Bentley Continental T
| Bentley Continental R | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Bentley |
| Also called | Continental S Continental T |
| Production | 1991–2003 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Ultra luxury coupé (S) |
| Layout | FR layout longitudinal engine |
| Related |
Bentley Mulsanne Bentley Azure Bentley Turbo R |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 6.75 L turbo Bentley V8 |
| Transmission | 4-sp 4L80-E automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 120.5 in (3,061 mm) 116.5 in (2,959 mm) T |
| Length | 210.3 in (5,342 mm) |
| Width | 80.5 in (2,045 mm) |
| Height | 57.6 in (1,463 mm) |
| Kerb weight | 5,340 lb (2,420 kg) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | None First Bentley not re-badged Rolls Royce since Bentley S3 Continental |
| Successor | Bentley Brooklands Coupé |
The Bentley Continental R was a large, ultra exclusive, luxury coupé made by Bentley from 1991 to 2003. It was the first Bentley to feature a body not shared with a Rolls-Royce model since the S3 Continental of 1965, the first to use the GM 4L80-E transmission, and the fastest, most expensive, and most powerful Bentley of its day. It was also the most expensive production car in the world at launch. A convertible derivative, the Bentley Azure, was launched in 1995.
As Managing Director of Rolls Royce Motor Cars in the early 1980s, David Plastow could see the potential in the Bentley brand. It had been neglected for the previous 15 years and made up only a very small percentage of the company's sales at that time, particularly outside the UK in important markets such as the USA. The first move was to turbo charge the standard Bentley 4 door saloon: the Bentley Mulsanne Turbo was launched in 1982. On the back of this, Peter Ward, marketing director at the company (and later, Managing Director), wanted to further enhance the distinctive sporting nature of the Bentley brand and move away from a Bentley that was merely a re-badged Rolls Royce. They appointed stylists John Heffernan and Ken Greenley to come up with ideas for a new, distinctive, Bentley coupé. The fibreglass mock up was displayed at the 1984 Geneva Motor Show in Rolls-Royce's "Project 90" concept of a future Bentley coupé. The concept was met with an enthusiastic reception, but the Project 90 design was largely shelved as the company began to work towards a replacement for the Rolls-Royce Corniche. During this process, Graham Hull, chief stylist in house at Rolls Royce, suggested the designs before the board for the Corniche, would suit a Bentley coupé better. From this point it was decided the Corniche could continue as it was, and efforts would once again be channelled into a new Bentley coupé. In 1986 Graham Hull produced a design rendering of a new Bentley coupé which became the Continental R. Based on the Rolls Royce SZ platform (which was an evolution of the SY platform), an aerodynamically shaped coupé body had been styled.
John Heffernan and Ken Greenley were officially retained to complete the design of the Continental R. They had run the Automotive Design School at the Royal College of Art and headed up their own consultancy, International Automotive Design, based in Worthing, Southern England. Greenley and Heffernan liaised constantly throughout the styling process with Graham Hull. The interior was entirely the work of Graham Hull and the small in house styling team at Rolls Royce. The shape of the car was very different from the somewhat slab sided four door SZ Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles of the time and offered a much improved 0.37 coefficient of drag. The Continental R also featured roof-cut door frames, a necessity to allow easier access into the car which had a lower roof line than its 4-door contemporaries. A subtle spoiler effect was also a feature of the rear. The finished car is widely acknowledged as a very cleverly styled vehicle, disguising its huge dimensions (The Continental R is around 4" longer than a 2013 long wheelbase Mercedes S Class) and a very well proportioned, extremely attractive, car.
...
Wikipedia