1954 Bentley R Type at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

Bentley (Post War)

Duesenberg

Ferrari

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Gullwings

Lincoln Continentals

Race Cars (Pre-War)

Race Cars (Post War - 1960)

Race Cars (1961 - 1988)

Sports Cars (Pre-War)

Sports and GT Cars (Post War - 1960)

Sports and GT Cars (1961 - 1973)

Bentley (Post War) Vehicles

1954 Bentley R Type

1957 Bentley Continental S1

1958 Bentley Continental S1

1961 Bentley S2

1962 Bentley S2 Continental

1963 Bentley S3 Continental

Information on the 1954 Bentley R Type

More photographs of the 1954 Bentley R Type

Just 207 (some sources say 208) R-Type Continentals were built for the fortunate few who could afford the 'idea of perfection.'

The Bentley R-Type Continental, in its day, was the world's most expensive automobile. For instance, it was 35 percent more costly than a Cadillac Special Sedan. Before the outbreak of the war in 1939, Bentley thought about producing a limited-production performance model for the new high-speed roads that were being constructed in Europe. A prototype achieved a near 100 mph average speed in testing on the German Autobahn, but WWII halted production plans. Revived in 1951, Bentley Motors worked closely with coachbuilder Mulliner and developed a lightweight performance Mark VI Bentley by using aluminum panels and reducing the 4078 pound weight to 3739 on the standard sedan.

What really made the Bentley Continental so distinctive was the fastback two-door bodywork, whose excellent aerodynamics gave the car excellent high-speed performance. The pre-war prototype had raced at LeMans in 1949 and 1950 with some success.

The six-cylinder, water-cooled engine with a displacement of 5.57 liters, produced 160 horsepower, coupled to a four-speed transmission, and had a top speed of 120 mph. The pressed channel-steel chassis carried an independent front suspension with coil springs and wishbones, a rear suspension with a semi-elliptic leaf spring, and four-wheel drum brakes.

Also photographed at :

Concours d'Elegance of America at Meadow Brook >> European Luxury and Sport

Concours d'Elegance of America at Meadow Brook >> PostWar Touring

	Site Map \| Contact \| About Us \| Terms Of Use / Privacy Policy \| Links \| carAuctionValues
	Vehicles \| Wallpaper \| Events \| Price Guide \| Motorsports \| Articles
	Vehicle information, history, and specifications from concept to production. © 1998-2013 Conceptcarz.com