MOST BEAUTIFUL BENTLEY
In 1952 the R Type Continental Fastback defined all that’s best about Bentley. Under the spotlight, it’s still the inspiration for today’s cars
Bentley design boss Stefan Sielaff on John Blatchley’s sublime R Type Fastback
More than six decades have passed since the Bentley R Type Continental Fastback – or Bentley Continental Sports Saloon, as it was officially known – took on the mantle of World’s Fastest Four-Seater. It was also the world’s most expensive, and quite possibly the most beautiful, too. Something special happened when Bentley’s chief engineer Ivan Evernden and stylist John Blatchley came up with a windcheating shape, HJ Mulliner beat it from aluminium, and with it clad the surprisingly sporting chassis of Bentley’s mainstay R Type saloon.
It’s no wonder then, that when Bentley was relaunched under new ownership following the Volkswagen Group’s takeover in 1998, Crewe was tasked with producing a new car inspired by the old one. It was such an iconic shape that it would define the ‘design DNA’ of Bentley’s new products. And when the Continental GT (see page ??) was launched, there was no doubt where its shape, and especially its swagelines and haunches, had come from. Only now, 15 years later, is that car about to be replaced by an all-new one, still recognisably the offspring of Blatchley’s classic.
Yet while Bentley’s first mass-production saloon went on to sell in significant numbers – initial production capacity of 9500 cars per year led to a 12-month waiting list – the Fastback sold only 208 between 1952 and 1955. It’s rare and coveted, and deservedly so. But this was no mere production car. It was assembled by hand and offered for the sum of £6928, when launched. A Ford Consul, for comparison, then cost £707; the average UK annual salary was £468, and the average sale price of a house was £1891.
This was a big car, fully 206in (5.245m) long, so it’s really a limo yet carries only four in a two-door fastback body that weighs a relatively sylph-like 1724kg. It was made for the type of buyer who might otherwise have employed a chauffeur (and probably did) but chose this car when he wanted to drive himself. Across a continent, for example. That sleek body, a longer final drive ratio, and up to 172bhp from the straight-six (up to 4.9 litres from the 153bhp 4.5, itself a highly tuned version of the saloon’s 140bhp version) made the Fastback a near-120mph prospect. Only shortly before, performance of that magnitude had been the preserve of skimpier sports cars such as Jaguar’s XK120.
Aluminium construction kept the kerbweight down, but there were other concessions too. Standard specification meant only one sun-visor, ahead of the driver (if you could bear the additional weight, the passenger could have one too), the radio was optional, and the front seats were simple alloy-framed buckets rather than the heavier armchairs you’d associate with the R Type saloon or more luxurious coachbuilt versions. This was a Bentley with purpose, and its
‘Inside, the ambience is high in quality but it isn’t in-yourface opulent – that dash looks like a Mid-Century sideboard’
performance potential was borne out when the prototype was tested to a 118.75mph five-lap average at Montlhéry. Only then, with encouragement from Bentley’s overseas dealers, was the board of RollsRoyce (owner of Bentley since 1931) convinced that there was a market for such a special project.
‘My favOuRite Bit? The gracious flow of the front and rear fenders, like a bride walking into the church. a special moment. it’s a romantic car.’ These are the words of Stefan Sielaff, Bentley’s 55-year-old design director, with the company since 2015. He’s the man charged with bringing the new Continental Gt (see page 76) to fruition stylistically, and also the man in
‘My favourite bit? The gracious flow of the front and rear fenders, like a bride walking into the church’ – Stefan Sielaff
charge of Bentley’s ‘design DNA’. Who better, then, to critique his great inspiration?
‘You look at it; it is a sculpture,’ he continues. ‘The Bentley designers in their day – their ability to achieve technical and production solutions was more restricted, but they were involved with much more handcrafting. The R Type Continental defines the essence of Bentley’s design DNA, and we try to reinterpret it every time.’
Is there a lesson, then, in how to design the perfect Bentley? We might not be surprised to hear his assertion that ‘proportion always comes first’, and if his belief that ‘every human has the instinctive ability to judge elegance’ sounds like it might flatter many, there can be few who wouldn’t judge the Fastback to be the archetype of elegance.
He continues, conjuring an image of himself at a sketchpad: ‘There’s the short front overhang, a good proportion of dash-to-axle, the longer rear overhang and large wheels. Then we move away from proportion to the language of shape and line. The R Type Continental has distinctive character lines. In the side elevation we have the “power line” [up and over the front wheelarch then back, dropping, through the wing and door] and the haunch. Today we use the same recipe, only we do them crisp, always sharp. The rest of the surfacing is sexy, inspired by Bentleys and also by aircraft fuselages.’
‘Sielaff is right about the proportions: dignified, indicative of speed, and breathtakingly special’
It is here that inspiration goes beyond the beautiful ivory car in our pictures, as Sielaff references the riveted alloy hulls of classics such as the Douglas DC3, and their combination of flowing forms and sharper edges. ‘They break the wind and guide the air around the body,’ he says. ‘You should feel that. It’s romantic.’ That’s a word he uses several times, and it’s an epithet that certainly befits the sort of feelings evoked by the presence of a Fastback.
Details are worked differently today, however. For instance, the headlamps and tail-lamps. On the R Type, they’re proprietary parts. Yes, there’s no doubt that the Fastback’s headlamps have inspired all the current Bentleys’, but it’s to do with positioning rather than the units themselves. Today, inspiration comes from crystal-cut glass.
‘It’s all about atmosphere, a sense of occasion,’ says Sielaff. ‘Imagine how candle-light comes from a chandelier. It’s a move away from the more robotic treatments of lighting evident in many modern luxury cars. Think of British heritage, Scotch whisky in crystal tumblers, the fireside atmosphere of a traditional country hotel. Those are the feelings we’re trying to evoke.’
Think of that and you’re as likely to picture a Fastback parked outside as you are the latest Bentley. Here in the studio the R Type exudes an assertive calm. Sielaff is right about those proportions: strong, dignified, indicative of speed, yet also breathtakingly special, particularly in the sweep of the tail, from the trailing edge of the roof almost to the floor in a single, elongated line. This car was designed in the age of streamlining, rather than honed in a wind tunnel. If it looked fast, it probably would be. And that turned out to be true.
It also has the kind of looks that stand the test of time. Of course, nobody would look at the Fastback and imagine it could come from any other era, but a combination of its rarity, its abilities on the road, its breeding and its style mean that some have changed hands at prices upwards of £1 million. That would likely not be the case if Blatchley’s creation hadn’t transcended its era in such a way. And it’s something that Sielaff intends to remain true of the Bentleys designed under his leadership.
‘As a designer you try to be as extreme as possible but, with a luxury brand, you need to make a timeless statement,’ he says. ‘Today, car design is running after a quick statement, with complex shapes and lines. It overstretches the attention of the customer; they lose interest very quickly. Good design complex in detail, but simple overall. If you can define a car in two lines plus its surfaces, then in future you’ll look back on a masterpiece. It’s like the Porsche 911. There’s always a satisfaction, looking back even after a decade. It’s never embarrassing. A car like that can become part of the family, passed to the next generation.’
Although the R Type Fastback was designed during Rolls-Royce’s tenure of Bentley, Sielaff believes that what differentiated it then from the mother marque is what will define Bentleys in the future. ‘It will continue to be a source of inspiration. Look at the spectrum of expensive cars. Super-sports cars on one side, luxury cars on the other. Bentley’s fusion of performance and luxury is very different from what defines Rolls-Royce. The R Type Continental contains this imagery, this elegance, this combination of sculpture, luxury and performance. It’s a different pace of luxury – not soulless and futuristic, but heartwarming. That’s the vision we have for Bentley’s future. Elegance is very, very important.’
And it will continue to be for the foreseeable. ‘I don’t believe in breaking away from such heritage. You have to redefine and reinterpret, for sure, but don’t lose the golden flow of heritage.’
IT’S TImE TO take a look around, first examining the seven-bearing straight-six under that bonnet. It’s a split hood, so you can gain access down each side, admiring the polished trumpets of the twin SU carburettors and the black silk finish of the rocker covers. It’s understated, but it looks capable.
move along the sides and you notice the sharp peaks of the flowing wings, the faired-in rear wheels, the gentle glow of chrome-on-brass brightwork. This 1953 example has belonged to Bentley since 2001 and it’s immaculate, a well-used yet perfectly maintained example that earns its keep by taking part in events and rallies around the world.
Swing open that long yet surprisingly unhefty door and take in the gorgeously patinated blood-red trim. It feels original in here, mature rather than simply old.
Facing page, from top It’s possible there has never been a more characteristic profile than this, and it’s one that continues to inform Bentley’s latest cars; straight-six is strong and quiet.
The ambience is high in quality – hide on seats and doors, cloth headliner, wooden dash – but it isn’t inyour-face opulent. That dash looks like a Mid-Century sideboard, and it contains matching Bentley-badged speedo and revcounter, both of which read clockwise from the upper-right quadrant. You squeeze your knees and thighs under the slim, broad-diameter rim of the three-spoke Bakelite wheel, having already negotiated your legs and feet past the gearlever, its knob set at knee-height, the assembly getting in your way in the footwell. The window winds down with barely two spins of the winder, the high ratio of the mechanism a happy hand-over from the R Type saloon.
That straight-six swishes into life and breathes deeper with a gentle caress of the throttle. You can hear it, but there’s little in the way of mechanical noise, just aspiration. Select first and pull away, aware of the solidity of the gearlever, the weight of the steering and the Fastback’s lengthy dimensions. The ‘Continental’ nomenclature suits it; this is no town car.
On the open road it comes together beautifully. You sit high, well above the road in a command position, yet with legs out in front, sports-car style. The bucketseat holds you in place, so much better than sliding about on a leather bench, clinging to the wheel. Instead you get to place the car, and you can do that with surprising accuracy. There are coils and wishbones upfront, a live axle on coils and double-acting lever-arms at the back, nothing sophisticated but well-proven and certainly not archaic for the era. The ride is buoyant, occasionally a little busy, but you hear it patter and feel it bounce rather than having your teeth rattled, and the steering livens and lightens into a surprisingly consistent ally once you’re powering along.
There’s decent pace to be had, though acceleration is strong rather than thrilling: speed in this case is all about maintaining what you’ve achieved and bowling along in relative calm thanks to the long legs of that back axle. In fact, if one adjective defines your motion in this car, it is elegant. That word again. A car that drives like it looks.
And when a car satisfies with every aesthetic element as fully as the Bentley R Type Continental Fastback, there can be no higher praise. End
1953 Bentley R Type Continental Fastback
Engine 4566cc straight-six, IOE, twin 2in SU carburettors Power 153bhp @ 4000rpm Transmission Four-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Worm and roller Suspension Front: double wishbones, coil springs, lever-arm dampers. Rear: live axle, coil springs, dual-acting lever-arm dampers Brakes drums Weight 1700kg Top speed 118mph 0-60mph 13.6sec