Guide price: ??80000 - ??90000.
- Manufactured on the 12/02g/91, resplendent in Mason Black, matching hood and tan interior
- Just 421 Bentley variants were produced compared to 4,458 Corniche convertibles of the same period
- Ordered in right-hand drive for the Japanese market, sold to the second owner in California in 2005
- Registered in the UK on the 02/06/05 and modified to UK-specification by Bentley Birmingham
- Bought by our vendor from Silverstone Auctions in 2013 and maintained by HR Owen Bentley
- Rarely offered to the market, this car represents hand-built British craftsmanship at its finest with 26,700 miles.
 When Rolls-Royce launched the two-door version of the Silver Shadow and Bentley T1 in 1966, the international jet set began to clamour for attention at the dealerships. With waiting lists measured in years, these hugely desirable vehicles began to change hands at significant premiums over list price and one can imagine the hushed negotiations over the green baize of the gaming tables at Crockfords, Palm Beach and Aspinalls. Rolls-Royce envisioned a time when owners would like to drive their own cars and the Corniche continued to be developed with this in mind and even had a rev counter fitted as standard. Both the fixed head coupé and drop head by Mulliner Park Ward wafted to 60mph in 9.8 seconds, powered by the whisper-quiet 6.75-litre V8 engine and it is widely regarded that the success of the Corniche saved Rolls-Royce, and indeed Bentley, for future generations.The Bentley Continental Series 3 was introduced in 1989 and manufactured in very limited numbers until 1993. The equivalent Rolls-Royce at the time was the Corniche III and both cars featured the same chassis, body and 6750cc V8 engine. Just 421 Bentley variants were produced compared to 4,458 Corniche convertibles of the same period.All Series 3 cars featured colour-coded bumpers, new design alloy wheels, an advanced suspension system, airbags, MK Motronic fuel injection, an updated dashboard and improved seats. The driving experience is infinitely more refined than that of previous generations and the instruments and gear selector are straight out of the Turbo R. Purchased from Silverstone Auctions in 2013 by a regular and valued customer, this car was first registered on 12/02/91 and supplied to the right-hand drive market in Japan. It was finished in the very smart combination of Mason Black with tan leather seats and a black hood. It was then sold to its second owner who imported the car to California where the car was to reside with very little usage until 2005. At the time of purchase by our previous vendor during 2005 in California, the car had covered just 21,000 miles from new and in 2013 the mileage had only increased to 23,350 being the third car in the family and benefitting from high days and holiday use only.When the car was imported to the UK in 2005 it was sent to Bentley Birmingham for all necessary work to convert it to UK specification, including the right-hand drive headlight re-conversion and a full service. It was maintained by the previous owner’s local garage in Chadwick End, Solihull and covered just over 2,000 miles in that period. Upon purchase by our vendor in 2013, the car was dispatched to Bentley Cardiff for a service and in their letter dated 05/04/13 they state “excellent and original condition” which strongly implies the car’s mileage and condition to be collaborative. Subsequent works by HR Owen of Cheltenham included general maintenance and servicing, the most recent in August 2018 at 26,366 miles. To date, maintenance bills amount to some £5,500 and the car is in exceptionally good condition. Rarely do these cars come to market unmolested and this lovely example awaits a summer of stylish touring.