1953 Bentley R-Type

This car has had an interesting transatlantic story that we’ll go into in more detail in the History Highlights, below. To sum up, it’s been through the hands of racing driver Brian Redman and American race team owner Carl Haas back in the 1970s, and came home from the USA at some time in the last ten years.

Since then, it’s had a colour change and bits of remedial work, but nothing major. The most recent owner had the sides painted grey (it was all blue) to get it looking its best for his daughter’s wedding, for which he bought the car in 2018.

He has completed only 500-odd miles since then and hasn’t needed to do anything further to it in that time, but an urge for a Corvette has overtaken him and there is no longer room in the garage for the Bentley, so it needs a new home. It’s with us in Oxfordshire, where it can be viewed by appointment, with appropriate distancing.

The car presents very well, with an even reflective finish across wings, tail, bonnet and roof. There’s a lot of brightwork on an R-type and the lamps, radiator, bumpers and chrome strips are all good enough to dodge any need for re-plating. The badge bar and that central spotlamp set off an impressive frontal aspect.

The sunroof panel has a few scratches – it looks as though the wood frame in which is slides is a little tight and it’s picked up and scuffed on the inside of the roof. Standing back, the bodylines and contours look good, without worrying wobbles to betray patches of filler. There are a few touch-ups and flaking areas in one or two of the doors shuts, plus a tiny crack at the base of one A-pillar, but the doors themselves open and shut nicely. Oh, and the exhaust tips look superb.

Here is the car’s best feature. The cabin has been beautifully re-upholstered and the hide is beginning to mellow nicely. It’s still extremely smart and sits well amongst the more patinated wood veneers, which are starting to fade and peel on certain areas of the dash, windscreen surround and door-tops.

The carpets are generally good but don’t quite match in tone. There’s evidence of some minor nibbling in the nearside rear footwell but tidying up these small tasks is something that can be done any time, or just ignored – it’s a matter of deciding whether you want the whole cabin to feel fresh and new or whether a more relaxed, worn-in feel is for you. The door cards are certainly smart enough to fall in with the former plan.

The luggage area is in fantastic order, with jacking tool and spare wheel in place. Return to the cabin and reach for the keys to unlock the set of small tools concealed beneath the glovebox – a very worthwhile addition and one that would cost a packet to replace. The cap it all there's even the original owners handbook stowed under the small tool kit, your happiness is complete!

It starts on the button, though on our test drive the car did feel like it may have been missing on one cylinder at low load due to being low on fuel. At higher speeds it felt smoother, though peering under the bonnet at idle reveals a slight tap that the owner informs is coming from the side valves.

The brakes, which are assisted by a gearbox-driven servo, operate very well for a car of this vintage but you need to be aware that the assistance isn’t there at parking speeds…a foible of all Rolls and Bentley cars with this system. The gearbox is lovely – a hefty, well-engineered feel, teamed with synchromesh on 2nd, 3rd and top, make it a joy to use. There’s enough torque to dispense with 1st gear for everything but hill starts. The trafficators flip out of their slots and work as they should.

Underneath, we found a tiny spot of rust inside the front of the front-right wheel arch, but elsewhere the structure looks solid, with a mixture of underseal and paint protecting the chassis. We didn’t spy any meaningful oil or fluid leaks and the tyres are very good too.

It was delivered on the 12th of May 1953 by a dealer in Sloane Square, at which point it was Shell Grey with red upholstery. It was reportedly still in good condition (and two-tone grey) some twenty years later when it was in the custody of Brian Redman, one of the most successful racing drivers of his time.

Redman competed in seven seasons of Formula 1 but it was in sports car racing that he had his best results, winning every major endurance race from Daytona to the Targa Florio, plus two class wins at Le Mans in Porsche 935s. It’s fun to think of him stepping out of a 200mph sports-prototype and gliding home in more relaxed style…

A document in the car’s history folder records the sale of the car from Brian Redman Racing to Carl Haas Auto Imports, probably in 1974, which must be when the car crossed the pond. Carl Haas had a racing career behind him by then and was forging a second one as a race team owner, going on to win 11 championships over three decades. He was based in Illinois, which is where this car seems to have remained (in the hands of a couple of different owners) until sometime after 2012.

We don’t have details of its re-importation but it was with a Scottish dealer in 2016, from which time there is a receipt for attention to bodywork and a re-paint in blue. Crucially, someone managed to re-secure the car’s original number plate, NXH 77, which it wears now.

There is a V5C present in the owner’s name and many older bills for work performed during the car’s long holiday in America, plus the original handbook, works specification cards, construction and test records and a leather wallet for the keys.

All in all, an interesting file.

We reckon the vendor had the right idea with changing the sides back to silver, and if it were our car we’d probably go further and return the whole car to its original shade of Shell Grey, which would complement that lovely interior so well.

For the rest, we’d be content to enjoy the car as it is and tackle smaller jobs as they arose. We’d investigate the top-end tick from the engine but get on with driving a solid, useable R-type with a delightful cabin and a fascinating life story. Oh, and you could see if Brian Redman remembers it…he’s still with us, living in Florida.

We think this car will sell for between £20,000 and £30,000, which is a wide range that takes into account the £35,000-plus asked for top examples, balanced by the option to do a little more paintwork or get an expert to silence the engine. As a route into classic Bentley ownership, it’s an intriguing opportunity.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.