Finished in Oxford Blue with beige upholstery, this Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback Sports Saloon was built in right-hand drive and sported a floor-change manual gearbox. Denoted by its “BC” chassis number prefix, it benefited from a higher-compression engine and stiffer chassis tuning—courtesy of an improved all-welded frame—from the factory.

According to Bentley: The Cars from Crewe by Rodney Steel, chassis number BC30C was sold new via Bristol Motors to Thomas Harvey Simmonds in London. Pre-delivery testing completed two weeks prior, the car was first registered for road use on 9 March 1954. Mr Simmonds retained possession for three years before selling the R-Type Continental to a G Elliot, with G I Waker buying the car the following year in 1958.

Long-lasting ownership would arrive in 1959. F H Wrigley kept the car through to 1980, at which point it was purchased by S R Collins. Chassis BC30C’s first spell in the United Kingdom came to an end five years later. Through noted Bentley expert Charles Howard, the R-Type Continental was exported to the United States upon its acquisition by children’s toy industry magnate Mr Harvey Greenfield of East Hampton in New York.

Sparingly driven across its two decades in the US, the car was bought by the consigning owner in 2004 and returned to the UK. Under their care, the R-Type Continental was submitted to classic car specialist Graeme Hunt Ltd in Battersea for a total restoration carried out over a two-year period. As part of the process, air conditioning was discretely installed, Sunburst walnut trim and electric window lifts were sourced, the suspension enhanced, and sports-style front seats trimmed in Spinney Beck leather fitted. For the cosmetic overhaul, the owner chose a darkened tint of Oxford Blue and requested rear wheel spats featuring Mavrolian wavelets. Please note: the original straight-six has at some point been replaced, reportedly with a 4.9-litre engine—an improvement offered by the factory from July 1954.

Enjoyed ever since by the vendor, the Bentley has breezed through European driving tours. Now offered for sale at RM Sotheby’s London auction, this R-Type Continental is primed to effortlessly waft a new custodian away on long-distance adventures.