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Cars of 1998 More on Bentley in these books:
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Car of the Month - June 2018
A tableau of all cars made to Bentley Corniche specification – from the launch of that model until it was substituted by the successor, i.e. the Bentley Continental – as regards right hand drive Two Door Saloons reveals that a mere 39 have been made. The designation Two Door Saloon on which Rolls-Royce had opted over the years was more or less forgotten and usually the term Fixed Head Coupé is used nowadays.
The minicule number was a result that during the 70ies a trend increased which had been detected even during previous years. The Bentley brand had no real supporters among ‘top brass’ from the manufacturer's staff. There had even been the suggestion to give up any activities as regards a Bentley marquee. Those clients who did insist to order a Bentley caused shockingly expensive additional costs. On what were negligible sales-figures a considerable number of components had to be designed, tooled, manufactured and kept on stock. For example it wasn't simply substituting the classic radiator shell of a Rolls-Royce for the gothic one of a Bentley to arrange for a variation of identity. The radiator shell could only be fitted in conjunction with a specially made complete front bumper.
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The
few Bentley Corniche that were made in the "30,000-chassis-series" are
real rarities. A mere seven were produced – and even that statement is
but half the truth. It needs to be taken into consideration that such
were divided in righthand-drive and lefthand-drive variants. Martin
Bennett in his tome "Rolls-Royce and Bentley, The Crewe Years" and
Malcolm Bobbitt, too, in his book „R-R Silver Shadow & Bentley T-Series,
Camargue & Corniche" have quoted that during the "30,000-chassis-series“
only six righthand-drive and one lefthand-drive Bentley Corniche "Two
Door Saloon" had been manufactured. From th microscopically small number
of righthand-drive versions this one almost for sure is unique because
of an extra: “Ex factory” Bentley Corniche were not delivered with
sunroofs (which is true also as regards Rolls-Royce Corniche, R-R Silver
Shadow and Bentley T-Series). It was out of question, of course, that a
client's desire for such an extra was fulfilled and Rolls-Royce
outsourced such task to specialised coachbuilders. Which indeed makes
for the almost unknown separation between standard "ex-factory" and
"ex-showroom". An electrically operated "Perspex sunroof" which from the
inside was covered by a second sliding panel like the on #CBH31286
certainly is a particularly elegant feature.
