Bentley's 1980s resurgence had hitherto relied exclusively on models whose basic architecture was shared with other Rolls-Royce products, but on display at Geneva in 1985 was 'Project 90', a mocked-up coupé intended to gauge public response to the idea of a high-performance car unique to Bentley.

When the real thing - the Bentley Continental R - was unveiled six years later, the waiting crowd burst into spontaneous applause.

Styled with the assistance of consultants, International Automotive Design, the Continental R benefited from computer-aided design and wind tunnel testing in evolving its sleekly streamlined shape.

Despite the need to incorporate non-traditional features such as doors recessed into the roof, the result looked every bit a Bentley, albeit one restated for the 1990s.

Also new was the gearbox, a 4-speed automatic with 'overdrive' top ratio, but the main focus of interest was the newcomer's performance.

Needless to say, this was outstanding, the combination of the...