1986 Bentley Continental Convertible

Coachwork by Mulliner Park Ward Registration no. C704 EUV Chassis no. SCBZD0002GCH14660

Footnotes

'From 1984, as part of a successful strategy to relaunch the Bentley marque, the Bentley Corniche was renamed Bentley Continental, given a new facia and a slight equipment makeover – the result being a considerable boost in sales.' – Graham Robson, 'Rolls-Royce and Bentley, Volume 4'.

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 with the introduction of the T-Series Continental. 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. When production ceased a mere 421 T-series Continentals had been produced, making the Continental significantly rarer than it's stablemate, the Rolls-Royce Corniche.

The Bentley Continental offered here was delivered new in 1986 via Jack Barclay Ltd and first owned by the controversial Turkish-Cypriot businessman, Mr Asil Nadir, owner of the Polly Peck International business empire. Chassis number '14660' was delivered finished in Tudor Red with black leather interior and matching convertible hood (its present colour scheme) and left the factory equipped with colour-coded bumpers, chromed wheelarch finishers, painted radiator grille slats, and an ebony wood dashboard - the latter a very rarely chosen option.

The history file contains details of past owners and changes of registration together with extensive service records from various recognised specialists including Mann Egerton, Ristes Motor Company, Silver Lady, Broughtons, and Chelsea Workshop. As one would expect of a car maintained to the highest possible standards, everything functions as it should. The car also comes with a complete book pack.