1954 Bentley R Type

Post-war Rolls-Royce production commenced with the Silver Wraith and Bentley MkVI models. For the first time, standard coachwork was used. It was produced by the Pressed Steel Company, of Oxford, and initially available only on the Bentley. By 1949, it was being used on the Silver Dawn. Both featured a new design of independent front suspension, hydraulic front brakes, and a new 4,257cc, six-cylinder, 'F-head' (inlet-over-exhaust) power unit. In 1951, it was enlarged to 4,566cc. All R Type models used iron block aluminum-head inline 6-cylinder engines fed through twin SU carburetors. The 278.6 cubic-inch unit offered 130 horsepower. Improvements were made to the standard bodywork by mid-1952 in the shape of an enlarged trunk, reworked rear wings, and suspension. The subsequent models became known as the R-Type Bentley and E-Series Silver Dawn. These were the first Rolls-Royce products available with automatic transmission, with the company opting for General Motors' Hydra-Matic four-speed unit permitting manual selection. The R-Type could achieve a top speed in excess of 100 mph and could reach 50mph from a standstill in 10 seconds despite its curb weight of nearly two tons. Production cased in 1955 after 2,320 R-Types had been built.

The two-door Continental was produced principally for the domestic home market, with just 208 built, 165 of these in right-hand-drive guise. The chassis was produced at the Rolls-Royce Crewe factory and shared many components with the standard R-Type. Coachwork for the majority of cars was completed by H. J. Mulliner & Co., who mainly built them in Fastback Coupé form.

R-Type Continental Design
The R-Type Continental wore a streamlined and aerodynamic shape that was skillfully perfected using design features from previous experiments, including the Streamline Bentley Mark II project, 'The Scalded Cat,' of the 1930s. Temporarily shelved due to the onset of World War II, many of these innovative design cues from the 1930s experimental cars were re-visited when peacetime resumed.

After the war, Chief Project Engineer H.I.F. Evernden and designer J. P. Blatchley were tasked with creating a lightweight and aerodynamic body capable of transporting four adults in luxury and comfort. Their briefing instructed, '...produce a car which would not only look beautiful but possess a high maximum speed coupled with a correspondingly high rate of acceleration together with excellent handling qualities and roadability...' The lightweight bodies of the Mark VI, the first of the post-war Bentley, was followed by the R-Type in 1952.

The R-Type Continental Prototype, known affectionately as 'Olga' (chassis 9-B-VI and registration number OLG-490), was designed and constructed by H.J. Mulliner. Light alloy was used for the seat frames, window, and body, and the overall weight of the four-seater body was a mere 750 pounds. In the front were bucket seats, while the rear housed a bench seat divided by an armrest. Lightweight features extended beyond the all-aluminum construction, with 'aero-grade' glass, leather, and carpets.

Stanley Watts of H. J. Mulliner finalized the body design, with input from Milford Read after conducting wind tunnel testing on the shape. The rear fins were functional and aesthetic, providing stability at speed and making the vehicle resistant to changes in direction due to crosswinds. The shape was appealing from every angle, with perfectly proportioned rear fenders, a slightly raked radiator shell, and a curved front windscreen.

Extensive road testing revealed that the transmission overdrive top gear was unable to cope with the RPM range of the engine, so it was replaced by a direct-ratio top gear and a lower axle ratio.

R-Type Continental Performance and Luxury
The R-Type Continental was the fastest four-seat car in production at the time, but it was also one of the costliest production cars in the world, with prices in proximity to $20,000. The top speed of 120 mph was achieved in style, elegance, luxury, and comfort.

Production of the Continental commenced in January 1952. As the Continental matured and grew in luxury, its inevitable weight gain was offset by the introduction of a 4,887cc engine on the 'D' and 'E' series cars, commencing in May 1954. 100 mph could be achievable in third gear, and 50 mph reached in a little over 9 seconds.

R-Type and R-Type Continental Production
Bentley produced 208 examples of the Continental, including Olga (the prototype), and 2,323 of the R-Type. Most of the R-Types wore 'standard steel' four-door saloon coachwork, with just 295 receiving coachbuilt bodies. The styling of the R-Type was similar to the Mark VI but with a larger boot.

The R-Type was replaced by the S Series cars in 1955.

R-Type and R-Type Continental Specification
Like the preceding MKVI, a separate chassis was retained, featuring an independent front suspension and hydraulic front brakes. Both the R-Type and Continental rested on a 120-inch wheelbase platform with an overall length of 200 inches, a height of 64.5 inches, and a width of 69 inches. The front suspension was independent with coil springs, while the rear live axle was suspended via semi-elliptical leaf springs. Stopping power was courtesy of 12.25-inch drum brakes at all four corners. The front brakes were operated hydraulically, while the rear was motivated by a gearbox-driven servo.

The straight-six engine was created using a cast-iron block and aluminum head, with a displacement size of 4,566cc. A four-speed manual transmission was standard, and an optional four-speed automatic became available on later cars.

The engine powering the R-Type and Continental were essentially the same, but the former used twin SU Type H6 carburetors while the latter received modified carburetion, induction, and exhaust manifolds. The R-Type had 6.75:1 compression, while the Continental used a 7.25:1 ratio. The final gear ratio used by the R-Type was 3.41, while the Continental had a 3.07 ratio.

The Bentley S
The R-Type was replaced by the 'S' in 1955 and would remain in production through 1959 with 3,538 examples built. Compared to the R-Type, the Bentley S had a three-inch longer wheelbase, retained the traditional radiator grill but wore an all-new external design, had a standard four-speed automatic gearbox, was powered by a 4,887cc (the same unit powering the Continental), and endowed with mechanical improvements throughout. Its suspension was softer, its steering lighter, and the braking was improved.

Six months after the introduction of the 'S' (later known as the S1), a Continental version in chassis-only form was introduced.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2019