Description
This is lot number 162 in the Bonhams Zoute sale on October 6th, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Rare North American Region Special Edition (NARSE)
Delivered in Blue Sequin Mica on Sandstone
Eight-cylinder 420 hp turbo engine
Only 27, 000 miles on the clock
Around 10, 000 in recent invoices
French registration document
Bentley's renaissance in the 1980s rested essentially on models whose basic architecture was shared with other Rolls-Royce models, but at the 1985 Geneva Motor Show, a maquette of the "Project 90" coupé, designed by John Heffernan and Ken Greenley, was on display, intended to test the public's reaction to an exclusively Bentley high-performance model. When the definitive model - the Bentley Continental R - was unveiled six years later, the crowd burst into applause. Under the continuing influence of Heffernan and Greenley, the Continental R benefited from computer-assisted design and wind tunnel tests to develop its elegant aerodynamic profile. Despite the need to include less traditional components, such as roof-cut door frames, the result was in keeping with the Bentley style, updated for the 1990s. The gearbox was also new, a four-speed automatic with overdrive on top gear, but the real attraction of the newcomer lay in its performance. Needless to say, this was extraordinary, the combination of a Turbo R engine with the aerodynamic coachwork brought 0 to 60 mph down to 6. 2 seconds and increased maximum speed to over 150 mph.
The best was yet to come, with the Continental T. Presented in June 1996, it was a short wheelbase version of the Continental R, with 10 cm of chassis having been eliminated behind the rear wheels. With 400 hp to play with and perched on 18-inch wheels, the low-slung Continental T had the unmistakable sporty look of a thoroughbred Bentley. The passenger compartment, with its dashboard entirely dedicated to mechanical instruments, called to mind the heroic sporting feats of W. O. in the 1920s. The engine start button was another retro feature. While its weight was the same as that of two Ford Mondeo 1. 8 litre models, the luxurious Continental T was far from lacking in power, demolishing 0 to 60 mph in 5. 8 seconds, with a top speed of 155 mph. No less extraordinary was its price, £220, 312 on launch.
Special editions are these days part of almost all major carmakers' marketing strategy, particularly in the sports and luxury markets. The version of the Bentley Continental T that we offer for sale here, the North American Region Special Edition (NARSE), is one of the most exclusive, with just 14 produced. As for the engine, the NARSE uses the same turbocharged engine block as the standard Continental T, with the 1998 model producing 420 hp. The NARSE was available in two colours, Crimson Pearl or Blue Sequin Mica, with doors stamped "Coachbuilt by Mulliner Park Ward" which are quite remarkable, as are the bumpers, different to those of the standard Continental T.
This Bentley Continental T NARSE was ordered by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Inc in Paramus, New Jersey for the end of 1997, and for a total of $255, 000. Its paintwork is the superb Blue Sequin Mica, complemented by a passenger compartment upholstered in Sandstone and Royal Blue leather and Alcantara. All the car's components, which make it almost unique, are listed in a file that gives details of the stages of its production, as well as the people who have worked on the car, for instance, and just as an example, Dylis Wood for the paintwork. According to its Carfax, the NARSE was registered for the first time in 2000 in the state of Florida. In August 2002 it had 7, 821 miles on the clock at a service and changed hands in 2003. As of 2004 and at around 18, 000 miles, the Bentley was maintained by St Louis Motorsports in Chesterfield, Missouri. In 2008, it was acquired by its third owner, who registered the Bentley in Michigan, before selling it in 2009 to a collector from Alabama, who kept the car until 2020 and 25, 770 miles, before it came into the hands of a German fan of the British firm, who obtained a 12-page report in the Dutch Rolls-Royce Bentley club magazine, De Mascotte, in 2021.
Acquired by its current owner in 2023, the Bentley was then registered in France and has since received numerous attentions, notably at Atelier 46. The cooling circuit was overhauled, the high-pressure pumps restored, the hydraulic suspension circuit was serviced, with replacement of the spheres, the air conditioning was recharged, and the tyres were replaced. More recently, the three fuel pumps were replaced and the fuel circuit cleaned. Lastly, in July 2024, the coachwork was polished in full before being coated with ceramic protective treatment. At the same time, the passenger compartment was cleaned and treated, resulting today in a Continental T in very good cosmetic condition.
With little more than 27, 000 miles on the clock (around 43, 500 km), this Bentley, which we were able to check is in good working order, will be sold with its original toolkit, a maintenance log stamped June 2023, its original battery charger, its Bentley cover as well as its French registration document (carte grise) and the aforementioned production file.
