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1971 Bentley Corniche 2 door saloon

Story and History

1971 Bentley Corniche 2 door saloon
Restored Condition - 9.000 miles since

Simply irresistible - the first series Corniche, which comes with the gorgeous wooden steering wheel - only available for the 1971 model year, sadly as we seriously wish they all had this feature

I'm not sure why this model year was provided with this feature and similarly why it was removed for the following year - could well be the imminent saftely regulations would outlaw this wooden wheel

Anyhow as only 27 examples were produced from 1971 until 1976 before the series 2 arrived, one can assume that, perhaps a paltry, 5 or 6 were produced for this model year - how many still exist I'm not sure

This is the only one ever to have passed through our hands

In the previous 20 years, before we sold her to her last keeper 3 years ago, she was in the custody of two Japanese collectors. The first kept her there amongst many other very important cars (Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Mercedes 300SL Gullwing etc etc).

He regarded her as important enough to containerise and ship to highly respected Official Dealers, Broughton's of Cheltenham in the late 1990's. Under his instruction they undertook a full restoration, to factory standards and using correct parts and materials. This exercise was not undertaken lightly and the cost was in the region of £80.000 - £100.000 (remember this is over 18 years ago)

The results speak for themselves and save now for a few little paint imperfections she presents in truly superb condition

His great chum, knowing how rare and beautifully restored she had been, eventually managed to purchase her in the early 2000's whereupon, again she was plopped into a container and shipped from Japan back to Europe, to be kept at his his holiday home in Bordeaux, France where she resided before we purchased her from him and repatriated her back into England

Therefore mostly gentle holiday touring has resulted in an additional 8.883 miles since the nut and bolt restoration - the last keeper only added the 883 miles on top of her mileage since the restoration

He has many cars here in London, Paris and Geneva too - hence the little use and as he is no longer living in London the car is for sale

The road wheels were an upgrade for the second Japanese owner, who really liked the look of them, as they are correct Bentley alloy wheels, as seen on the Mulsanne S, Eight and Continental DHC - a set of standard steel wheels with appropriate hub caps and trims can be supplied instead, if desired

She comes complete with her original instruction manual, service voucher booklet, complete small and large tools too

The history file does not contain the invoices from Broughton's (must be in one of the containers!) and full verification of these works is validated by the previous owners (not forgetting the quality of the vehicle - the engine / drive train and the trimming of the interior leaves one in no doubt)

This Corniche, as a 1971 example, is probably rarer than the Corniche 2 by which it was superseded and must therefore, represent an almost unique opportunity

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Specifications

Status
Previously Sold
Engine Size
6750 cc
Transmission Type
3 Speed Automatic
Miles Recorded
74,128
Chassis Number
CBH10470
Finance

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