Bentley R-Type Continental HRX 990

[GTBob]

HI, I hope this is not seen as an invasion of privacy but I am interested in finding the owner (or perhaps past owner?) of this car. I collect postcards and blog about my collection. (I'd give you the link but I think it breaches PistonHeads rules to do so). One of my regular readers, who lives in the Netherlands, has found a marvelous old postcard of Santiago de Compostela with this Bentley parked outside. He's very excited (as am I!) to discover the car is still with us and wonders who it was who made that journey in that wonderful car and whether there are any stories associated with the trip. So, I am hoping that through this post I can make contact with the person who parked their car in our postcard.
Thanks
Bob.

[WightGT]

Good Morning,
This registration is not currently listed in the Membership of the Bentley Drivers Club. I suggest you go to the web site of the WO Bentley Memorial Foundation and ask them if they know anything of the car.

[GTBob]

Many thanks, I will try that.
Bob

[21st Century Man]

What happened to the R Type Continental Register and website? It was an excellent resource containing much model specific information, often eclipsing even the BDC and Bentley Motors. It used to be run by the late Christian Heuber. I'm very surprised if it's simply lapsed?

[Voxy]

Not much help, but here’s a photo I took of HRX990 outside of Coys of Kensington (when still in South Kensington) back in the nineties...[url]

|https://thumbsnap.com/dP4ThxFX[/url]

[GTBob]

Thanks Voxy for the photo. Very interesting. I have discovered that the car was first registered in 1953 only a month before it was captured in my postcard in northern Spain but seems to have now disappeared. Your photo is one of the very few of the car. I took the liberty of including it in my blog post. Hope that is OK. I don't think I am allowed to post a link here but if you search for postcards for petrolheads you'll probably find it or wait a day until Google has it is its sights and search for the registration number.
All the Best
Bob

[Voxy]

Hi Bob,

No worries, welcome to use the photo and I will check out your website later.

I’ve done some research and there are some more photos here: http://www.rrab.com/sep07.htm

It was originally supplied to Michael Collier of The Autocar who used it extensively on continental journeys. It was sold by Frank Dale & Stepsons to Germany in 2000 and resold several years later when the ownership trail I can trace ends...

[GTBob]

Voxy said:

It was originally supplied to Michael Collier of The Autocar who used it extensively on continental journeys.

@Voxy

Excuse my ignorance, I saw the name Michael Collier in Stanley Sedwick's book of the R-Type Continental but I must confess I do not know who he is/was and a quick Google did not connect that name with The Autocar. Can you enlighten me?

Thanks
Bob

[Voxy]

Word of mouth so unfortunately I don’t know a lot more - I was told that he was involved with The Autocar and an industrialist (jubilee clips or similar). Another photo...

[PJN in Norwich]

Hi GTBob. I think it was most likely Michael Collier who took HRX 990 to Santiago de Compostela as he bought the Bentley in 1953. Michael (Pa) was my stepfather. I don't know anything about that trip I'm afraid as it was before he met my mother, but he took the Bentley abroad on both business trips and for leisure a great deal when I knew him. They went all over the place. The Bentley had her own home next to the house: the hangar. It was large enough for four cars but the Bentley was rarely made to share. Pa was always out there as he did practically all the maintenance himself. His connection with Autocar, by the way, was as a regular contributor. He'd been a racing driver when he was younger. There are quite a few photos around with various family members and my mother recorded every trip in her diaries and also photo albums. I'm happy to share.