1953 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback Sports Saloon

The Type R Continental Bentley was introduced as the 'Continental Sports Saloon' in 1952. Bentley worked closely with H.J. Mulliner to develop a lightweight performance version of the postwar Mark VI Bentley. By using aluminum panels, the weight was cut form 4,078 pounds for the standard sedan to 3,739 pounds. It was the fastest 4-psasenger vehicle in the world at introduction, capable of 120 miles per hour.

This model has the upgraded 4.9 liter, water-cooled, F-Head (overhead inlet-side exhaust), 6-cylinder engine, with a center shift 4-speed manual gearbox. It is believed that fewer than 10 units were built to these specifications.

It was re-built/rebodied by the Bentley factory and H.J. Mulliner in 1954 and returned to the first owners with a fresh warranty.

This Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback Sports Saloon by H.J. Mulliner is one of two of the second-series 'B' models supplied with both left-hand drive and the center-shift manual transmission. It was fitted from new with lightweight aluminum frame bucket seats and Wilmot Breedon bumpers, as well as the rear fender 'spats' common to all R-Type Continentals through the late 'C' series. It was installed from the factory with the 4.6-liter engine as the 4.9-liter unit did not yet exist - it was introduced for the final 'D' and 'E' cars later, in 1954.

The car's original owner was J. Gordon Mack, of the Pennsylvania family that owned the G.C. Murphy variety store chain. Mr. Mach took delivery of the Bentley on July 16th of 1953 via New York distributor J.S. Inskip. A short time later (less than a year), the car was involved in a serious accident and was returned to the factory where it was totally remanufactured to the most current specification. The chassis was rebuilt to the latest, and lighter, welded-frame construction, and fitted with a new 4.9-litre engine. It was then sent to Mulliner for new coachwork to the original design, no. 5706. Some of the original trim hardware was reused from the first iteration. In this guise, the car was considered 'new' by the factory, and another three-year guarantee was issued.

In the summer of 1954, the car returned back to the United States, but Mr. Mack passed away soon thereafter. On October 3rd of 1956, Inskip sold the car for the estate to the second owner, Robert Publicker. On January 26th of 1961, the car was again sold by Inskip, this time to Edmond R. du Pont of Delaware. On July 18th of 1966, it was acquired by Anthony Thompson, who in January 1980 passed it to Alan W. Rothschild. The car was restored in 1988 to its present Masons Black livery with Tan leather interior. Between 1989 and 1992, the car earned RROC Senior awards, and in 1990 it earned an AACA National Senior First Prize for Mr. Rothschild.

In 1997, the car was sent to Vantage Motorworks and received an air conditioning system that duplicates that fitted to the 1953 New York show car, the only R-Type Continental known to have been delivered air-conditioned from the factory.

In its current ownership, the Bentley was given a correct-style aluminum radiator from the UK, and an upgrade to the big-valve, six-port cylinder head, as used on the Bentley S1, along with larger SU carburetors, a special distributor, and a larger-diameter tailpipe. Known as the 'OPWAS modification,' this was originally available through the factory as a retrofit to earlier Continentals in 1955.

The current caretaker has driven the car in the 2012 Copperstate 1000 where it earned the Distance Award. It received the Best Rolls-Royce or Bentley trophy from the Greystone Mansion Concours in 2012, Best in Class at the Amelia Island Concours in 2013, Best in Class during the Bentley feature year at Mar-a-Lago Classic Sports Sunday in 2014, and Most Elegant Bentley at the Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance in 2019 (the Bentley Motors centenary year).

In 2019, the car returned to Vantage Motorworks for mechanical service and cosmetic freshening, including the fitment of new Wilton carpets.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2021