Arnolt Bentley --was Bentley outraged when he put his name in front of theirs? | FerrariChat
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Arnolt Bentley --was Bentley outraged when he put his name in front of theirs?

Discussion in 'British' started by bitzman, Apr 2, 2019.

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  1. bitzman

    bitzman F1 Rookie
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    Feb 15, 2008
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    wallace wyss
    #1 bitzman, Apr 2, 2019
    I haven't seen this car in person but it's ugly. It looks like nothing more than an Arnolt MG made about 30% bigger. And who was it built for? None other than "Wacky" Arnolt who liked to put his name on every car he special bodied and imported (Arnolt-MG, Arnolt-Bristol, etc.) I wonder why they call it Continental? Is the chassis number listed with the other Continentals? I tried to look up 1953 Continentals and didn't see any four doors so I am wondering if it's just a four door Mk. VI. (He also pissed them off by calling it a Mk. VII.
    But as a staunch admirer of American entrepreneurship, I say let's applaud him trying to have the car rebodied to perhaps reach a different market. I am surprised Bentley didn't send James Bond to terminate him.

    1953 Arnolt Bentley R-Type Continental Sedan
    Sold For $253,000
    Inclusive of applicable buyer's fee.
    RM | Auctions - THE PONDER COLLECTION 20 - 21 APRIL 2007
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  2. Bluebottle

    Bluebottle F1 Veteran
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    Oct 15, 2012
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    Newbury, Berkshire, England
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    John
    #2 Bluebottle, Apr 2, 2019
    Various sources state that it was built on a 1953 R-type Continental chassis, hence the use of the name Continental, with a body designed by Michelotti, while working at Bertone.

    I have tried to find it in "20 years of Crewe Bentleys", by Stanley Sedgwick, based on data from Rolls-Royce, generally regarded as a pretty accurate source. However, I can find no reference to any R-type Continental chassis being bodies by Bertone. The 208 R-type Continental chassis are listed as 193 by Mulliner, 6 by Park Ward, 5 by Franay, 3 by Vanden Plas and 1 by Farina. Indeed, I cannot find any reference to any Bentley chassis bodied by Bertone between 1946 and 1965 (though 17 4.25 Mk. 6s are listed as "supplied to overseas buyers, coachbuilder unknown, but the last 4.25 Mk. 6 was built in 1951).I suppose it could have been a rebody of a second-hand chassis, previously supplied to another coachbuilder, but that seems unlikely. Very mysterious.

    As you say, hardly a beauty, especially when you consider it against the seminal Mulliner bodied R-type Continental chassis:

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