Bentley Continental Convertible

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DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH THE DOCUMENTATION THIS CAR HAS NOW BEEN WITHDRAWN UNTIL OUR JULY SALE. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE CAUSED.

Launched in 1971 as Rolls-Royce's coupe version of the Silver Shadow, the Corniche was a far superior car to the saloon on which it was based. 

With fabulously elegant 'Coke-bottle' styling by John Blatchley, each and every one was handbuilt by Mulliner Park Ward in a necessarily lengthy process that took all of 20 weeks and resulted in a price some 50% higher than the standard Silver Shadow.

Only the very finest materials were used including Wilton carpeting, Connolly hide and the best burr walnut veneers, giving these cars a level of quality and glamour that far outstripped the conventional models. Engine power also went up by 10% increasing the top speed to 130mph with acceleration to match – 0-60 in 7.9 secs.

Tweaks to the suspension and steering geometry gave a sportier ride and a special low-loss exhaust, new dashboard and new alloy wheels were also adopted. The Corniche was progressively developed over time, gaining features like split-level air conditioning, rack-and-pinion steering, Bosch fuel injection and self-levelling rear suspension.

Even more exclusive than the Rolls-Royce Corniche (of which 4,347 were made in total) was the Bentley version, of which just 63 fixed-heads and 77 convertibles were made between 1971 and 1984. It was then rebadged as the Bentley Continental and remained in production, in convertible form only, as Rolls's flagship model until 1994. Just 421 Bentley Continentals were made in total and all are highly sought after today.

First registered in July 1984 this particular Continental has had six owners from new and was bought from Rolls and Bentley specialists The Chelsea Workshop by the current owner about four years ago. During that time the car has been very little used, being kept in storage as part of a private collection.

Red with a cream hide interior, the car appears to be in good condition throughout with the electrically operated hood functioning as it should. It started promptly and ran very sweetly as we manoeuvred it for these pictures. At the time of cataloguing there was no history file with the car and the owner was unavailable for comment so there is not much more we can say about it at present.