Bentley R Type Continental H.J. Mulliner

This H.J. Mulliner-bodied R Type Continental is chassis BC73D, the thirty-second of only thirty-nine cars built with automatic transmission and the penultimate D Series car. It was completed in March 1955 and supplied new through Rolls-Royce to the Shah of Iran. His specification included the larger front seats, a kilometre speedometer, an oil bath air cleaner and a coat of arms hand-painted on each door. The car is right-hand drive and is described as matching numbers.

After the Shah it passed through several owners in the United States and ended up in the Naval Aviation Museum collection in Pensacola, Florida, in poor condition. Frank Dale bought it in 2006 and shipped it to London. The dealer then restored it for the current owner, who chose a change from the original Circassian blue to black over tan leather, with rear wheel spats and chrome strips along the base of the coachwork.

Lightweight bucket seats replaced the original front seats, which are retained with the car. It has been used regularly and maintained since that single restoration about twenty years ago. The history file includes chassis cards, photographs from before and during the restoration, the tools and the handbook. The car is currently registered in the European Union.