Before the second world war it was customary that car manufacturers only produced a chassis with an engine. The customer would look for a coachbuilder that designed and build a bodywork on the rolling chassis. After the second world war most car manufacturers came with a factory bodywork on their chassis.
It is obvious that a factory supplied bodywork is cheaper than a chassis with the bodywork of a coachbuilder. For the car manufacturers, these factory bodies are therefore a great success. Coach build cars became more rare. For example only 20% of the total number of Bentley MK VI cars produced have a coach build body. Nowadays these coach build cars are more wanted than the standard steel cars.
This development was along with the self-supporting bodywork fatal for coachbuilders. The result is that there are almost no independent coachbuilders left. Most of the survivors were conscripted by car manufacturers to fulfill special customer wishes (think of H.J. Mulliner who nowadays designs special versions for Bentley).
Hooper, a very well known coach builder for Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Daimler, survived as independent coach builder by shifting their focus. In 1959 Hooper became a company that specialized in sales and maintenance of exclusive automobiles. In 1970 Hooper was an independent official Rolls-Royce and Bentley dealer. Making coachwork became a side issue. Up to the nineties Hooper made, on command of customers, very unique automobiles based on Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
When the Bentley Turbo R was released in 1985, it was only available as a 4-door sedan. On demand of the Sultan of Brunei Hooper converted a very small series of the Bentley Turbo R to Hooper Coupés. A basic conversion took € 95.000,-. This was more than half of the new price of a basic Turbo R (€ 160.000,-). Thus the cost price of a Bentley Turbo R Hooper Coupé totaled on € 255,000,-.
In addition to the Sultan, a number of other customers also ordered a coupé. These were based on the Bentley Eight, Mulsanne or the expensive Turbo R. Also a Rolls-Royce variant could be ordered. The exact production number is uncertain but estimated at approximately 15 cars, only 5 are LHD. The very low production number is explainable by the price of the conversion and the desire of the Sultan to keep this Coupé exclusive.
Each Hooper was custom-made and therefore different. This one is newly delivered in the States and fitted with the small Hooper limousine privacy rear window (very nice), a sliding sunroof (that could not delivered by Rolls-Royce or Bentley), special audio, body kit, etc.
The counters reads 17,000 Miles. Given by the condition and the history it is probably the original mileage. The old American title, the birth certificate, the price list and the original brochure are present. The car is now on Spanish papers.
A coachbuilded car from the 80's is really unique. This Hooper is intended for the real Bentley connoisseur, these cars are very rare and are rarely offered for sale.
www.classicpark.nl
It is obvious that a factory supplied bodywork is cheaper than a chassis with the bodywork of a coachbuilder. For the car manufacturers, these factory bodies are therefore a great success. Coach build cars became more rare. For example only 20% of the total number of Bentley MK VI cars produced have a coach build body. Nowadays these coach build cars are more wanted than the standard steel cars.
This development was along with the self-supporting bodywork fatal for coachbuilders. The result is that there are almost no independent coachbuilders left. Most of the survivors were conscripted by car manufacturers to fulfill special customer wishes (think of H.J. Mulliner who nowadays designs special versions for Bentley).
Hooper, a very well known coach builder for Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Daimler, survived as independent coach builder by shifting their focus. In 1959 Hooper became a company that specialized in sales and maintenance of exclusive automobiles. In 1970 Hooper was an independent official Rolls-Royce and Bentley dealer. Making coachwork became a side issue. Up to the nineties Hooper made, on command of customers, very unique automobiles based on Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
When the Bentley Turbo R was released in 1985, it was only available as a 4-door sedan. On demand of the Sultan of Brunei Hooper converted a very small series of the Bentley Turbo R to Hooper Coupés. A basic conversion took € 95.000,-. This was more than half of the new price of a basic Turbo R (€ 160.000,-). Thus the cost price of a Bentley Turbo R Hooper Coupé totaled on € 255,000,-.
In addition to the Sultan, a number of other customers also ordered a coupé. These were based on the Bentley Eight, Mulsanne or the expensive Turbo R. Also a Rolls-Royce variant could be ordered. The exact production number is uncertain but estimated at approximately 15 cars, only 5 are LHD. The very low production number is explainable by the price of the conversion and the desire of the Sultan to keep this Coupé exclusive.
Each Hooper was custom-made and therefore different. This one is newly delivered in the States and fitted with the small Hooper limousine privacy rear window (very nice), a sliding sunroof (that could not delivered by Rolls-Royce or Bentley), special audio, body kit, etc.
The counters reads 17,000 Miles. Given by the condition and the history it is probably the original mileage. The old American title, the birth certificate, the price list and the original brochure are present. The car is now on Spanish papers.
A coachbuilded car from the 80's is really unique. This Hooper is intended for the real Bentley connoisseur, these cars are very rare and are rarely offered for sale.
www.classicpark.nl
