Bentley Continental R History
History
Launched at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show (developed under the codename 'Nepal'), the Continental R was the first Bentley with a body of its own design, independent of Rolls-Royce, since the mid-1960s. It revived the 'Continental' name on a large, turbocharged two-door grand tourer using the 6.75-litre turbo V8.
It anchored a family of sporting Vickers-era Bentleys — the short-wheelbase Continental T and the Azure convertible — and remained in production to 2003, helping cement the brand's modern performance-luxury identity ahead of the Volkswagen era.
Body styles
- Coupé
Notable special editions & performance variants
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Continental T
A short-wheelbase, higher-output Continental R — the most powerful and focused of the Vickers-era coupés.
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Azure
The convertible derivative of the Continental R family — a four-seat luxury drop-top. (A second Azure followed on the Arnage platform, 2006–2009.)
Related models