Registration No: KIW 58
Chassis No: RCH52116
MOT: July 2023

• Owned by Rolls-Royce historian the late Bernard L. King since July 2015
• Desirable pre-facelift Continental R with increased engine performance
• Only 64,500 miles since new, believed correct
• Number 647 out of a total production of 1,192 built
• Well-serviced by marque specialists Hillier Hill and Starmans

The Continental R, code-named ‘Nepal’ by the engineering department, was designed and built entirely at Crewe. It filled the space left by the Camargue, sharing with that model an eye-watering list price. When launched in 1991, the initial press release had the price as £160,000, only for that to be tweaked upwards to £175,000 soon afterwards, when the new VAT rate was announced in that year’s budget. The sleek shape benefitted from work in the wind tunnel; the windscreen was raked to lower the vehicle’s drag coefficient, enhancing fuel consumption, lowering wind noise and raising the model’s top speed. It is said that when the model was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, the assembled audience broke out into spontaneous applause, with the Geneva Show car being sold to the Sultan of Brunei on the spot! Riding on 16-inch wheels with low profile Avon tyres, the new Continental R was powered by the company’s revered 6750cc V8 engine, now using a new four-speed GM automatic transmission The 325bhp turbocharged power unit would offer a near 150mph top speed and somehow heave Bentley’s 2.4-tonne bulk to 60mph in just over six seconds.

‘RCH 52116’, a wonderfully original and desirable pre-facelift Continental R with the more powerful engine compared to the first examples, was delivered to its first owner on the 1st of January 1994 by Rolls-Royce & Bentley dealer Appleyard Rippon of Leeds. With the car finished in a deep and lustrous Wildberry Mica, the special order interior was trimmed in Wildberry Connolly hides with Parchment piping, seat inserts and roof lining, complemented by WIldberry Wilton carpets and over mats. In 2015, after several years of trying to find the right Continental R to add to his personal collection, prominent Rolls-Royce & Bentley historian the late Bernard L. King finally stumbled upon ‘RCH 52116’. He was the author and publisher of, amongst many others, the Complete Classics series of books and contributed to countless other publications on both marques. Famed for his extremely detailed knowledge on Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars and considered the foremost ‘listologist’ for both marques, compiling chassis lists for each and every type ever built up to the end of the SZ production run, Bernard knew a special car when he saw one. He had always wanted a Wildberry Bentley but wasn’t a fan of the all-parchment interiors these were usually ordered with. ‘RCH 52116‘, with its special order Wildberry interior turned out to be exactly what he’d been looking for and the purchase was soon made. Since entering into Bernard’s ownership in July 2015, The Continental R has been kept well maintained by Rolls-Royce & Bentley specialists Hillier Hill and Starmans with a stack of invoices on file to show the level of detail. Having both this Bentley Continental R and a 1974 Silver Shadow in his collection, Bernard decided that the Bentley was great for everyday enjoyment and the Shadow should be kept for special occasions. As could be expected of Bernard, his attention to detail also extended to the maintenance of his cars.

Having only covered 64,500 miles in the hands of just eight former keepers, this Continental R comes with its original and complete toolkit, and a thick history file containing invoices, old V5s and MOTs. Excitingly, the original handbook folder is also still with the car, comprising the handbook, a service handbook and two sets of keys, including the old remote locking controls. The icing on the cake comes in the shape of a Limited Edition reproduction (No. 150 of 500) of a watercolour by Michael Schuppan, depicting the Geneva Motorshow Continental R at the models introduction, with compliments of Rolls-Royce & Bentley historian Paul Leszczar. Still presenting exceptionally well, with a very nice interior and an exterior that shows only a few areas of corrosion, this Continental R comes with the distinction of having been owned by one of the foremost Rolls-Royce & Bentley historians in the world. What better provenance could one ask for?

For more information, please contact:
Julian Pinkster
julian.pinkster@handh.co.uk
07889 223 904