1954 Bentley R-Type 4½-Litre Sports Saloon

Rolls-Royce commenced production post-war with the Silver Wraith and Bentley MkVI models. The traditional separate chassis was retained for the two newcomers, but for the first time there was standard coachwork. This new 'standard steel' body - produced by the Pressed Steel Company, of Oxford - was available at first only on the Bentley, the equivalent Rolls-Royce - the Silver Dawn - not appearing until 1949.

The range featured a new design of independent front suspension, hydraulic front brakes and a new 4,257cc, six-cylinder, 'F-head' (inlet-over-exhaust) power unit destined for enlargement to 4,566cc in 1951. A much-needed improvement to the standard bodywork arrived in mid-1952 in the shape of an enlarged boot together with associated changes to the rear wings and suspension, subsequent models being known as the R-Type Bentley and E-Series Silver Dawn. The two newcomers were the first Rolls-Royce products available with automatic transmission, the company having opted for General Motors' Hydra-Matic, a state-of-the-art four-speed unit permitting manual selection.

The standard R-Type was a lively performer, achieving 106mph in silence and reaching 50mph from standstill in 10 seconds despite a kerb weight approaching two tons. Described as 'a lovely driver', this standard steel R-Type belongs to the later 'Y' series that came with a higher-compression ratio and raised overall gearing, thereby facilitating more comfortable cruising at modern-day traffic speeds. Retaining its original registration on original plates, 'VPD 60' has covered fewer than 6,000 miles in the last 31 years out of a believed-genuine recorded total of 58,300, as confirmed by a substantial quantity of MoT certificates dating back to 1981 when the odometer reading was 52,460.

Finished in Midnight Blue/Silver Grey with grey leather interior, the latter described as 'amazingly original', the car comes with small and large tool kits (complete apart from one oiler), copy chassis cards, current road fund licence, MoT to October 2012 and Swansea V5. An interior extension speaker, driver's door mortise lock, bonnet locks, wing mirrors, deflectors and Sundym glass are the only notified deviations from factory specification.