Bentley R Type
by Bernard L. King
The Bentley Mk VII, or R Type as we know it today, was an interim model between the Mk VI and the Silver Cloud I/Bentley S1, addressing the shortcomings of the former and tiding buyers over until the—delayed–arrival of the later.
This 6th book in the Complete Classics series follows the standard methodology, listing all cars produced (2,323) with delivery date, original color scheme (in the case of the standard steel cars), customer name, country of delivery, details of where they are now, and information on where to find photos of individual cars that have been previously published.
Coachbuilders’ output, show car lists, color schemes, tool kit contents, modifications/specs, descriptions of the handbooks—it’s all here. The meat of the book is of course the chassis register and the UK registration index (license plates to US folk), indispensable tools for identifying and researching the cars. Of all the CCs to date, this one has the most extensive background/history section. The list of authorized retailers is much expanded from the one last seen in CC4.
Photo reproduction is as good as the source material allows. A CC first: five cars, in the BxxxTO series, are shown in color although it is not evident what made these cars particular deserving.
As is true of all CCs, owners of the respective model cannot possibly do without this book, and, really, everyone should have it, and the others, because together they represent the most complete record outside of dedicated archives of the whole arc of Rolls-Royce/Bentley output.
When readers add this book to the other Complete Classics on their bookshelf they will notice that the last CC (Silver Cloud I/Bentley S1) was number 8 and this newest one is number 6. That is because the books are numbered sequentially by model, not chronologically by publication date, which will one day make lining them up on the shelf much more sensible. (While vol. 7 on the SC II/S2 and SC III/S3 should come out next, the Mk VI, Bentley Continental, and Phantom I books will probably precede it because work on them is farther advanced.)
Available directly from the publisher, signed or unsigned, and from the marque clubs (the latter of course to members only).
Copyright 2018, Sabu Advani (speedreaders.info).
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