Conjured up in 1953 by the company’s then Chief Projects Engineer Ivan Evernden and Chief Stylist John Blatchley, the Bentley R-Type Continental was a 153-hp, high-performance version of the normally 140-hp luxury grand tourer whose design would set the stage for practically every Bentley car that would follow. And with 2023 marking the 70th anniversary since the R-Type’s debut, one Bentley customer has opted to pay homage to the R-spec model with a one-off Continental GT Azure from the firm’s bespoke Mulliner program.
More specifically, this one-of-one car is based on a particular R-Type example known as “JAS 949” due to the license plate that it wore bearing the same text. Like the 1953 Bentley that inspired it, the modern rolling homage wears an Old English White paint job over a red interior. The Continental GT Azure’s matrix grille and many of its trim elements have been finished in chrome — another blatant nod to JAS 949.
The entire vehicle rides on a set of hand-finished 22” wheels that feature the same black, white, and metal scheme as the R-Type. The cabin of the one-off Bentley sports Cricket Ball leather upholstery in deep red that’s contrasted by hand-applied Beluga leather piping. The 70th anniversary tribute also features cross-banding with Australian straight grain veneer with a boxwood inlay — a design element paired with numerous rich gold accents and genuine open-pore Burr Walnut veneer elements.
While this one-of-one example was already spoken for when it was commissioned, it nonetheless speaks to the caliber of work that’s being done by the Bentley Mulliner program.
