2001 Bentley Continental R Le Mans

Of the planned 50, only 46 Le Mans versions were ultimately built and a mere 12 of these were right hand drive cars – 10 built during 2001 and 2 in 2002. This sublime Bentley Continental R Le Mans is one of those 10 right hand drive cars from 2001 with a chassis number of SCBZB25E51CH63574 making it the 23rd of 25 Le Mans examples built that year.

With a price when new of perilously close to £200,000, this Continental was supplied by dealers Broughtons of Birmingham in October 2001. The tenure of the first keeper and three subsequent owners takes us to February 2005 with around 19,000 miles covered at that stage. The fifth keeper retained the Continental R for a full 16 years adding just 10,000 miles or so to that meagre total during their stewardship.

The current owner acquired the Bentley in October 2021 to become the car’s sixth keeper. With the Continental R’s digital odometer now reading 30,542 it underscores the very light use experienced by this sophisticated coupe in recent times.

This low, original mileage combined with diligent and regular maintenance and a reportedly unique livery combination make this not just an extremely rare Bentley but a highly desirable one, too.

Graham Hull’s concept delivers a sleek, low roofline with door tops cut into the roof panel to better facilitate ingress and egress. In profile the ample, almost equally sized, fore and aft decks are separated by an almost symmetrical looking glazed cabin.

Notable, unique Le Mans traits include widened wheel arches, chunky quad tail pipes and aggressively vented front wings – a purely aesthetic addendum. Special “Le Mans Series” badges in the shape of a meshed Bentley grill are located beneath each faux vent. Other exterior Le Mans signatures include green enamelled front and rear Bentley winged emblems.

This fine example’s deep Peacock Blue external livery seems to offer a degree of charming iridescence looking almost black at times whilst different light and angle of view reveals those sparkling blue tones. The Continental’s nose is replete with plenty of alloy coloured Bentley signature mesh work. The body coloured radiator cowl looks positively diminutive between the two sets of big twin headlamps. A quite un-Bentley like, yet tasteful, aerodynamic body kit is present and comprises front and rear spoilers and subtle side skirts.

The bright silver of the Le Mans specific five-spoke, 18-inch alloy wheels contrasts beautifully with that deep, chameleon like paintwork. Their condition is in keeping with the rest of the car, and so excellent and the “B” inscribed centre caps feature the special green backgrounds. The wheels are shod with a matching set of Pirelli P-Zero tyres in a chunky 285/40 configuration.

The overall condition looks to be excellent throughout with just the odd, very minor blemish captured for your review.

This Continental R Le Mans’s cabin is a heady mix of prestigious hues, textures, substrates and, quite likely, fragrances. Graham Hull and his crack team did a great job of endowing the Continental R with a cabin that is deeply differentiated from Rolls-Royces of the period but also with ample sporting cues.

The predominant shade is of the supple Magnolia hued, multi hide Connolly leather. This combines with the striking French Navy leather accents, Dark Blue underlying carpets and lambswool over rugs. The Magnolia headlining and the dark stained, straight grained walnut veneers combine to leave you in no doubt as to this car’s peerless quality.

Le Mans specific enhancements include Bentley wings inlaid into the waist rails of the doors, embroidered winged motifs on the headrests, exclusive chrome and leather gear lever, drilled alloy pedals and unique treadplate plaques.

The deeply cushioned front “Le Mans style” seats are double needle stitched into a series of horizontal box pleats to their centre sections, maximising comfort and support. Full electrical adjustment goes without saying as does two stage heating. There is even a memory function for both seats.

The identically trimmed rear cabin consists of two individual outer seats with the large, fixed centre arm rest separating them and providing additional lateral support.

The dashboard features many more information imparting gauges than any Rolls-Royce of the period. Special Le Mans touches are noted here to – from the green gauge faces, to the “Le Mans Series” inscribed main instruments and the specially finished ashtray lid.

A charmingly period Motorola car telephone handset is even still present and on hand for checking in with one’s broker. The commodious boot is exquisitely trimmed in Dark Blue leather edge bound carpeting. This is also home to jack, wheel brace, and complete original tool kit.

Even the originally specified polished fire extinguisher and twin Bentley brollies are still present.

Naturally enough, the Continental R Le Mans featured long-serving L-series 6.75L V8 engine in its most powerful ever guise. Turbocharging and intercooling delivered an originally quoted 420 bhp a maximum torque of a whopping 650 lb ft. Despite the Bentley’s not inconsiderable 2,500 kg kerb weight, this prodigious output delivered a 170mph top speed and a sub six second 0-60 mph time.

The new smooth shifting four-speed GM transmission features Shift Energy Management (SEM) to further blur the ratio changes. Traction control is present as is ABS for the vast, vented disc brakes, the fronts having two sets of callipers per disc. The all-independent suspension has hydraulic self-levelling with Automatic Ride Control.

Lifting the big, spring assisted bonnet reveals an engine which has started to exhibit the fared in and covered up appearance of later cars. There are plenty of black painted and diamond cut alloy and Bentley embossing in evidence, however. Everything in this engine-room looks impressively clean, tidy and highly original. Even the oft neglected bonnet insulation is present and pristine looking.

The underside looks straight, clean and leak free, too, with no noticeable deformations to worry about.

There is a generous file of paperwork associated with this fine Bentley, too. The V5 registration document is present. The current advisory free MoT is valid until November 2025. There are some other earlier MoTs in hard copy on hand, also.

There are lots of accompanying invoices present, lending the detail behind this car’s clearly very diligent service and maintenance history. The most recent of these dates from January 2024 and details over £4,000 worth of work undertaken by specialists P&A Wood. Since 2022, bills at P&A Wood total over £50,000.

Several other interesting documents are here, too, including full and interesting details of the extensive build specification of this fine car.

A very low volume, special edition of an already highly desirable and pivotal Bentley model is always going to be a highly desirable choice for enthusiasts and connoisseurs. It was to Bentley’s credit that this is much more than a rushed out edition with a few special badges added. The mechanical and interior differences run surprisingly and satisfyingly deep.

This is just such a great looking example of the ultimate iteration of turn of the century Bentley coupés. Its livery is beguiling and the condition no less so. It is also reported to be the only example in this combination of Peacock Blue over Magnolia leather.

With a very meagre original mileage and a fastidious and documented history this is a true one of one Bentley ownership opportunity.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £80,000 - £100,000.

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