This 1955 Bentley R-Type Empress Sport Saloon by Hooper is a beautiful award winner that has a two-tone black over Garnet exterior and is in overall excellent condition! This Empress has an interior that is finished in grey leather with a lovely walnut burl dash with trimmings and is in great condition. This Bentley is a right-hand-drive and has the 4.6L inline-six paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. The Empress has benefited from over $180,000 in mechanical and cosmetic improvements. This Bentley is a proven award winner and tourer that will be a great motorcar to add to an enthusiast's collection.
The Bentley was one of 39 Empress Saloons coachbuilt by Hooper. Delivered new in 1955 to Hardy & Co. (Furnishers) Limited, a City of London-registered furnishing company incorporated in 1930 with high street locations across southeast England. American ownership followed in 1969 with Mr. Robert C. Hilpert of Huntington Bay, Long Island, New York, in whose care the Bentley remained through 1981. By 1985, the Empress had passed to Mr. Walter Binder of Oak Ridge Avenue, Summit, New Jersey, where it remained through 2002. In December of that year the Bentley entered the current owner's collection In New Jersey then later in Southern California. The Empress earned recognition at three RROC Annual Meets: a class Touring second place in 2003, a class Concours third place in 2010, and in 2023 both a Special Award and first place in the Mark VI/R-Type Class Concours. The Bentley is a proven tourer that will be loved by the next owner
The Empress exterior is two-tone black over Garnet that is in overall excellent condition. The Bentley was repainted in 2008 that included an extensive strip, prime, and block sand preparation spanning several months of documented labor. The body was disassembled to the bare shell, all chrome removed and sent out for replating, and all trim sorted, bead-blasted, primed, and painted before reassembly. The Empress has headlights, sidelamps, taillights and windshield wipers that are in working condition. The tires are Coker white walls on 16in steel wheels with rear fender skirts. This Empress is stunning in this color combination and presents strongly as an award winner that is ready to be enjoyed!
The interior is trimmed in grey leather in great condition with grey carpeting in excellent condition throughout. The wood dash, door caps and rear picnic tables are in excellent condition. The Smiths instrument panel includes a speedometer, ammeter, oil pressure gauge, coolant temperature gauge, fuel gauge, radio and a functioning clock. The original electromagnetic clock was converted to a quartz movement in 2007. The Bentley has power windows that are functioning.
The Empress has the 4.6 liter inline-six with twin SU carburetors, dual exhaust, and can accomplish speeds of over 100 mph and maintain speeds of 70-80 mph on the highway. The Bentley has servo assisted power brakes. Mechanically this Bentley is in wonderful driving condition. The four-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly and easily and starts right up.
The documented service history spans over two decades of specialist care totaling over $180,000. In 2003 and 2004, British Motor Cars in New Jersey performed a full brake servo rebuild and a complete automatic transmission rebuild, addressing the housing, gaskets, driveshaft, tailshaft support mounts, and rear engine mounts exceeding $30,000. In 2008, the Bentley had a comprehensive body and chrome restoration by Mr. Jim Fasinelli at Restorations Unlimited. It was repainted in its original Masons Black and Garnet colors with work totaling over $60,000. An Petronix ignition was installed in 2016. In 2021, Palma Auto Repair completed the most recent major service and concours preparation, replacing the engine drive belt, renewing coolant and lower radiator hoses, correcting the ignition system to proper specifications, repairing the wiper motor, and performing a full engine compartment detail and chassis touch-up which totaling over $59,000.
This Bentley comes with a spare tire and jack tool kit, mostly complete tool set, owner's manual, historical records and service records.
For more information and details, please call or text Kendi Brown at 1.623.404.9042 or email us at sales@classicpromenade.com . This Bentley is available for inspection at our showroom in Phoenix. We are pleased to offer FaceTime or WhatsApp live video inspections, and we help coordinate shipping worldwide. We also have financing partners if you are interested in financing.
