1990 Bentley Continental Convertible

Coachwork by Mulliner Park Ward Registration no. G443 PCA Chassis no. SCBZD00A1LCH30111

Footnotes

The incomparable Bentley Continental sports saloon has been synonymous with effortless high speed cruising in the grand manner since its introduction on the R-Type chassis in 1952. This magnificent tradition seemed to have ended with the demise in 1965 of the successor S-Type Continental, only to re-emerge triumphantly in 1984 on the T-Series Bentley. In actual fact, the newcomer had formerly been known as the Corniche, and this model designation continued on the equivalent Rolls-Royce.

Flagship of the range, the new Continental was a worthy scion of this noble British family, impeccably engineered and hand-built in the time-honoured manner by Mulliner Park Ward Limited's peerless craftsmen. Like its illustrious forebears, the modern Continental represented the ultimate in bespoke coachbuilt motoring, designed to appeal to those discerning - and necessarily very wealthy - clients with the most refined of tastes, a well developed appreciation for the finer things of life and a refusal to accept anything less than the very best. Far from being an outmoded concept, this uncompromising approach was so successful, and demand for the exclusive Continental so sustained, that it remained in production well into the 1990s, the last (Convertible) examples being delivered in 1995, by which time the UK price had risen to well in excess of £100,000.

This stunning Continental is finished in Tudor Red with red-piped Magnolia leather interior, the latter featuring cocktail cabinets in both doors, contrasting maple and walnut wood veneers, and all of the refinements one associates with a Bentley. The late owner purchased the car in June 2013 from Classic Automobiles Worldwide. The previous owner was one Richard Alexander, who had owned it since 2010, while according to the V5C there have been five former keepers. The last service in the official booklet was carried out at 31,558 miles by marque specialists, P & A Wood. The current odometer reading is circa 36,700 miles and the Bentley was last MoT'd to April 2016. Carried out in July 2014 by Britannia Motor Engineering, the most recent works included fitting a new power steering pump and re-spraying the front spoiler, etc. As with all cars in this collection, the Continental has seen little use over the last two or so years.