Introduced in 1991, the Continental R was the first Bentley in 26 years to not share a body style with a concurrent Rolls-Royce and was inspired by the highly collectible Continental R-Type of the 1950s. The elegant two-door coachwork was styled by John Heffernan and Ken Greenley, a duo whose résumé included sports cars like the Aston Martin Virage. Five years later Bentley introduced a short-wheelbase version dubbed the Continental T that was equipped with an uprated engine developing 420 hp and an impressive 650 foot-pounds of torque available at only 2,200 rpm.

Bentley customers soon expressed interest in equipping the “wide-body” Continental R model with the T’s more powerful engine, and the Continental R Mulliner was consequently introduced at the 1999 Geneva Salon. The nomenclature was an homage to H.J. Mulliner, the British coachbuilder responsible for the original R-Type’s breathtaking fastback bodywork. The R Mulliner’s wide-body configuration offered spacious interior elegance, while the twin-turbocharged V-8 was capable of rocketing the car to a top speed of nearly 170 mph, with brisk 5.6-second sprints to 60 mph from standstill. Individually tailored to customer order, the R Mulliner was Bentley’s ultimate 20th-century combination of luxury and performance, produced in a modest quantity of as few as 131 examples.

Exhibiting showroom condition, this exquisite Continental R Mulliner benefits from minimal use by just one owner. According to a factory build sheet, chassis no. YCX63316 was factory-finished in Black Emerald over a two-tone interior of spruce leather and trim complemented by cedar carpets and lambswool rugs, and was optioned with no body vents, a hood anti-intrusion device, and a center trunk B badge in green. The Continental was also fitted with chrome wheels.

The Bentley was retailed by Royal Motor Cars of Atlanta and purchased new by a local enthusiast who retained possession through 2019, constituting 19 years of single ownership. In that time the car accrued only 3,600 miles, and it has recently been serviced in preparation for the current offering. Accompanied by the original owner’s manuals and documented with the factory build sheet, this superlative Continental R Mulliner would make a striking addition to any gathering of high-performance luxury cars. It offers a fantastic complement to any collection as the pinnacle of Bentley’s 20th-century motoring.