Bentley Continental R review - verdict
Bentley Continental R Road Test
Test Date 23 August 1995
Price When New £199,750
Verdict
Yes, it's expensive, yes its engine is a pushrod design from the 1950s, but here’s the news: the Bentley Continental R competes not simply against the Astons or even Ferraris, but against BMWs and Mercedes, too.
It’s a magical car. Its charm stems from its ability to mix the most conservative elements and align it with brutal speed. It swallows up petrol and pumps out CO2 at alarming levels, so although it’s hard to justify a purchase such as this, even Swampy might be tempted to trade in his integrity after getting inside the sumptuous cabin and planting his foot (not his bulbs) on the accelerator pedal. It all seems so effortless, yet uncannily aggressive. The engine is pleasantly hushed but there’s also a deeply appropriate and distant thunder coming from the depths of the machine.
It’s not faultless – it is a British marque after all. You’d expect the cabin to be a place of complete calm, but in the background the wind noise coming through does irritate after a while – especially when you know you are sitting in a £187,000 motor – and at low speeds the ride can get a little lumpy.
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