Creating the PERFECT CORNICHE

Bentleys and Brooklands… the two just seem to go together so well. The 1907 home of British motorsport (and aviation) will forever be associated with the marque, as well as the ‘Bentley Boys’ who raced their magnificent machines at the banked Surrey track. So when Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver got together with Chris Chambers to sample his absolutely sensational 1976 Bentley Corniche Series IA, Brooklands just seemed the natural choice for our photo shoot. Yes, that’s the old aerodrome control tower you can see in the background of some of our shots.

London-based companies director Chris has become a bit of a ‘Bentley Boy’ himself since acquiring his Corniche in 2012; purchasing, driving and rebuilding it ultimately inspired him to buy three other classic examples, which he’s now in the process of having restored to the same high standard. And if they turn out even half as good this particular car, they’ll be very special indeed.

The Bentley Corniche IA probably needs some explanation, since it’s a far from common model. When the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and its Bentley T-series sister were launched in 1965, they were soon joined by two-door saloons from Mulliner