1953 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback Sports Saloon
Ivan Evernden’s brief as Rolls-Royce Chief Project Engineer was direct: the Continental had to reach 120 mph.
Aerodynamics were worked out at the Rolls-Royce wind tunnel by Evernden’s assistant Milford Read; styling was finalized by Stanley Watts of H.J. Mulliner (chosen for their all-metal body expertise, as opposed to the traditional ash-framed approach). Body panels, window frames, seat structures, and bumpers were all aluminum; small tail fins provided stability at high speed.
The engine was the standard R-Type’s iron-block, alloy-head F-head inline-six, retuned with a raised compression ratio and a numerically lower final-drive ratio suited to sustained high-speed running. Bentley quoted power only as “adequate”; independent testing measured around 153 bhp from the 4.6-liter unit. The 4.9-liter engine followed for the D and E series in 1954. Four-speed manual was standard; automatic was optional.
Buyers specified left- or right-hand drive, lightweight aluminum bucket seats or touring seats, and whether to fit rear wheel spats (standard on A through late-C series cars). Priced at just over £7,000 in England (around $18,000 in the US), the Continental was among the most expensive production cars of its day.
Of 208 built from 1952 to 1955, 193 carried H.J. Mulliner’s fastback Sports Saloon body.
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