1954 Bentley R Type Sport Saloon

Following World War II, Rolls-Royce transferred production of its motorcars from Derby to its wartime aero-engine facility at Crewe. For the first time, the company built complete cars, rather than chassis-only. Standard bodies were styled by the company's own designers with ex-Gurney Nutting Chief Designer John Blatchley adding refinement. This was quite a change in philosophy by Rolls-Royce, yet it reflected the reality that standardized bodies could be built in greater numbers at its new factory in Crewe, England.

The first postwar Bentley to be built was the Mark VI, a virtual duplicate (sans radiator shell) of its sister, the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn. Engine capacity was increased to 4,566cc in 1951 and the standard saloon body revised with a longer boot in 1952. Simultaneously, chassis numbering had reached 'R,' resulting in this model being known as the R-Type in late-1952. A total of 2,325 R-Types in all configurations were produced through 1955.

This R Type with coachwork by James Young is a 6-cylinder, dual exhaust with Continental grill and aluminum coachwork. It is one of 10 known to exist and the only one special-ordered with a Bentley Continental radiator shell. The owner purchased this 'barn find' in 1975, and the car underwent a complete restoration in 1990 and was refreshed in 2017. The car was originally ordered by Kenneth A. Smith, Esquire.