The James Bond effect on the value of the Aston Martin DB5 has long been understood, but having a genuine connection to Bond author Ian Fleming can increase the value of almost any car.
Which is why we're expecting this one to go for a very serious amount of money when it's auctioned in the U.S. later this year. It's a 1953 Bentley R-Type Continental that has reportedly been languishing in a garage in Hollywood for more than 30 years. But which was originally bought by Ian Fleming on behalf of Ivar Brice.
Who? Well Brice was an American who worked in intelligence during the Second World War, and who was the inspiration behind Felix Leiter, Bond's friend in the CIA. The car is in unrestored condition and is carrying an estimate of between $1.4m and $1.8m, which the tenuous Bond connection might help it secure.
Standard R-Type had £800-£900K estimate...
The R-Type Continental Fastback has long been one of the most desirable Bentleys. It was based on the mechanical components of the standard R-Type saloon, a particularly staid model which is relatively plentiful and cheap, but with bespoke bodywork by H. J. Mulliner. Just 200 R-Type Contis were built, the fastback body being lighter and more aerodynamic thanks to aluminium construction. With a 120mph top speed it was marketed as the fastest saloon car in the world at the time of its introduction.
The Continental also got mentioned in two Bond books. 007 buys a crashed example in Thunderball - which "some rich idiot" had crashed into a telegraph pole - and rebuilds it with a more powerful 4.9-litre engine and gets Mulliners to build a unique body for it. In On Her Majesty's Secret Service we learn that he has had it supercharged - against Bentley's wishes - and he uses it to win a race in France against the woman who later becomes Mrs. Bond. Fleming was almost certainly thinking of this car when he wrote about it.
The Bond connection may well help to sell the car, although whoever buys it will have to either pay for a full mechanical restoration or keep it in its current unmolested condition. For some perspective an immaculate 1954 Type-R Continental Fastback failed to sell against a £800,000 - £900,000 estimate in the UK last year.
If you're tempted then phone your bank manager and then book a plane ticket - it will be part of the Gooding & Company auction at Pebble Beach in August.
BENTLEY R-TYPE CONTINENTAL
Price: $1.4-$1.8 million (auction estimate, £895,000-£1,150,000)
Why you should: A beautiful coachbuilt Bentley with an interesting history
Why you shouldn't: It's a tenuous link and lots of money