Books
Detailed
information
Models
Each Model
ever built
Highlights
Coachbuilders,
Special Cars...
Cars of 1998
Cars of 1999
Cars of 2000
Cars of 2001
Cars of 2002
Cars of 2003
Cars of 2004
Cars of 2005
Cars of 2006
Cars of 2007
Cars of 2008
Cars of 2009
Cars of 2010
Cars of 2011
Car of the Month
Selection
More on Bentley in these books:
Car of the Month - January 2020
Bentley R Continental, 1955, #BC50D
H.J. Mulliner Special
Fastback Coupé to a design by McLeod
Over a considerable period the Bentley R Continental, #BC50D, did remain a sort of 'Mystery Car'. A unique body had been erected by H.J. Mulliner in very close conjunction with Capt. R.G. McLeod on chassis #BC50D. This was a 1955 Bentley R Continental with 4.9 Litre engine. See also: Cars of Capt. McLeod.
A personality from the "top brass" of the Bentley Drivers' Club had been the late Stanley Sedgwick who inter alia did compile a booklet that most presumably has been the first publication ever listing each and every Bentley R Continental. Decades ago we exchanged correspondence on research-details - and I do remember that Stanley was extremely keen to get a photo of #BC50D. However he could merely find H.J. Mulliner's coachbuilder’s drawing and that was shown on page 63 bottom in his 1978 publication with a caption reading: "No known photograph exists, so reproduced here is the next best thing - Mulliner's drawing." Fellow-author the late Johnnie Green by a struck of good luck had found one photo of a three quarter rear view and included that in his book Bentley, "Fifty Years of the Marque" on page 265, centre. At least photos by H.G. Cramp provided two more views - a three quarter front and a three quarter rear view. Regrettably all such were mono-photos in low resolution and thus didn't permit close view of details. The trail ended in a 'dead end road' because #BC50D is listed as "destroyed by fire around 1960".
Come 30th December 2019 when a message has been received here from a grandson of a certain Georges Elliott – the gentleman who owned #BC50D at the turn from the 1950s into the 1960s. The car then was registered 8950HX. With his message Elliott's grandson kindly did submit three COLOUR photos of #BC50D. A fair guess is that few people outside the then owner’s family ever have seen any colour pictures of this unique motor car? – It was in Elliott's garage that as per his grandson's note this Bentley R Continental was destroyed "in a fire which burnt all the outbuilding and barn on the farm in about 1961; several animals also died in the blaze." Six decades later Mr. Elliott's grandson's kind permission "Please feel free to use the photos if you want to" hopefully makes for a fine start into 2020 by sharing with like-minded enthusiasts hitherto never published pictures showing #BC50D in dark blue matt-finish livery?
