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(Crewe, 2 September 2014) The car that James Bond “loved more than all the women at present in his life” will be among an array of stunning Bentleys exhibited at the Hampton Court Concours of Elegance this 5-7 September.

The 1954 R-Type Continental Drophead Coupe is the car thought to have inspired author Ian Flemming to give his iconic British agent just such a model in his 1961 novel, Thunderball.  Flemming, a keen petrolhead himself, is believed to have seen this Chapron coachbuilt Bentley in London while writing the novel, and subsequently had Bond taking his own fictional R-Type Continental coupe to H.J. Mulliner and converting it to “a convertible two-seater affair”.

The real-life car on display at Hampton Court was originally a Mulliner bodied fastback which was converted to a drophead coupe in 1956.  Mulliner was approached at the time to perform the conversion but since the costs were deemed too high by its owner the project never progressed beyond the design phase, and French coachbuilder Henri Chapron was commissioned to carry out the work instead.  Chapron’s final car didn’t fully resemble Mulliner’s elegant design work so the rear of the car was rebodied by a subsequent owner in 2005 to the original Mulliner specification, resulting in the stunning car on display.

Also competing within the Concours will be four other striking Bentleys – a 1925 Bentley 3 litre, a 1929 4 ½ litre, a 1930 4 ½ litre with coachwork by Vanden Plas, and a 1953 Mulliner Park Ward Saloon.

As part of the Crewe brand’s sponsorship of the event, Sunday 7 September will be officially known as ‘Bentley Sunday’, showcasing a broad range of Bentley models from 1925 to the present day.  Highlights within Bentley’s display include a 1931 Bentley 8 litre Park Ward saloon – widely considered the greatest car ever produced by the company’s founder, W.O. Bentley – and the double Le Mans-winning Speed Six racer, known affectionately as Old No 1.

Showcasing Bentley’s continued commitment to creating hand-built luxury performance cars, the marque will also present its entire current model range, including the new Continental GT Speed, the fastest production Bentley ever.  The Speed’s twin turbo 6.0 litre W12 engine powers the car from 0-60 mph in just 4.0 seconds, and on to a top speed of 206mph, while offering Bentley’s signature blend of timeless design and bespoke, hand-crafted luxury.