1953 Bentley R-Type

When World War II came to a close, Rolls-Royce transferred the production of its motor cars from Derby to its wartime aero-engine facility at Crewe. For the first time in the company's history, they built complete cars rather than just the chassis.

The first Bentley model to emerge after the war was the Mark VI, a virtual duplicate (sans radiator shell) of its sister, the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn. The bodies were styled by the company's own designers, with ex-Gurney Nutting Chief Designer John Blatchley adding refinement. With the standardized bodies, the work could be completed in greater numbers at its new factory in Crewe, England. Bentley and Rolls-Royce continued to offer custom coachwork at the owner's discretion.

In 1951, the engine capacity was increased to 4,566 cubic centimeters. The standard saloon body was revised with a longer boot in 1952. At the same time, chassis numbering had reached the R series, causing this model to become known as the R-Type in late-1952. At this time, an optional automatic transmission with twin SU carburetors also became available. In total, there were 2,325 R-Types were produced through 1955.

The Bentley R-Type was powered by the 4,566cc 'F-head' (inlet-over-exhaust) engine with a 92mm (3.62 inch) bore and 114.3 mm (4.50 inch) stroke fed by twin SU Type H6 carburetors. The block was formed from iron and the heads were aluminum. A four-speed manual transmission was standard while the four-speed automatic was optional on later cars. The front suspension was independent using coil springs with semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear. Stopping power was provided by 311 mm (12.25 inch) drums located at all four corners with the front hydraulically operated while the rear brakes were mechanically operated via a gearbox driven servo.

R-Type Continental
The superlative features of the R-Type were enhanced with the arrival of the R-Type Continental, combining high performance with exceptional refinement. Unlike the ordinary 'standard steel' R-Type, the Continental was bodied in the traditional manner with coachwork applied by various coachbuilders. The prototype example wore coachwork designed and built by Rolls-Royce's Chief Project Engineer, Ivan Evernden and coachbuilder H.J. Mulliner & Co. It was a lightweight, aluminum, wind tunnel-developed fastback which used metal throughout instead of the traditional ash-framed bodies. In the back were fins that stabilized the car while at speed and reduced its susceptibility to directional changes due to crosswinds. The prototype was chassis number 9-B-VI and registration number OLG-490, earning it the nickname 'Olga.' The first series of production Continentals, including Olga, was based on the Mark VI chassis. Some of the early R Type Continentals received the standard R-Type engine but with modified carburetion, induction and exhaust manifolds. The compression increased from the standard 6.75:1 to 7.24:1, and the final gear ratio was raised (lowered numerically) from 3.41 to 3.07.

Many of the Continental components were shared with the standard R-Type, and were delivered as rolling chassis to the coachbuilder of choice. Most of the Continentals received bodies by H.J. Mulliner & Co., with the majority of those as fastback coupes. Park Ward built six examples and Franay of Paris built five. The Swiss coachbuilder Graber bodied three examples and one of them was later altered by Köng of Basel, Switzerland. James Young of London built a Sports Saloon for James Barclay, and Pininfarina also bodied a single example.

As the Continental matured, there was an inevitable increase in weight, which was offset by the introduction of a 4,887cc engine on the 'D' and 'E' series cars, commencing in May 1954. The full four/five-seater saloon was capable of a top speed of 120 mph with 100 mph achieved in third gear.

The Continental was initially built for export only, and their base price, delivery charges, and local taxes almost certainly earned them the distinction of being the most expensive car in the world as well as the fastest capable of carrying four adults and their luggage. Most examples were produced principally for the domestic home market, with 207 examples receiving right-hand drive while just 43 had left-hand drive for use abroad.

Bentley produced 2,323 examples of the R Type with 295 of those receiving custom-built coachwork bodies. An additional 208 examples, including one prototype, were R Type Continental models.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2019