1953 Bentley R-Type Saloon

This is the 15th of just 24 Continental Sports Sedans built in 1953 and slated for U.S. delivery. It is powered by a 4.9-liter six-cylinder engine and is fitted with a comprehensive list of special features including lightweight Mulliner seat frames, sealed beam headlights, high-frequency horns, fog lamps, special bumpers and U.S. compliant blinking turn signals. It is the first 'R-Type' with a center floor-mounted gear-change lever rather than the traditional column shift and one the very few with left-hand drive. Coachwork is by H.J. Mulliner.

It returned to England early in 1954 and then to Le Touquet, France in the spring. It remained in France with its owner until 1965 when it was sold and returned to America.

The Georges-Paulin-designed Corniche prototype of 1940 eventually evolved into H.I.F. Evenden and J.P. Blatchley's R-Type Continental. The design and development of the prototype Continental was entrusted to H.J. Mulliner, which was based on the frame, suspension, steering and braking components of a standard R-Type. Light alloy was used for the body, window, and seat frames. The entire package, including the body and chassis, weighed less than 4,000 pounds. During extensive testing, the prototype's gearbox overdriven top gear was found to be unsuitable for the RPMs offered by the engine. In response. It was replaced by a direct-ratio top gear and lower axle ratio, offering better high-speed touring and well-spaced gear changes for city driving.

Between May 1952 and April 1955, 207 production Continentals were built. Mulliner was tasked with crafting bodies for 193 of those, giving them variations of their prototype design, which was dubbed the Sports Saloon. The Mulliner-bodied R-Type Continental was a build-to-order package that had a price tag of $18,000.

This particular example, chassis number BC16LA, is the 15th R-Type Continental produced as part of the inaugural A-Series and as a left-hand drive model. This car is one of only twenty-four Continentals built in 1953. The car was ordered with an extensive list of special features, including special H.J. Mulliner lightweight seat frames, sealed-beam headlamps, high-frequency horns, fog lamps in front of the standard center driving lamp, and American flasher-type turn indicators. The Wilmot Breedon 'export'-type steel bumpers were noted to be fitted an inch further forward than standard. This was also the first R-Type Continental with the optional center gear change, rather than the standard steering column-mounted shift lever.

After the car was put through testing, the car was shipped to San Francisco via the S.S Loch Garth on January 15, 1953, for display by West Coast dealer Kjell Qvale. The original owner was Svante Magnus Swenson. Swenson returned the car to England in 1954 and then flew it to Le Touquet, France, on April 26, 1954.

In 1965, the car was retrofitted with an updated larger engine of a 3¾-inch bore, and the original engine, BCA15, is reported to have been installed in another chassis. Later in like, the car was put into storage, where it would remain for many years before being sold to a new owner who would direct its painstaking re-commissioning. The car was later sold to James Patterson before entering its current ownership.

The car is finished in black over brown. Under the engine is its BCA15 engine, indicating either incorrect previous registry data or a reinstallation of the original powerplant.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2015