1996 Bentley Continental R

Finished in Black Emerald with a Sandstone leather interior, our 1996 Bentley Continental R is a very well-specified example of one of Crewe’s most significant modern-era Bentleys. It comes with a substantial history file including its original owners’ wallet, handbook, stamped service book, factory order forms, delivery documentation, original supplying invoice, and a collection of maintenance invoices.

Originally supplied new by H.R. Owen of London, our Continental R cost £170,393.33 when delivered in September 1996. This placed it firmly amongst the most expensive production cars in the world at the time. The Rolls-Royce factory documentation confirms the car was specially ordered in Black Emerald with Sandstone hide, complemented by Ascot Green piping and dashboard top roll, burr walnut veneers, fully veneered waist rails, chrome radiator grille, painted grille vanes, top-tint windscreen and rear shaded screen. Even by Bentley standards, it is an incredible specification.

The Continental R is a big part of Bentley’s history. Developed under the codename ‘Nepal’, it was the first Bentley of the Rolls-Royce era to feature unique bodywork rather than sharing a design with Rolls-Royce models. Hand-built entirely at Crewe, this was the car that was made to announce Bentley’s return as a true performance luxury marque and helped redefine the company during the 1990s. At its launch at the Geneva Motor Show in 1991, the show car was famously purchased immediately by the Sultan of Brunei.

Powered by Bentley’s turbocharged 6.75-litre V8 engine paired with a four-speed GM automatic gearbox, our Continental R has powerful performance despite its big size. With a top speed of 150mph, it’s definitely an attention-grabber! 

Invoices from Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialists, including Hanwells of London and Leslie James Ltd of Suffolk, show the ongoing servicing, suspension work, brake and hydraulic attention, electrical repairs and general upkeep of our Bentley over the years. Recent specialist maintenance includes damper replacement, brake pipe repairs, hydraulic system servicing and seat ECU repairs.

More recently, the car has undergone extensive recommissioning work with Bridge Classic Cars. The project included repairs, paint refinishing, suspension and brake attention, and body work. 

• Desirable colour and specification
• Extensive history file
• Maintained by marque specialists
• Recent recommissioning work completed
• Bridge Classic Cars pre-delivery inspection
• Up to £250 towards a 12-month insurance policy from insurance specialists, Lancaster Insurance Services

This car can be run on synthetic fuel as well as traditional petrol.

As part of our commitment to sustainability, we run all of our competition cars on synthetic fuel. This is a like-for-like fossil-free alternative to petrol that reduces emissions by up to 80%. This can be mixed with traditional petrol and no modifications to the car are required. You can fuel this car with traditional petrol – we simply use synthetic fuel as part of our sustainability goals.