Bentley R Type Continental
| Manufacturer: | Bentley |
|---|---|
| Model: | R Type Continental |
| Year of Manufacture: | 1955 |
| Coachwork: | Franay Chassis |
| Body Style: | 2 door Coupé |
Rolls-Royce made 208 R Type Continentals and most were Mulliner Fastbacks. Towards the end of production five chassis were released to Franay who produced three identical and two different cars. This is one of the different ones.
This Franay was found by Roy Partridge (of Alpine Eagle) in a terrible state, it had a broken windscreen, the doors were hanging off, the gearbox was completely worn out and previous history very sketchy. Roy pays tribute to its owner for taking such a brave decision in having it completely rebuilt, although I understand that as soon as it was finished, it was clear that it was going to sell for more than the cost. It is after all, an extremely important car in almost perfect condition.
BENTLEY R TYPE CONTINENTAL
Photography: Frank Dale & Stepsons
Bentley R Type Continental
The R-Type Continental was a high-performance version of the R-Type. It was the fastest four-seat car in production at the time. The prototype was developed by a team of designers and engineers from Rolls-Royce Ltd. and coachbuilder H. J. Mulliner & Co. led by Rolls-Royce’s Chief Project Engineer, Ivan Evernden. Rolls-Royce worked with H. J. Mulliner instead of their own coachbuilding subsidiary Park Ward because the former had developed a lightweight body construction system using metal throughout instead of the traditional ash-framed bodies. The rarity of the R Type Continental has made the car valuable to car collectors. In 2015 a 1952 R Type Continental, in unrestored condition, sold for over $1 million USD.
