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Nobody Wants This 1953 Bentley R-Type Continental, Is It Because of the Price?

James Bond fans know that Ian Fleming was a sucker for the Bentley R-Type Continental. In fact, he imagined the secret agent driving a 4½-liter machine in the original book, but Hollywood thought fit to portray 007 as an Aston Martin driver, and the rest is history.
Bentley R-Type 9 photos
Photo: eBay | gullwingmotorcars
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Most Bentley R-Type stories mention Ian Fleming, but this 1953 example was actually ordered by the James Bond creator for Ivar Bryce, his friend and collaborator. Bryce worked for the British Security Coordination during World War II, and is the person who inspired Fleming’s character Felix Leiter.

Believed to be one of only 41 units produced, it was originally finished in Deep Grey. The left-hand drive car was bought with matching luggage and a racehorse mascot, and was declared a class winner at the 1971 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The vendor, a U.S. used car dealer specialized in selling classic rides, states that it has matching numbers and an original interior, as you can see in the image gallery shared above. More importantly, it “runs and drives well,” the eBay listing reveals, though it is in dire need of a proper restoration, which would bring it back to its initial shine, especially inside, where the seats, dashboard, steering wheel, door cards, and carpeting look like they’ve seen better days.

So, how much is an unmolested 1953 Bentley R-Type Continental worth to you? If you said a few thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, then this example is definitely not for you, because it carries a sticker price of $1,250,000. Sure, that kind of money could get you a high-end supercar in today’s market, or perhaps a used Bugatti Veyron if you know where to look, not to mention a very nice home in most parts of the world, but if you’re into classic rides, then you know that it deserves every penny.
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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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