Bentley dealer service stamps full book pack, manuals etc
• Impressive specification. UK-supplied and in private ownership since 2013

Introduced in 1991, the Continental R was the first Bentley in 26 years that did not share its bodywork with a concurrent Rolls-Royce model and was inspired by the very stylish Continental R-Type of the 1950s. The elegant two-door coachwork was styled by John Heffernan and Ken Greenley, a duo whose resume included sports cars like the Aston Martin Virage. At ú175,000, however, this newcomer was one of the world's most expensive cars, although at least it was also one of the fastest. At launch, this latest Continental used the familiar 6.75-litre V8 with a big Garrett turbocharger and an intercooler in the same state of tune as in the Bentley Turbo R. Crewe still declined to provide official power outputs at the time, although it's estimated that around 325bhp was on tap, along with a huge amount of torque. Top speed was governed to 145mph, with 60mph arriving in just 6.6 seconds - all in a car weighing around 2.5 tons, on a 120-inch wheelbase and with an overall length of 17.5 feet!

The rest of the Continental R's running gear was also taken from the Turbo R, with fully independent coil-spring suspension (featuring hydropneumatic self-levelling at the rear) and power-hydraulic brakes with ABS, plus variable-assistance power steering. To add to the sporting feel of the newcomer, this was the first Crewe-built automatic-transmission car to have the gear selector in the centre console rather than on the steering column. The selector handle incorporated a Sports button, which would simultaneously quicken the gearbox's reactions and delay upshifts while firming up the suspension.

Five years later Bentley introduced a short-wheelbase version dubbed the Continental T that was equipped with an uprated engine developing 420 hp and an impressive 650 foot-pounds of torque available at only 2,200 rpm and it wasn't long before Bentley customers were expressing an interest in equipping the