Lot 663: 1988 Bentley Turbo R Two-Door Sports Saloon

Two-door coachwork by the highly respected firm of Hooper & Co is the distinguishing feature of this exceptionally well presented Turbo R, and there can be few who would deny that this subtle reworking of the standard four-door bodyshell (there was never an official two-door Turbo R) is outstandingly successful. It is believed that only 14 cars were bodied in this fashion by Hooper, the majority of which were right-hand drive. This very rare car was delivered new to its first owner on 17th June 1988. It has only ever had one private owner - a prominent member of the Qatar Royal family - and although ordered in left-hand drive form has always remained in the UK. The vendor bought the car directly from the Royal family. Total ‘mileage’ covered to date is a guaranteed genuine 8,217 kilometres (approximately 5,100 miles); the Royal family had a large number of cars at its disposal, which explains the very low mileage. The car has been maintained from new by Jack Barclay Limited in London (the main Rolls Royce and Bentley dealer) on a time basis rather than by distance travelled. There are invoices on file confirming servicing and maintenance carried out annually. The car is finished in Masons Black with special matching leather-trimmed interior including the roof headlining. The seats are piped in yellow, the carpets are black and the car has black lambswool over-rugs. Very special woodwork was made for the interior, which features various gold-plated fittings, electric sunshine roof, cut-glass drinking glasses and a separate refrigerated compartment between the rear seats. When new the cost of all this bespoke work was £87,000 in addition to that of the car, a total of around £180,000 to £190,000. Offered with full service history, current MoT and Swansea V5 registration document, this wonderful Turbo R is unmarked throughout and represents a unique opportunity to obtain an ultra-rare piece of British craftsmanship.