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Bentley has been around for over a century. However, it wasn’t until 1952 when the luxury automaker first used the Continental nameplate. Celebrating 70 years of Continental, Bentley looks back at the R-Type Continental – the predecessor to the modern Continental GT.
The Bentley R-Type Continental is a rare sight, not only today but in the ’50s as well. With a period of three years to 1955, only 208 units were made by Bentley. It was the fastest four-seater car in the world when it debuted, while also being among the most expensive at £6,928 or $8,737 at today’s exchange rates. At that time, this amount of money was four times the average house price in England.
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The brainchild of Chief Projects Engineer, Ivan Evernden and Chief Stylist, John Blatchley, the R-Type Continental is powered by a 4.6-liter inline-six engine that produces 153 horsepower (113 kilowatts). The prototype averaged 118.75 miles per hour (191 kilometers per hour) over five laps on the curving Montlhèry track.
Of the 208 units built, 193 were produced by HJ Mulliner, while Park Ward (making four dropheads and two coupes), Franay (five), Graber (three), and Farina (one) completed the remainder of limited production.
Among the existing R-Type Continental units, one of which is in the management of the Bentley Heritage Collection, seen in the photo above. This is a BC16C chassis with a JAS 949 registration.
The JAS, as Bentley called it, was a customer car, first owned by Dr. Rowland Guenin from Switzerland. Ordered at Ivory with a Red interior, Bentley acquired the unit in 2001. Since then, the unit has been maintained in excellent mechanical condition, while the patina has been preserved. Classic cars are being driven regularly and are often on display at Bentley campuses and at events around the world.
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