Gooding & Company's 2015 Pebble Beach auction will feature the 1953 Bentley R-type Continental fastback, according to Car And Driver.
This Bentley R-type was once ordered by Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond 007 series. It was purchased for his friend Ivar Bryce, according to Classic And Performance Car. Bryce was a British intelligence officer, who is believed to have inspired the fictional character Felix Leiter. Leiter is Bond's friend and CIA liaison in the series, according to Gooding & Company. Fans of Bond will remember the book Fleming wrote entitled "Thunderball," in which Bond buys the R-type Continental, albeit a crashed and broken-down model.
The R-type Continental was a high-performance edition of the regular Bentley R-type, and it was considered the fastest sedan in the world. Early models of the R-type had a 4.5-lter inline-six, while a bigger 4.9-liter engine was not incorporated until July 1954. What is appealing about this R-type Continental at auction is the fact that it is unrestored and was just recently found in a Hollywood garage after 30 years of waiting.
The Gooding and & Company Pebble Beach auction will take place on Aug. 15 and 16 in Pacific Grove, Calif.
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