Category: platinum jubilee

The great Platinum Jubilee weekend getaway

Gareth Herincx

4 days ago
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The extra-long Jubilee bank holiday weekend will see drivers make an estimated 19.5m leisure journeys by car, research from RAC Breakdown suggests.

In the region of 3.6m leisure trips by car are expected to be made on the Friday bank holiday (3 June), according to a study of 1,460 drivers’ travel plans, as day-trippers combine with families making their way back home at the end of the half term break.

Bank holiday Thursday is likely to be the next busiest day (3.3m) followed by both Saturday and the Wednesday preceding the bank holidays (2.6m each day).

An additional 5m will use their cars at some point over the full five days, boosting the overall numbers of cars clogging the roads.

Transport experts INRIX predict that traffic conditions could be worst in the mornings of the bank holidays and advise drivers to set off as early as possible or delay their trips until much later in the day to skip any jams.

Separate research by the RAC reveals that more than a third of drivers (37%) plan to stay close to home over the bank holiday rather than drive a considerable distance and of these, 11% say they won’t be driving far due to the high price of fuel which hit new records again last week.

A quarter (26%) meanwhile say they’ll only set out for a leisure trip by car if the weather turns out to be good.

The RAC is reminding drivers to check over their vehicles before setting out after separate research it carried out found that less than a fifth (17%) admit to always checking things like oil, coolant and tyres prior to a long journey, with nearly quarter (23%) never doing so at all. The remainder – 59% – say they check their cars only before some journeys.

“The best way for drivers to avoid breaking down this week is to check over their vehicles before setting out – yet our research shows less than a fifth do this routinely,” said RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis.

“Making sure oil, coolant and screenwash are all at the right levels takes just minutes, as does ensuring tyres are free of damage and are inflated properly. A bit of TLC now could make the difference between a straightforward trip and one beset by a breakdown.”

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Bentley R-Type Continental and Bentley Continental GT

Platinum Jubilee for the Bentley Continental

Bentley is celebrating 70 years since the start of production of the R-Type Continental – …

Platinum Jubilee for the Bentley Continental

Bentley R-Type Continental and Bentley Continental GT

Bentley is celebrating 70 years since the start of production of the R-Type Continental – one of the most celebrated cars in the company’s 103-year history, and the first Bentley to wear the iconic Continental name.

With only 208 examples produced, the R-Type Continental was as rare a sight in the 1950s as it is today – but it went down in history as a benchmark Bentley, and the embodiment of the brand’s grand touring DNA.

Its ethos and its exterior design were the inspiration for the first Continental GT in 2003, and it has inspired Bentley Design teams ever since.

Bentley R-Type Continental

While the first prototype R-Type Continental (known as ‘Olga’ thanks to its OLG490 registration) was on the road in August 1951, it wasn’t until May 1952 that the car went into production, with customer deliveries starting in June.

At the time, it was the fastest four-seat car in the world – a mantle that was picked-up by the modern-day Continental GT in 2003. It was also the most expensive, at £6,928 – nearly four times the 1952 average UK house price.

The brainchild of Chief Projects Engineer, Ivan Evernden and Chief Stylist, John Blatchley, the R-Type Continental was described in period by Autocar magazine as “a modern magic carpet which annihilates great distances”.

Bentley R-Type Continental

A sleek coupé based on the R-Type Bentley saloon, it was powered by a 4,566cc, six-cylinder in-line engine producing 153bhp. The prototype averaged 118.75 mph over five laps (with a best lap of just under 120mph) at the banked Montlhèry track near Paris.

To keep down to the target weight, coachbuilders HJ Mulliner crafted the bodywork, window frames, windscreen surround, backlight, seat frames and bumpers in aluminium. Even at a pared-down weight, tyre choice was critical; no standard road tyre existed which could carry a two-ton car at speeds in excess of 115 mph, and Dunlop Medium Distance Track tyres were specified.

The first production model was delivered to its owner in June 1952 and by the time production ended in 1955, 208 R-Type Continentals had been made. Of these, 193 were bodied by HJ Mulliner. Others included Park Ward (four dropheads and two coupés), Franay (five), Graber (three) and Farina (one).

Bentley R-Type Continental