1987 Rolls-Royce Corniche

The Bentley Corniche was virtually identical to the Rolls-Royce Corniche produced from 1971-1995. It carried both closed and open two-door body styles, and its name stemmed from the Grande Corniche, the Mediterranean touring road that links Nice and Monte Carlo. It was aimed at the luxury touring coupe market.

Essentially being the coupe and convertible versions of the T1 and T2, the Bentley Corniche continued the use of the T1’s unibody construction. The car was smaller and squarer than earlier models, though the Corniche was aimed at buyers who insisted on coachbuilt bodies. The Mulliner Park Ward design took four months to build – two weeks alone were spent just creating the convertible top. Powered by a 6,750-cc, Bosch fuel-injected OHV V-8, and despite its weight of almost three tons, the Corniche topped out at 120 mph, with 0-60 mph reached in fewer than 10 seconds. The self-levelling suspension at the rear was based on Citroen hydraulics and the Corniche employed power disc brakes.

The Bentley Corniche received rack-and-pinion steering in 1977, as well as alloy and rubber bumpers in place of the earlier chrome units. An aluminium radiator was substituted, and an oil cooler and a bi-level air conditioning system were added at the same time. In 1981, the fixed-head coupe body style was discontinued, making the Corniche a convertible-only model. The car received a new name in 1984, becoming the Bentley Continental.

A reworked Bentley Continental debuted in 1989, with its most notable differences from the previous iteration being new alloy wheels, standard air bags, body-colour bumpers, and a refined suspension system. The Continental received a four-speed automatic transmission (as opposed to the earlier three-speed) in 1992, as well as a glass rear window and an improved top. The 1993 Continental had a more powerful engine, and a run of eight turbocharged Continentals were produced from 1992 until the model’s end in 1995. In all, fewer than 600 Bentley Corniche and Continentals were manufactured.

The Corniche and Continental were marketed at the wealthy, and most were initially maintained without regard to expense. Later however values fell while servicing costs remained high, so some have been neglected. Outward signs of deterioration (scruffy interiors, poor paintwork) can suggest the mechanicals have been similarly neglected. The brakes are complex and can be expensive to repair, as can the suspension. Engines should run smoothly with no knocking or smoke, and high-quality tyres are essential for a good ride.

A well set-up Bentley Corniche is a delight to drive, with power, stance and luxury on tap. Handling kits such as the popular Harvey-Bailey set are available, which improve the handling characteristics and make the car remarkable sporty for its size. Convertible models demand a significant premium over the 2-door coupe.

Other Bentley models of the era are the Bentley Mulsanne and the Bentley Eight. Other luxury touring/ coupe cars of the time include the Mercedes-Benz W126, the BMW E32 (7 Series) and the Aston Martin V8.