1953 - Bentley R type body John Buckley English...

1953 - Bentley R type body John Buckley
English registration (V5) / FFVE certificate and 846 A clearance certificate provided
Chassis n°B373SP
Engine n°RE1G217
- The last "real" Bentley with 4,5L engine and specific chassis
- Only 2323 examples of R type produced between 1952 and 1955
- Chassis designed to receive either the factory steel body or a special one
- Unique aluminum "Tourer" type bodywork
- Old car in near new condition (recent rebuild)
- Powerful 4-seater convertible in the style of the "Bentley Boys
The Bentley "R type", also called "Serie R", was presented at the London Motor Show in 1952 as the successor to the Mark VI.
The R was based on its predecessor, but was made 19 centimeters longer, with more space for luggage and a more tapered stern. The engine is also inherited from the Mark VI in its latest 4.25-liter evolution, which has been upgraded to 4.5 liters to develop 130 horsepower. This engine, whose block is made of cast iron and whose cylinder head is made of aluminum, is a torquey 6-cylinder with dual carburetors, initially coupled to a 4-speed manual gearbox, offering the R type impressive performance for its time with a 0 to 100 km/h time of just over 13 seconds. This same engine, re-bored to 4.9L, is used in the legendary R-type Continental, which is now much more popular.
Like the Mark VI, which was the first model of the brand to be able to be ordered with a factory steel sedan body, the R-type could be purchased finished, or as a chassis (with engine and gearbox) in order to receive a special body from a specific coachbuilder. As the mid 1950's marked the end of the golden age of bodywork, this was the last Bentley to offer this possibility, as after it, Bentleys were only sold with a "factory" body.
The rationalization process started after the Second World War, with the sharing of the same platform between Rolls-Royce's Silver Dawn and Bentley's Mark VI and R-type, which still had some technical and stylistic differences, each with its own body, was completed in 1955 with the release of the S-Type. The S-Type is a strict copy of the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, with the exception of the Bentley badges, thus materializing the standardization of the production of the two brands. This phenomenon was facilitated by the end of special bodywork, except in special cases, in favor of factory bodywork on the descendants of the R-type and its Rolls-Royce cousins.
Recognized for its road qualities, its great comfort and its quality of manufacture, the R-type is a luxurious car, which knows a great success: it is manufactured with 2323 specimens all versions included, whereas it is produced during three years only from 1952 to 1955.
It is the last "real" Bentley, before the standardization of the Rolls-Royce and Bentley range until the separation of the two brands in 1998. As such, it has a special place in the history of the brand with the winged B.
The imposing Bentley of our sale is a unique car. It is the result of the work of the English specialist of aluminum, John Buckley from Lancashire.
Rolling off the production line in 1953, with the standard factory steel sedan body, its chassis was delivered by the famous London dealer Jack Barcklay to its first London owner on April 9, 1953. It was then a Bentley R-type of the S series, ordered with the specific "Colonial front springing" and the radio, as we know from the factory information sheet of the car, which we could get from the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club in England, for which the chassis number is well referenced in its archives. The factory information sheet and all available documentation related to this car in the years following its delivery were also provided to us.
It's only much later, probably in the 2000's, that this chassis will be restored and receive this special body from the Buckley workshop. Built to measure, this body, made entirely of aluminum, in the purest "Tourer" style (4-seat sports convertible) of the "Bentley Boys" vehicles of the 1930s is a remarkable achievement. This light bodywork is particularly well suited to the renowned Bentley R chassis, which serves as its base, and its powerful in-line 6-cylinder engine, which allows it to deliver uncommon performance in a very old car.
To take the wheel of this beautiful convertible, or to sit in it as a passenger, it is the