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Bentley R-Type Continental Graber from 1954 - the connoisseur's dream

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Created on April 6, 2012

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Bruno von Rotz

36

Jean-Pierre Müller

4

Archiv

30

Bruno von Rotz

36

Jean-Pierre Müller

4

Archiv

30

Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - you can see the handiwork on the body surface

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the elegance of a one-off model

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - still impressive today

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the rear was made of sheet steel, while the front was formed from sheet aluminum

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - flowing lines, over 5.2 meters long

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the originally light blue car now shines in bright burgundy red

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - one of the most expensive cars at the 1954 Geneva Motor Show

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the various Bentley-based drophead coupés from Graber had many things in common

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - maneuvering requires a little more strength

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - clearly visible here, the special rear seat cover to protect the luggage underneath

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - on a trip to Greece

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the rear seat cover prevents the customized luggage from gathering dust on the bench seat

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - only a few people will ever have seen this car on the road

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - In reference to Hermann Graber, the car was christened 'Hermine' by the owner - seen here on the Gotthard Pass

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - traditional Bentley radiator

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - Bumpers Whilmot Breedon

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the headlights were ordered by Marechal

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the TCS sign dates back to the early days

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the original handbook

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - Tool kit

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the shape is clearly different from the coupés

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - elegant design by Hermann Graber

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - was mostly used as a two-seater with luggage behind it

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - Graber connoisseurs will recognize many familiar design elements

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - forges a link to the modern age

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the radiator grille shows the way

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - clear and easy to drive despite its impressive dimensions

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - Graber built beautiful interiors, the dashboard is made of bird's-eye maple

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - fully equipped, the speedometer was in km ex works

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - Bird's eye maple for the instrument panel

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - less ostentatious than the Rolls-Royce radiators

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the soft top is easy to open and close

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - intelligent design for locking the soft top

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - as usual, the straight-six engine was sold without a power rating

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the engine was replaced once as part of an upgrade program, but the original engine number was retained

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - Trunk latch

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the Bentley B on the radiator

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - elegant Graber lettering on the side

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the rear-view mirrors are mounted far forward

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Bentley Continental R Graber (1954) - the wheels with Bentley lettering

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Bentley Continental R-Type Graber DHC (1954) - on the Bentley stand at the 1954 Geneva Motor Show

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Bentley Continental R-Type Graber (1954) - at the 1954 Geneva Motor Show

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Bentley Continental R-Type Graber (1954) - Graber Coupé at the 1954 Geneva Motor Show

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Bentley Mk VI Graber (1953) - Interior of the Graber convertible exhibited at the 1953 Motor Show

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Bentley Mk VI Graber (1953) - Interior of a convertible based on the Mk IV, exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953, with the custom luggage clearly visible

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Bentley Continental R-Type Graber DHC (1955) - Hermann Graber again exhibits a Drophead Coupé at the 1955 Geneva Motor Show

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Bentley Continental Drophead Coupé Park Ward (1955) - the 'works' convertible convertible has similar features to the Graber car

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Bentley Continental (1953) - Sports Saloon, bodied by Messers + Mulliner

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Bentley Continental Sports Saloon (1953) - Headlights and radiator grille

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Bentley Continental (1953) - Interior of the standard version - Factory photo

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Bentley Continental (1953) - perfectly acceptable rear seats

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Bentley Continental (1953) - View into the engine compartment

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Bentley Continental Sports Saloon (1953) - Windshield and windshield wipers

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Bentley Continental (1953) - at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show

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Bentley Continental Sport (1952) - exhibited at the Paris Motor Show

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Bentley Continental (1956) - has hardly lost any of its elegance

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Bentley Continental (1956) - the fastest luxury coupé in the world at the time

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Bentley Continental (1953) - Front view of the 1953 test car

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Bentley Continental (1953) - Entry and interior

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Bentley Continental (1953) - sporty seats in the Continental

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Bentley Continental (1953) - entrance and interior, seen from the left

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Bentley Continental (1953) - the gearshift is on the right, in right-hand drive

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Bentley Continental (1953) - the steering wheel with influence on the engine running

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Bentley Continental (1953) - the body plant is noted on the door sill panel

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Bentley Continental (1953) - rear view of the test car

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Bentley Continental (1953) - carefully designed luggage compartment

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Bentley Continental (1953) - Trunk and spare wheel

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Bentley Continental (1953) - the six-cylinder engine

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Bentley Continental (1953) - Rear window

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Summary

Swiss coachbuilder Hermann Graber built three convertibles based on the Bentley Continental R chassis. The first of these three vehicles attracted admiring glances at the Bentley stand at the 1954 Geneva Motor Show and was purchased by Georges Filipinetti directly from the showroom. After several owners and a journey halfway around the world, the elegant car found its way back to Switzerland a few years ago. This article describes the history of the Graber-Bentley R Continental Drophead Coupé BC55C and shows it in all its facets.

This article contains the following chapters

A top achievement in international automotive engineering
Graber's open-top Continental at the 1954 Geneva Motor Show
Hermann Graber, the Swiss coachbuilder
The special features of the Graber Bentley Continental DHC from 1954 (BC55C)
Positive response at the 1954 Geneva Motor Show
Almost around the world
Only two more open Bentley Continental from Graber
For the open-top grand seigneur
Further information

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Georges Filipinetti was a connoisseur. And he loved fast cars. Even before the Second World War, he had competed in races as an amateur and after the war, the trained thermal engineer started several car companies and became a Ferrari importer with SAVAF (Société Anonyme pour la Vente des Autombiles Ferrari), which he founded together with John von Neumann. In 1961, he founded the Scuderia Filipinetti to promote racing in Switzerland. However, business was already going well in the 1950s and Filipinetti was able to afford cars that others could only dream of. It is therefore not surprising that the established Filipinetti was taken with Bentley's fast cars. He had bought one of the legendary Bentley Continentals, at the time the most expensive but also the fastest four-seater on the market with a sales price of around 76,000 francs.

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