Highlights
- Huge history file – including the original order form
- Amazing interior comfort
- The epitome of ‘90s opulence
The Appeal
Launched at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show the Continental R was a very capable luxury car that provided the interior comfort of a yacht and the performance of a sports car thanks to its 6.75L turbocharged V8.
Originally supplied by Dutton Forshaw of Preston in January 1994 this example was specified with the rather lovely Royal Blue exterior paint with a Silverstone Grey hide and blue piping interior. It also has the matching lambswool over mats, which are still in good condition.
From day one this Bentley has been properly looked after, sifting through the paperwork you can find items such as the original order form and pretty much every service receipt and MOT certificate since.
The History and Paperwork
The story of this Bentley Continental R starts almost a year before the car is registered on the road;
- In April of 1993, the first owner enquires about ordering a new Continental R which gets the ball rolling
- On the 2nd of June 1993, the first owner goes to Dutton Forshaw, Preston, and sets about building their perfect Bentley. Opting for a Royal Blue exterior and Silverstone Connolly Hide interior
- Finally, after a long build process, the car is ready for collection. So, on the 1st of January 1994, the first owner collects his new pride and joy.
Upon its delivery it starts to build up its paperwork collection, which is now huge. If we quickly touch on the service history, we can see that it has been serviced when required, the service history is well documented in the book and with the other accompanying paperwork. There is a large collection of invoices that date from 1997 practically until today. The majority of these invoices have been photographed individually so that you can see how much love this car has received.
If we work backwards from the newest invoice we will pick up on some of the following important items;
- In 2021 it goes in to get some repair work completed on the front arches and sills, these are then painted to match the rest of the car
- In April of 2021, it has its most recent service, it has only covered about 600 miles since this service, and it also gets a top up of the A/C system
- In October 2019 it gets two new O/S/R brake pipes, a brake bleed, MOT, a new O/S/R tyre, a new N/S/F upper suspension ball joint, and other smaller works
- It receives a lot of work between 2014-2019 some of which includes services, a new gasket to rectify a leak, a new viscous fan unit, some work to the braking system, x3 new engine mounts, new front coil springs, and some other smaller works
Before 2014 there are still lots of invoices that detail all of the work that has been completed to the car throughout its near 30-year life and you could easily spend an afternoon sifting through this folder full of invoices. Along with the history of all of the works that have been carried out, there are also some Bentley original sales brochures that will also come with the car. Now it is your chance to add to the history of this Bentley
The Interior
- Finished in beautiful leather
- Lots of lovely wooden trim
- Amazing place to sit
Although the exterior of a Bentley is always beautiful to look at, it can never hold a candle to the level of lavishness that is indeed the interior. Finished with the best leather available, a multitude of wooden clad panels, and technology that would have been revolutionary in the late ‘90s, this is the place to be on any journey.
If we start by looking at all four of the seats that are fitted to this Continental, we can see that they are all presented in very good condition. Focusing further on the seat that you will be spending the most time in, the driver’s seat, we are presented with a seat that has stood up to the test of time very well, with only some minor marks on the blue piping. But as this seat has experienced all of the 71,000 miles that is almost expected. Looking to the left we are met by the passenger’s seat, once again it is presented very well visually. On the day the photos were taken this seat wouldn’t move forwards on the button that is found on the side, but this could have been down to not knowing a certain knack to get it to move.
Much like the front seats, the rear are presented in very good condition, being just as comfortable to sit in and enjoy the supple ride of a modern classic Bentley. The door cards and headlining have both been finished in the same Silverstone Connolly hide as the seats. Once again, these elements are presented very well.
If you thought that we were done with the expensive interior features, you’d be wrong. To complement the door card's silver hide they have also been clad with some amazingly intricate wood panelling. All of the wood fitted to the car is in great condition, from the front to the back there doesn’t appear to be any obvious lacquer peel or sun bleaching which is very rare to find in older cars.
There are a few small places within the interior that may need a little bit of attention, the first issue is the leather is slightly peeling away from the behind the centre console. This is only really seen when you look in through the window, so it won’t ruin what you get to look at. Another item that will need some attention is the bonnet pull, unfortunately, at some point, the original handle has come off and you now need to know the knack to be able to open the bonnet. But it must be said that the bonnet opens perfectly fine, and this does not hamper this function.
Returning to the front of the cabin we can see that it is just a wall of awesome ‘90s tech, knobs, and dials. Controlling everything from your two-tone horn, or the air conditioning system you will feel like a fighter pilot when you get to play with all of these buttons.
Just before we wrap up with the interior, we must have a quick look in the boot where you will find that there is lots of space for any activity that you may wish to undertake. The boot is also trimmed in the same blue carpet as the rest of the interior.
Overall, the interior of this Bentley has been cared for extremely well over the years, with little signs of its age you will be able to create many memories sitting in this cabin.
The Exterior
- Presented in Royal Blue
- The sills have just been seen to
- Will always turn heads
Much like the interior, the exterior of a Bentley is paramount. It may be one of the best luxury cars on the market, yet you can still fly under the radar with its subtle design. Much unlike these brash bright coloured luxury cars of today.
The exterior of this Bentley Continental R is in good condition, still looking stylish nearly 30 years on from its build date. Luckily the sun appeared on the day the photos were taken which helped to extenuate the metal flake in the Royal Blue paintwork. When this metallic paint is twinned with the wrap around silver flash that appears towards the bottom of the panels, it looks amazing.
As you could imagine with a car of this age there are a few areas that aren’t perhaps like new, such as some slight crazing to the paint in front of the large grill, a small paint chip on the nearside headlight cluster, and some minor flaking on one of the alloys. But if these appear to be the only exterior elements that aren’t quite like new.
One area that older cars suffer from are the sills. If you speak to someone who owns a classic, or modern classic, their eye will slightly twitch if you bring this up. A nightmare job that can cost a lot of money, but don’t worry, this car has already had this job completed. Meaning that you can motor on for a long time without worrying about needing to complete this job.
Apart from these small areas that you may or may not want to get seen to, the rest of the exterior is presented very well, and it will look great wherever you park it.
The Mechanics
- Comprehensive service and maintenance history
- Starts first time
- Super easy and comfortable to drive
When you build a car that is at the top of its class it is important that all of the items fitted are the best of the best. This has already been mentioned for both the interior and exterior, but it is the mechanical elements that have been maintained very well throughout this Bentley's life.
With a large collection of service stamps and receipts, you can already tell that the previous and current owners have all treasured this car. Along with the services it has also received a lot of minor maintenance as it has aged gracefully.
From the moment you get in and drive away, you will fall in love with the driving characteristics of this Continental R. It’s 6.75l turbocharged V8 produces oodles of power, so whether you are cruising to the shops or trying to beat a supercar on the German autobahns you can be sure that you will have more than enough power. It is very encouraging to see that this car has been maintained perfectly throughout its life. This baton now falls to you, if you treat it well, it will treat you well.
Summary
Do we have to try and sell a Bentley to you? Everyone knows that these were the top of the class in their day, and you can now get all of this luxury for an extremely affordable price when you consider what you’re getting.
This Bentley has everything going for it, well maintained from the beginning, with a well preserved interior and only a few areas that you may wish to rectify. There is no doubt that this will quickly become the jewel in your collection.
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