CarBrandLogos archive · Bentley · 1991

BentleyContinental R

The first car in decades that was not a rebadged Rolls-Royce.

Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Bentley history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Bentley Continental R, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Project 90, a coupé concept shown in 1985, was an experiment to find out whether anyone still wanted a car that was distinctly a Bentley rather than a Rolls-Royce in different clothes. The reaction was strong enough to justify building it, and the Continental R was launched at Geneva in 1991.

Bentley Continental R Mulliner · Ed Callow;cropped, adjusted, and plates blanked by uploader Mr.choppers · CC BY 2.0

Design and engineering

John Heffernan and Ken Greenley designed a two-door body that shared no panels with any Rolls-Royce, the first time that had been true since the 1950s. Beneath it sat the familiar 6.75-litre V8, turbocharged, driving the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic, in a car of considerable weight and thoroughly old-fashioned engineering that was nonetheless extremely effective at covering ground quickly in great comfort.

Bentley motif - Flickr - exfordy · Brian Snelson from Hockley, Essex, England · CC BY 2.0

In production

1,854 were built to 2003, including the short-wheelbase Continental T of 1996 and the targa-topped Continental SC. Its importance is one of positioning: it established that a Bentley should be the faster and more driver-focused of the two marques, which is the proposition Volkswagen bought when the companies were split in 1998.

1999 Bentley Continental SC G'wich · Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1991–2003

Units built

1,854

Engine

6.75&nbsp

Designer

John Heffernan

Technical specification

The Continental R, in detail.

Production: 1991–2003; 1,854 produced
Class: Grand tourer (S)
Body style: 2-door 2+2 (car body style); 2+2 coupé (Continental R, S, T) ; 2-door 2+2 (car body style); 2+2 Targa top (Continental SC)
Layout: Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel-drive
Engine: 6.75 L turbocharged Bentley V8
Transmission: 4-speed GM 4L80-E automatic
Designer: John Heffernan ; Ken Greenley
Assembly: United Kingdom: Crewe, England
Manufacturer: Bentley