This turbocharged ball-tearer is fast, suave and luxurious

This is the top.

The end result of playing all the games and winning all the prizes. As the most expensive car in the world in 1993, the Bentley Continental was the choice of monarchs, CEOs, and the world’s elite.

It was the first bespoke-bodied Bentley since the 1960s and the first that didn’t have a Rolls-Royce equivalent. The Continental’s design embodied the essence of a Bentley, echoing the brand’s original reputation for swift and opulent grand tourers.

With a 3.0-metre-long wheelbase sitting under a 5.3-metre hand-built body, it exudes class. Where all other Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars from this era are slab-sided and bulky, the Continental R is swoopy and elegant.

But that’s where the pleasantries stop. Powering the aerodynamic coupe is Bentley’s legendary 6.75-litre turbocharged V8. Tracing its roots back to the 1950s, this old-fashioned torque monster has become just as legendary as its bodywork.

Over the years it’s garnered a reputation as a bit of a workhorse, too. Known for functioning well past 300,000 km, its old-school nature makes it relatively simple to keep on the road.

Given its high price tag, only 76 Bentley Continental Rs saw production in 1993. Only 76 examples, including this one, saw production in 1993. It was one of a handful ordered and delivered new to Japan by its sole licenced agent, Cornes Motors.

It is an exceptionally rare car globally and only-of-only 544 right-hand drive examples ever built over an 11-year production run.