Bentley R Type

Bentley R Type: which version to buy — 4.6 AT vs 4.6 MT

If you are choosing a Bentley R Type rather than reading a first overview, the catalogue gives you one generation and two named versions: 4.6 AT and 4.6 MT. Both ran from 1952-01-01 to 1955-12-31, both are Cabrio, both use the same 4566 cm³ Gasoline engine at 130 hp (97 kW), both are 4-speed RWD, both are rated at 164 km/h. The buying difference is not power and not a second generation.

If you are choosing a Bentley R Type rather than reading a first overview, the catalogue gives you one generation and two named versions: 4.6 AT and 4.6 MT. Both ran from 1952-01-01 to 1955-12-31, both are Cabrio, both use the same 4566 cm³ Gasoline engine at 130 hp (97 kW), both are 4-speed RWD, both are rated at 164 km/h. The buying difference is not power and not a second generation. It is gearbox type, plus one performance figure that exists on 4.6 MT and is not measured on 4.6 AT.

There is no later generation in this dataset to “step up to,” no restyle listed as a separate generation, and no second body type. Searches that mention Continental, Mulliner, fastback, “1 of 2,” or asking prices are not answered by these numbers: those names and prices are not in the data. Weight, mpg, tank, and dimensions are not measured on either version, so they cannot decide the purchase either.

Which Bentley R Type version to buy

Buy 4.6 MT if you need a measured 0–100 km/h time. That version is timed at 13.3 s to 100 km/h. Buy 4.6 AT if you want the same 130 hp / 97 kW / 4566 cm³ Gasoline Inline 6 and the same 164 km/h top speed with Automatic instead of Manual. Automatic on 4.6 AT does not add horsepower, displacement, cylinders, boost, or drive: those fields match 4.6 MT exactly.

Power does not separate them: 130 hp minus 130 hp is 0. Kilowatts do not separate them: 97 kW minus 97 kW is 0. Displacement does not: 4566 cm³ on both. Top speed does not: 164 km/h on both. Gear count does not: 4 on both. Drive does not: RWD on both. Fuel type does not: Gasoline on both. Boost does not: No on both.

What does separate them, using only the given labels and numbers:

If the extra money in the market (not listed here — price is not measured) is asked for Automatic, that money does not buy more hp, more litres, a higher top speed, or a published 0–100. It buys Automatic. If the extra money is asked for Manual, that money does not buy more hp either; it buys Manual plus the only 0–100 figure in the table (13.3 s).

Bentley R Type generations: what changed (and what did not)

There is 1 generation. Years: 1952-01-01 to 1955-12-31. Body: Cabrio. Versions in this generation: 2 — 4.6 AT and 4.6 MT. No restyling is listed inside this generation as a separate generation, so there is no “1st generation three times.”

Because `pokoleniy` is 1, a generation-to-generation comparison has no second set of years, no second body, and no later hp figure. What “changed” between generations is not measured: there is no later generation. What changed between the two versions inside generation 1 is gearbox (Automatic vs Manual) and whether 0–100 km/h is measured (not measured vs 13.3 s). Engine start and stop dates match: both versions 1952-01-01 to 1955-12-31, same as the generation.

A 1952, 1953, 1954, or 1955 production year does not get its own spec row in this data. Engine, gearbox, and speed figures are attached to 4.6 AT and 4.6 MT, not to a calendar year.

Bentley R Type engine and specs (4.6 AT vs 4.6 MT)

Both versions share one engine description in the data. Treat the engine as common; treat the gearbox as the fork.

Shared engine (both 4.6 AT and 4.6 MT):

• Displacement: 4566 cm³
• Fuel: Gasoline
• Power: 130 hp, 97 kW (rpm not measured)
• Torque: not measured (Nm not measured, rpm not measured)
• Cylinders: 6
• Cylinder layout: Inline
• Valves per cylinder: 2
• Boost: No
• Engine position: Front, longitudinal
• Fuel system: Carburetor
• Compression ratio: not measured
• Bore × stroke: 92 × 114.3
• Drive: RWD

Power per litre, same on both versions because both are 130 hp and 4566 cm³:

130 ÷ 4.566 ≈ 28.5 hp per litre 97 ÷ 4.566 ≈ 21.2 kW per litre

Stroke relative to bore (same on both): 114.3 ÷ 92 ≈ 1.24 (stroke longer than bore). That ratio is arithmetic on the given bore × stroke; it is not a second engine family.

Do not merge the two names. 4.6 AT is Automatic. 4.6 MT is Manual. They are not two power ratings of one name: both are 130 hp, so you distinguish them by gearbox, not by horsepower.

Chassis fields that also match (they do not pick a winner):

• Front suspension: Independent, spring
• Rear suspension: Dependent, leaf spring
• Front brakes: Drum
• Rear brakes: Drum

Performance, 0–100, and mpg

4.6 MT: 0–100 km/h 13.3 s, top speed 164 km/h. 4.6 AT: 0–100 km/h not measured, top speed 164 km/h.

Top speed difference: 164 − 164 = 0 km/h. You cannot use top speed to choose.

You cannot compute how much slower Automatic is to 100 km/h, because 4.6 AT has no 0–100. Saying Automatic is “the same 13.3 s” would invent a number. Saying it is slower by X seconds would also invent a number. The honest comparison: only 4.6 MT has a measured sprint.

Fuel consumption (mpg and l/100 km):

• City: not measured on 4.6 AT, not measured on 4.6 MT
• Highway: not measured on both
• Combined: not measured on both
• CO2: not measured on both
• Eco class: not measured on both

A Bentley R Type mpg comparison between Automatic and Manual is not possible from this table. Combined, city, and highway are all not measured. Tank volume is not measured, so range from tank × consumption is also not measured.

Dimensions, weight, and kg per hp

Kerb weight: not measured (4.6 AT and 4.6 MT). Gross weight: not measured on both. Ground clearance: not measured on both. Fuel tank: not measured on both. Wheels: not measured on both.

Weight per horsepower cannot be calculated: kerb weight is not measured, so kg ÷ 130 hp is not measured. The same holds for both versions, so weight-to-power does not break the tie. Dimensions (length, width, height, wheelbase) are not in the version rows; they are not measured here.

If a listing elsewhere quotes a weight or a set of millimetres, that figure is outside this dataset and is not used in this comparison.

What the extra money can and cannot buy (no prices in data)

Price is not measured for 4.6 AT or 4.6 MT. This section does not invent a dollar or pound figure. It only maps what differs in the spec table onto the usual “what do I pay extra for?” question.

Paying more for 4.6 AT (if the market does) buys Automatic, 4 gears, RWD, 130 hp, 4566 cm³ Gasoline Inline 6, 164 km/h. It does not buy a measured 0–100, more than 130 hp, more than 4566 cm³, boost (boost is No), or a second generation.

Paying more for 4.6 MT (if the market does) buys Manual, 4 gears, the same 130 hp and 4566 cm³, the same 164 km/h, and the only 0–100 in the file: 13.3 s. It does not buy more power than 4.6 AT (difference 0 hp).

There is no “Continental spec” row, no “Mulliner convertible” row, and no “1 of 2” row in this model data. Those search phrases do not correspond to extra horsepower or extra litres here. Convertible as a buyer word maps to the listed body: Cabrio, on both versions, both years 1952–1955.

Reliability and typical problems are not in the data: not measured. Do not treat silence as “no problems.”

Short chooser

1. Need a published 0–100 km/h: 4.6 MT (13.3 s). 4.6 AT is not measured. 2. Need Automatic: 4.6 AT. Power, litres, top speed, and RWD still match 4.6 MT. 3. Need more than 130 hp or a later generation: not available in this catalogue — 1 generation, both versions 130 hp / 97 kW. 4. Need mpg, kerb weight, clearance, tank, or wheels to decide: all not measured on both versions. 5. Need a 1954-only engine spec: years on both versions are 1952-01-01 to 1955-12-31; there is no separate 1953 or 1954 engine line.

Exact version names to keep as anchors: 4.6 AT, 4.6 MT.