1978 BENTLEY CORNICHE

Between 1967 and 1995, production ran to just 570 convertible Bentleys, or a smidgen over 10%, when compared to the 5,678 Rolls-Royce Corniche Convertibles sold. As a result, the convertible Bentley is the most sought after of the two in today's UK market, enjoying favour not just with marque enthusiasts but with those who also appreciate rarity, especially as production numbers for right-hand drive examples were often far less.

According to the accompanying factory records, this car was ordered on the 25th January 1977 through Jack Barclay of Mayfair, London. As was sometimes the case with such long waiting lists, buyers owners moved up the list during production and specifications were changed multiple times before delivery. Anecdotes from the period vary on the process of moving "up the list" and our favourite remains the cutting of a deck of cards in a Mayfair gaming room. With the top rate of income tax at 98%, and costing twice the price of the average house back in 1977 (more than £600,000 today) one had to be very well connected and extremely wealthy to take possession of a brand new Corniche.

Originally ordered by a Mr Strauss of Moorgate to be finished in Silver Chalice, this Bentley (based on a Rolls-Royce Corniche II) was re-specified in the rare colour of Garnet, a shade darker than Royal Garnet, the paintwork reserved for state vehicles of the Royal Household, which began in the 1950s and seen today when His Majesty The King uses the State Bentley. The Garnet coachwork was paired with a black leather interior and a black Everflex power hood, and although specified by a Mr Stafford of Dublin, the car was delivered new in 1978 to Mr Akka, a Manchester textile mogul. It displayed the private registration number ,'77 FLO', from 1978 until 1993 and in 2005 issued with the very distinctive registration number '74 X' which remains on the car, is generously offered by our vendor.

The car was later part of the renowned Bentley Collection of the late Mr Peter Bond, and although our vendor only intended to purchase a superb 1972 Bentley Corniche from Mr Bond’s estate, this car also caught his eye, with both Bentleys joining our vendor's own Collection in 2013. Our vendor informs us that the 1972 Bentley Corniche’s condition was “just too perfect to enjoy properly” and we sold that car for him in 2020 for £158,000. A far more enjoyable drive, ‘74 X’ is mechanically sound, but the bodywork, as seen in our photographs, was obviously something to be not too precious about when motoring down to his holiday home on the French Riveria or entering the gravel car parks of rural eateries back in Blighty. As such this motorcar is ideal for those who wish to enjoy the full experience rather than worry about collecting stone chips or the (increasingly) untamed hedgerows of our country lanes when wafting along on a summer's day.

Maintained by Frank Dale, Chelsea Workshop and Royce engineering, and during our vendor's tenure, Nigel Sandell, from whom £40,000 of receipted mechanical and maintenance works, the most recent dating from April 2026, accompanies the car. As is common with the Silver Shadow II and its variants, the speedometer unit was changed and whilst the odometer read 45,882 at the time of cataloguing, our vendor informs us the car has likely covered some 110,000 miles. Like most heritage convertibles sun damage often has to be addressed and as such our vendor has treated the Bentley to an element of re-trimming and refreshment of the woodwork. The advisory free MOT certificate is valid until April 2027.

Few Corniches boast such a Royal “look” with its Garnet paint, black roof and short numeric ‘X’ prefix, a combination associated with the saloon cars of Their Majesties Queen Elizabeth II and Elizabeth, The Queen Mother together with Her Royal Highness the late Princess Margaret. Although we are here to present a rare car to the market, we note that the generous inclusion of the private registration '74 X', which has a high five-figure value on its own, offers those born in 1974 or anyone wishing to gift such a registration to a loved one, the opportunity to purchase a highly valued number plate with the benefit of a rare Bentley at the same time.