This is why 007 originally drove Bentleys rather than the Aston Martins made popular by today’s film sponsors.

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Even before then, thanks to its victorious racing credentials, the early years of Bentley cars – first established in 1919 – were bestowed with glamorous garlands: winning the Le Mans 24-hour race for the first time in 1924 and then every year from 1927 to 1930 could hardly be more distinguished.

But 1929’s Wall Street Crash and the ensuing Great Depression nearly killed the Bentley marque. Not that that was at first evident. In 1931 Bentley seemed to be flying high.

The new Bentley 8-Liter was a great success, far outselling Rolls-Royce’s Phantom II.

All the same, Bentley’s cash-flow was dire: after two mortgage payments had been missed, the company was put into financial receivership. Although Napier, the engineering company, had put in a bid for Bentley, it was a mysterious firm called the British Central Equitable Trust that made the most acceptable and successful financial offer.

And who was the British Central Equitable Trust? Why, it turned out to be a front for none other than Rolls-Royce Limited. Not even mainman W.O. Bentley himself knew what had happened until the deal was done. Essentially, Rolls-Royce bought an entire rival to stop its car from competing with the Phantom II, creating a new subsidiary called Bentley Motors (1931) Ltd. And so began the shared history between Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Which is, frankly, the same company.

Sixty years on from what was essentially a merger, Bentley was producing the fabulous car that we now have at Beverly Hills Car Club, a rare 1991 Bentley Continental Convertible, featuring coachwork by Mulliner Park Ward, and finished in its factory color Black over a black interior with a veneer trim. This rare gem is a true collector’s dream, being one of only 421 variants produced during the year 1991.

This Bentley Continental Convertible comes equipped with an automatic transmission with steering column control, 6.8-liter V8 engine, power steering, four-wheel disc brakes, single exhaust outlet, four-spoke steering wheel, quad halogen headlights, side marker lights, chrome trim, 15-inch alloy wheels, and a full-size spare tire. Featured amenities include air conditioning, cruise control, dual-side mirrors, analog clock, Sony stereo, and power-adjustable front seat.

While this Bentley Continental is a running and driving example, it will benefit from some current servicing before hitting the open road. Contact us today to learn more about this offering and start your experience towards owning a piece of British motoring history.

As we’re saying, this Bentley Continental Convertible incorporates a substantial amount of UK motoring history. All Bentleys produced from 1931-2004 used inherited or shared Rolls-Royce chassis, as well as adapted Rolls-Royce engines.

The model name Continental had already been used by Rolls-Royce for models intended and geared for long-distance, high-speed touring on roads and of a style then only available in continental Europe. 1930s to 1950s advertising for even the Standard Steel Bentley saloons carried the slogan the Silent Sports Car. The Continental model was a lighter, faster, more nimble high-performance version, for high-speed travel in great comfort.

The Continental name has since been re-used by Bentley for unrelated automobiles from 1984 onward. But in this 1991 Bentley Continental Convertible we will see how fused together are the Bentley and Rolls-Royce marques. For example, the Rolls-Royce Corniche is a two-door, front-engine, rear wheel drive luxury car produced by Rolls-Royce as a hardtop coupe (from 1971 to 1980) and as a convertible (from 1971 to 1995 and 1999 to 2002).

The Corniche was a development of the Mulliner Park Ward two-door versions of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. These were designated as the 2-door Saloon and Drophead Coupé, introduced in 1965 and 1966 respectively.

Production remained in London at Mulliner Park Ward; the new name was applied in March 1971.

A Bentley version of the Corniche was also produced. It became known as the Bentley Continental from 1984 to 1995, which is the gorgeous car we presently have at Beverly Hills Car Club.

And while we are at it, let’s not overlook Mulliner Park Ward, a coachbuilder formed as a subsidiary by Rolls-Royce in 1961 to supply it custom bodywork for its automobiles. Located in Hythe Road, Willesden, north-west London, it was created by merging two existing Rolls-Royce properties, Park Ward of Willesden, London, a subsidiary since 1939 and H. J. Mulliner & Co. of Chiswick, a subsidiary since 1959.

It principally built bodies and interiors for Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars, but also for others such as Alvis. The coachbuilding business closed in 1991 – so our Bentley Continental Convertible is one of the last ever built there, increasing its rarity value – but the Mulliner name is still used for the personal commissioning department of the current Bentley manufacturer.

As you can tell, this is a luxury vehicle that is simply history in the making.

-Alex Manos, Owner