1954 Bentley R-Type Automatic Saloon B252WH

A clean and tidy example, in a cheerful colour scheme of Ruby red and silver/grey, with a very impressive red leather interior, nice carpets, headlining, etc, and unusually (and sensibly) fitted with inertia reel seat belts to the front. Also sensible, is the conversion to flashing indicators, which work in conjunction with the original trafficator arms, giving security in modern traffic, but retaining originality at the same time. Running well, fitted with well-suited Avon tyres, radial in construction but of cross ply size and appearance, so the best of both worlds. A fun fact is that the car was used in the 1984 TV production of Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder in the Library’ https://www.imcdb.org/v275401.html All in all, a car well equipped for modern times, both in terms of performance, keeping up with modern traffic, and with the modifications mentioned, adding to practicality. Serviced and MoT tested.

Chassis No. B252WH                                      Reg No. OXL 700            

 

 

Snippets: Three Captains & a Royal Relation

B252WH was ordered by Sir Geoffrey D. Burton (Captain with the Royal Engineers during WWI) but he died prior to taking delivery of the car – his career including being the MD of Birmingham Small Arms & Lodge Plugs.

 

The order was transferred to & taken up by Captain Robin Adshead (1934/2005), that same year (1954) he was commissioned into the 6^th Gurkha Rifles & served during the Malayan emergency.  In 1963 he qualified as a Light Aircraft Pilot & had the distinction of being the only Gurkhali-speaking fixed-wing Army pilot!  He later co-wrote a book with Noel Ayliffe-Jones titled – “Gurkha, the Legendary Soldier”, Robin Adshead also wrote Mahathir of Malaysia & several books on backpacking!

 

From 1957 to 1963 the R-Type was owned by Captain Sir Thomas St. Vincent Wallace Troubridge – he was from a naval family (Sir Thomas Troubridge 1758/1807 trained with & later served as Admiral under Lord Nelson); our Captain Troubridge served with the King’s Royal Rifles during WWI & during WWII was mentioned in dispatches.  From 1952 until his death in 1963 Sir Troubridge held the unusual role of “Examiner of Plays” – this entailed reading all plays that were to be performed in public, produce a synopsis & recommend them for licence or censor them!!  In 1926 his wife Lady Pamela Troubridge wrote “The Book of Etiquette”.  Capt Troubridge’s cousin also Thomas was the first husband of Princess Michael of Kent!

 

Later owners included R. G. A. Wells who had spent many years in India as a diesel engineer before becoming a horologist, in 1948 he opened a shop in Kensington & in Feb 1969 the engagement of his daughter Amanda to James Borthwick, son of Sir John Borthwick was announced in Country Life. 

Whilst with C. W. Couch (1973/2001) the Bentley was used in the 1984 Agatha Christe film “The body in the Library” - we have found a DVD of the film which will be with the car.