1952 Bentley R Type Saloon VIN B212SR

This is a 1952 Bentley R Type that I picked up in Minneapolis last year as part of a package deal. I'm not driving it, o it's time to let someone else enjoy it. I'd call this car a 20-footer. It presents well from a distance, ut on close inspection, ou'll see numerous flaws in the paint and body work. It had a paint job probably 20 years ago, 'd estimate, nd some of the paint is bubbling, specially in the areas of the headlight buckets and below the doors. There is some rust in these areas. The chrome is pitted, ut presentable. The interior is intact, ut moderately worn. There are some rips in the leather, articularly on the passenger front seat. The interior is musty, s this car sat for awhile, 'd guess. The wood is intact and presentable, ut would need to be refinished if the car is going to be restored. The sunroof was caulked with silicone and is not currently operable. I know this sounds a bit gloomy, ut with a 100% positive feedback, nbsp;I want to be completely honest about this car -- it is either a driver that is presentable, r a project, f one decides to restore it. Mechanically, t is pretty good. It starts and runs great. I drove it 300 miles in a single trip last summer without any problems at all. It doesn't overheat, nd goes down the highway at 65 all day without issue. The brakes do need some work. It stops, ut I suspect the stopping action is from the mechanical side of the brakes, s opposed to the hydraulic side. I'd definitely do the brakes before driving it, specially in traffic. Out here in the sticks of N. Minnesota, t's not much of a problem. It also has a hole in the exhaust, o it doesn't sound nice and quiet like a proper Bentley. The gauges all work, nd the transmission is great. I think to make it a reliable driver, t probably just needs brakes and exhaust, lthough I don't confess to having a whole lot of time behind the wheel. You'll notice from both Hagerty and Keith Martin's price guides that these 'big bore, ig boot' Bentley R Types are really appreciating in value. For example, agerty has 1952 R Types in #4 condition (I think this is a 4) at around $30,000. #1 condition is over $60K. Keith Martin's price guide has them between $49K and $95K. My reserve is CONSIDERABLY lower than Hagerty's lowest value, nd my buy it now price is about half of what Hagerty has for a #4 Big Bore Bentley R. I think they are running a bit high, ersonally, nd I don't have that much invested in this car. That said, think somebody can get a really cool looking, un driver or project for a fraction of what Hagerty and Martin think they're worth. I have lots of other pics that I can email as well. Good luck on the bidding.

On Jul-24-15 at 07:43:59 PDT, eller added the following information:

A couple of recurring questions have been popping up, o I'll answer them here. I do have a clean Minnesota title, n my name, n hand, ith no liens. Once payment has been made, 'll sign the title and send it out to the purchaser. The tires on the car are older Coker WWWs. They are yellowed. I suspect they are more than 10 years old. I would certainly recommend a new set, nd Corky Coker will undoubtedly thank me for the recommendation. The mileage of 99,999 is not correct. I do not know how many miles are on this car. Probably more than 100K, ut I have no record of actual mileage, o the box on the title "mileage unknown" will be checked. I do not know if the engine and transmission are original to this particular car, ut I suspect that is the case. If they aren't, he engine and/or transmission are certainly of the type used in the later VI and R Types, nd correct to the car. The term "big bore, ig boot" refers to when Bentley put larger engines and larger trunks into the R Type cars like this one, n order to make them into better touring cars. They are generally more desirable than the Mark VI that they replaced. The clock does not work, nd the radio is a horrid aftermarket that somebody fitted in the 80s. Like a Craig or some such.