1953 Bentley R-Type Sport Saloon

This car has ‘Razor-Edged Sports Saloon’ coachwork by H.J. Mulliner (design number 7220), and that was a very rare thing even in 1953 when it was delivered new to its first owner, reportedly a director of the major Yorkshire textile manufacturer, Stroud, Riley & Co.

It has the 4.6 litre engine and a manual gearbox.

The car wears ‘Pearl Black’ over ‘Tudor Grey’ paintwork and is thought to be one of only two cars to feature glass draught excluders at the top of all four windows. 

The vendor has owned the car for over 30 years and is just the 5th owner in the car’s long history.

During his curation the front and rear flashing amber direction indicators were installed (1993), the radio was converted to FM (2008), the rear seats were completely re-upholstered in identical colour-matched leather (1995), an additional electric cooling fan was fitted in front of the radiator (2011), and a new petrol tank was manufactured and fitted (2007). 

At some early point in its life, it went to live in sunny California, returning to these shores in, we think, 1990. 

Since then, the car has always been kept in a closed garage and maintained for the majority of the time by Sargeants of Goudhurst, Kent, with plenty of other work falling to esteemed specialists such as Will Fiennes and P&A Wood.

One or two cosmetic issues aside, the car appears to be in very good order and, mechanically and dynamically, it probably just needs a light service and some regular use to get it back into top working condition.

The condition of the bodywork is really pretty good and there are no creases, dents, crumples or other aberrations of real significance in evidence.

The shut-lines and panel gaps are consistent and even, and all four doors close with a satisfying weight and certainty that’s redolent of slam doors on an old-school train carriage. 

The wheels are in fine condition, as is the chrome. 

From a few metres, the car’s two tone black-over-grey paintwork looks mostly shiny and lustrous. 

Get a little closer and you’ll start to notice that there are a few issues to consider. 

There’s some cracked paint and a little bubbling at the forward base of the n/s/f wheel-arch.

There are a number of stone chips and scuffs on and around the bonnet, the front valance and the front wings.

There is some bubbling on the forward-facing aspect of the o/s/f wing and towards the rear of the same wing where it meets the door.

There is also bubbling at the base of the n/s/f wing and the door behind it.

We found a few scuffs, scratches and paint chips along the offside flanks of the car, and around the n/s/r wheel-arch and spat, plus a slight dink to the bodywork at the top of the o/s/r wheel-arch by the door.

Some surface rust is visible in the lip of the bodywork where it meets the edge of the bonnet on the nearside.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings all seem to be broadly beyond reproach.

It’s a similar story on the inside, at least in the sense that while it’s all largely decent, there are some jobs to attend to. 

The rear seats, which have been reupholstered, are in unsurprisingly excellent condition.

The rear arm-rest on the offside, however, is cracked and the leather is split.

The front seats are creased and the seat-back and squab cushion facings are fairly worn, but there are no holes or splits that we can see anywhere.

All the seats are comfortable and supportive.

The door cards are pretty decent, too, although there are a few small cracks to the leather on the n/s/r door card.

The wood on the dashboard and door cappings has endured the passage of time well, in general, aside from a small piece of beading that’s chipped off from the base of the driver’s-side dashboard storage cubby, and some slightly rough surrounds to the rear picnic tables.

The headlining is a trifle baggy and loose in a couple of place but otherwise looks like it would respond well to being introduced to some cleaning products.

The carpets and mats are in good order, save for a couple of bits of stray carpet hanging down in the front footwells.

The boot is good, too, and contains a spare wheel, a couple of cans of Castrol Classic, and some tools.

Everything in the engine bay appears clean, dry, right and proper. 

The undersides of the car look to have a good deal of structural integrity. 

Clearly, you’ll want to see for yourself and reach your own conclusion. 

Today, the car’s mileage is 72,047.

As far as we can see, the last maintenance was completed in May 2019 at 71,446 miles by PJG Auto Services of Bristol, when an oil change was completed along with the replacement of the spark plugs, plug leads, rotor arm and distributor cap. 

Prior to that the car has been serviced annually, or every 2 or 3,000 miles, usually by Sargeants of Goudhurst, often by Fiennes and, occasionally, by P&A Wood. 

There are numerous bills and invoices attesting to work carried out over the years, various bits of correspondence, an owners’ manual and, of course, a V5C. 

Yes, there’s a stone chip here, a scratch there, and a blemish or two elsewhere, but these should be seen as reassuring signs that this car has been properly driven and enthusiastically used on numerous tours and rallies, both in the UK and Europe

This car has clearly been well looked after throughout the course of its long life.

A thick wad of bills from some of the most revered names in the pantheon of Bentley and Rolls-Royce restoration and care are testament to that.

Its halo may have slipped a little since the (recent) days when it was declared to be in A1 concours condition by RREC judges, but the clear and obvious underlying quality of this magnificent car should be more than enough to repay the relatively small investment of time and effort required to return it to its rightful place at the top table of British automotive nobility.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £20,000 - £30,000.

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