Recognized today as Bentley’s finest postwar offering, the R-Type Continental was born out of the desire to build on the performance reputation earned during the firm’s vintage years and multiple Le Mans wins. Designed as the ultimate in automotive transport, it was purposebuilt to deliver long-distance, high-speed touring in sublime comfort and style. Originating as the Corniche II project, the collaboration between the Rolls-Royce Experimental Department and H.J. Mulliner drew on the latter’s experience in lightweight body construction. Refined in the wind tunnel, the athletic, aluminum-crafted H.J. Mulliner design was fitted to a chassis with taller gearing – with power delivered by the proven inline, six-cylinder engine equipped with a high-compression cylinder head.

As its name implies, the Continental was originally intended as an export-only model, but in October 1952, one example was displayed on the Bentley stand at Earls Court with a second shown on the H.J. Mulliner stand. Of the 208 R-Type Continental chassis built, 190 were fitted with Mulliner’s fastback design no. 7277, including this car, chassis BC36C. A right-hand-drive chassis, its build sheet on file lists a radio, scuttle aerial, and dashboard heater, along with a notation specifying “T series welded frame—specially strengthened.” The welded design provides greater rigidity over the earlier riveted design. On this example, Mulliner body no. 5699 was originally finished in Shell Grey with blue interior trim, delivered to William Herbert Harrison of Staffordshire, England through the Sanderson & Holmes dealership in June 1954. Mr. Harrison retained ownership for eight years, at which time the Continental passed through a series of British owners, including J. Gordon Spriggs, Brigadier C.C. Fairweather, R.G. Seys, and Michael W. Sapsford. On January 1, 1980, Douglas Hamilton acquired BC36C and noteworthy during his 24 years of ownership was participation in the 2002 Continental R-Type 50th anniversary celebration at Silverstone.

In 2004, BC36C joined a private British collection and in September 2022 it was treated to a 20,000-mile mechanical service by marque specialists P & A Wood. Its paintwork is finished in a pleasing medium blue, which is repeated on the leather seat upholstery, carpets, and door panels. Walnut trim adorns the door caps and extends the full width of the dashboard, which contains no less than eight instruments, allowing the driver to monitor all engine functions at a glance. Upon its introduction, the R-Type Continental was recognized as the fastest four-seat saloon in the world. It defined grand touring with a combination of speed, comfort, and exclusivity that was without peer. Seventy years later, those virtues remain valid and are exemplified soundly in the motorcar offered here.