{"id":499880,"date":"2022-06-06T11:55:06","date_gmt":"2022-06-06T18:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/\/?p=133279"},"modified":"2024-02-26T00:34:33","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T00:34:33","slug":"the-bentley-r-type-continental-turns-70","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/the-bentley-r-type-continental-turns-70\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bentley R-Type Continental Turns 70"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bentley is celebrating 70 years since the start of production of the R-Type Continental \u2013 one of the most celebrated cars in the company\u2019s 103-year history, and the first Bentley to wear the Continental name. With only 208 examples produced, the R-Type Continental was as rare a sight in the 1950s as it is today \u2013 but it went down in history as a benchmark Bentley, and the embodiment of the brand\u2019s grand touring DNA. Its ethos and its exterior design were the inspiration for the first Continental GT in 2003, and it has inspired Bentley Design teams ever since.<\/p>\n

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While the first prototype R-Type Continental (known as \u2018Olga\u2019 thanks to its OLG490 registration) was on the road in August 1951, it wasn\u2019t until May 1952 that the car went into production, with customer deliveries starting in June. At the time, it was the fastest four-seat car in the world \u2013 a mantle that was picked-up by the modern-day Continental GT in 2003. It was also the most expensive, at \u00a36,928 \u2013 nearly four times the 1952 average UK house price.<\/p>\n

The Iconic R-Type Continental
\n<\/strong>The brainchild of Chief Projects Engineer, Ivan Evernden and Chief Stylist, John Blatchley, the R-Type Continental was described in period by Autocar magazine as \u2018a modern magic carpet which annihilates great distances.\u2019<\/p>\n

Two pre-war coachbuilt specials, the \u2018Embiricos\u2019 Bentley and Mk V Corniche, had shown the advantages of improved aerodynamics. In the early 1950s, Ivan Evernden took inspiration from these one-off creations to create a sleek coup\u00e9 based on the R-Type Bentley saloon. The power of the 4,566cc, six-cylinder in-line engine was raised from 140 to 153 bhp, and the transmission featured a higher final drive ratio. The prototype averaged 118.75 mph over five laps (with a best lap of just under 120mph) at the banked Montlh\u00e8ry track near Paris.<\/p>\n

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To keep down to the target weight, coachbuilders HJ Mulliner crafted the bodywork, window frames, windscreen surround, backlight, seat frames and bumpers in aluminium. Even at a pared-down weight, tyre choice was critical; no standard road tyre existed which could carry a two-ton car at speeds in excess of 115 mph, and Dunlop Medium Distance Track tyres were specified.<\/p>\n

The first production model was delivered to its owner in June 1952 and by the time production ended in 1955, 208 R-Type Continentals had been made. Of these, 193 were bodied by HJ Mulliner. Others included Park Ward (four dropheads and two coup\u00e9s), Franay (five), Graber (three) and Farina (one).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

JAS 949
\n<\/strong>The Bentley Heritage Collection is the proud owner of R-Type Continental chassis BC16C, registration JAS 949. \u2018JAS\u2019 was built in 1953 and delivered to its first owner, Dr Rowland Guenin of Switzerland in December 1953. It was ordered in Ivory with Red interior and a manual gearbox, a specification it retains today along with the original 4.6-litre engine. Bentley Motors acquired JAS 949 in 2001 and has maintained it in excellent mechanical order while sympathetically preserving its patina. The car is driven regularly and appears frequently on display at the Bentley campus and at events around the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bentley is celebrating 70 years since the start of production of the R-Type Continental \u2013 one of the most celebrated cars in the company\u2019s 103-year history, and the first Bentley to wear the Continental name. With only 208 examples produced, the R-Type Continental was as rare a sight in the 1950s as it is today \u2013 but it went down in history as a benchmark Bentley, and the embodiment of the brand\u2019s grand touring DNA. Its ethos and its exterior […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":810162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[464,255],"tags":[603,465,1566,16489,429],"class_list":["post-499880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bentley","category-news","tag-anniversary","tag-bentley","tag-bentley-continental","tag-bentley-r-type-continental","tag-news"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Bentley R-Type Continental Turns 70<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bentley is celebrating 70 years since the start of production of the R-Type Continental \u2013 one of the most celebrated cars in the company\u2019s 103-year history\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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