Bentley's 1980s resurgence had hitherto relied exclusively on models whose basic architecture was shared with other Rolls-Royce products, but on display at Geneva in 1985 was 'Project 90': a mocked-up coupé styled by Messrs John Heffernan and Ken Greenley, which was intended to gauge public response to the idea of a high-performance car unique to Bentley.

When the real thing - the Bentley Continental R - was unveiled six years later, the waiting crowd burst into spontaneous applause. Again the work of Heffernan and Greenley, the Continental R benefited from computer-aided design and wind tunnel testing in the devising of its sleekly streamlined shape. Despite the need to incorporate non-traditional features such as doors recessed into the roof, the result looked every bit a Bentley, albeit one restated for the 1990s.

Also new was the gearbox, a four-speed automatic with 'overdrive' top ratio, but the main focus of interest was the newcomer's performance. Needless to say, this was outstanding, the combination of the Turbo R engine in the new wind-cheating shape cutting the 0-60mph time to 6.2 seconds and boosting top speed to in excess of 150mph. Costing nearly £200,000 when new, the Bentley Continental R was the world's most expensive production car at that time.

 

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