CarBrandLogos archive · Bentley · 1952

BentleyR Type

A longer boot, an automatic gearbox, and a fastback that stole all the attention.

The story

A defining chapter in Bentley history.

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

Origins

The R Type of 1952 was a facelift of the Mark VI: more luggage space behind a reshaped tail, the larger 4.6-litre six as standard, and, importantly, the option of a General Motors-derived four-speed automatic gearbox. That was the first automatic Bentley, and the start of the manual's long retreat from this class of car. 2,323 standard saloons were built to 1955.

Bentley R-Type Autotron NL 1990 · Charles01 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

The reason the model is remembered is the Continental. Built mostly by H.J. Mulliner, it was a lightweight two-door fastback developed with wind tunnel work, given a higher final drive and stripped of weight wherever the coachbuilder could find it. For a period it was the fastest four-seat car in the world, and only a couple of hundred were made. It also gave Bentley a word it has never given up: every Continental since, up to the current grand tourer, is trading on this car.

Bentley R Type · Rex Gray · CC BY 2.0

In production

The S1 replaced the standard saloon in 1955.

Bentley R Type · Rex Gray · CC BY 2.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1952–1955

Units built

2,323

Engine

4.6&nbsp

Body

Standard 4-door saloon

Technical specification

The R Type, in detail.

Production: 1952–1955; 2,323 built
Class: Luxury car
Body style: Standard 4-door saloon; otherwise as arranged with coachbuilder by customer
Layout: front engine, rear-wheel drive
Engine: 4.6 L IOE straight-6; 130 hp(estimate)
Transmission: 4-speed manual; 4-speed automatic (optional)
Assembly: United Kingdom: Crewe, England (Bentley Crewe)
Manufacturer: Bentley Motors Limited (1931)