Description
This impressive Bentley Continental Convertible with Coachwork by H J Mulliner, Park Ward was delivered new to South California, USA in 1987 and has covered less than 50, 000 miles. Finished in a very attractive colour combination of Black with Tan leather interior, this beautiful and rare 1987-model Bentley Continental was first owned by Mr Ken Berg in the 'Golden State'. The Continental's specification encompassed all the usual Bentley refinements as well as two matching cocktail cabinets in the doors, Mouton over-rugs, and a mobile telephone, which is still fitted. The Bentley subsequently passed to Mr Berg's wife, Ms Julie Ann Sheltonberg, but did not leave the family's ownership until August 2014 when it was registered in the UK as 'D197 YOO'.
The Bentley was meticulously maintained throughout the Berg family's ownership, while the dry Southern Californian climate kept it free of rust or corrosion. During 27 years of ownership up to 2014, the Continental covered a mere 43, 000 miles and the cars next owner added a further 4, 000 miles, taking the total from new circa 47, 000. Upon its arrival in the UK, the car was thoroughly serviced at a cost of almost £5, 000 in preparation for an extended European tour. The Bentley was later registered in Monaco, serviced exclusively by Bentley Monaco and on return to the UK was re-registered in the UK.
Introduced in March 1971, the Corniche was a revised version of the H J Mulliner, Park Ward-bodied two-door variants of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and Bentley T-Series saloons, themselves notable as the Crewe factory's first unitary-construction cars. In Corniche form Rolls-Royce's well-tried 6. 7-litre V8 produced around ten percent more power than standard and proved capable of propelling the car to a top speed in excess of 120mph, with sports car-beating acceleration to match. The model proved a major success for Rolls-Royce, and although its exterior style remained recognisably Silver Shadow, the Corniche/ Continental benefited from the regular up-dates and improvements made to the contemporary Silver Spirit range, remaining in production well into the 1990s, the last (Convertible) examples being delivered in 1995.
The Bentley key factor in Rolls-Royce's marketing strategy for the 1980s was the re-launch of Bentley. To rekindle interest in the marque, a glorious name from its past was resurrected - 'Continental' - and applied to the two-door model previously known, like its Rolls-Royce equivalent, as the Corniche. An inspired move, the Bentley's 1984 name change had the desired effect; sales, which in the 13 years since the Corniche's launch had amounted to a mere 77 Bentley-badged cars, totalling 421 for the succeeding 11 years of Continental production.
