Footnotes

• Two-door coachwork by the highly respected firm of Hooper & Co is the distinguishing feature of this well presented Turbo R, and there can be few who would deny that this subtle reworking of the standard four-door bodyshell (there was never an official two-door Turbo R) is outstandingly successful. It is believed that only 14 cars were bodied in this fashion by Hooper, the majority of which were right-hand drive.
  This very rare Bentley was delivered new to its first owners, Messrs Al Maktoum, the ruling dynasty of the United Arab Emirates and celebrated racehorse owning family, for their personal use in the UK. The car has had only one other recorded owner prior to the current vendor, Roy 'Pretty Boy' Shaw, who acquired it on 21st March 1998. Born in Stepney, East London in 1936, Royston Henry Shaw, commonly known as 'Pretty Boy', is a millionaire businessman, property developer and successful author who formerly was a notorious criminal. He was an associate of the Kray twins and a high profile and much respected figure in the criminal underworld, serving terms in many of Her Majesty's Prisons as a 'Category A' prisoner. From the late 1970s onwards, his career as one of this country's most successful unlicensed bare-knuckle boxers brought him equal fame. Since turning his back on his former careers, Roy Shaw has also found success as an author, penning a best-selling autobiography 'Pretty Boy'.
  In 2005 the Bentley was involved in an accident and classed as a 'Category D' insurance loss, being damaged but repairable. The insurer declined to repair the vehicle, which nevertheless has since been rebuilt to fully roadworthy condition and repainted in its original colour. As well as Hooper's embellishments to the interior, noteworthy features include the later design matrix front grille, front spoiler with mesh insert, new 17" 'Special Edition' alloy wheels and Avon tyres.
  'H441 XYT' was purchased by the current owner at Bonhams' Olympia Sale in December 2009 (Lot 537). Finished in Tudor Red with magnolia-piped St James' Red leather interior, the car is described as in generally excellent condition and offered with copy build sheets, current MoT and Swansea V5. The original V5 recording both owners is included in the sale also, together with a print from Roy Shaw's book depicting him posing by the Bentley with his two Rottweilers.
  

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Category: Motoring / Motor Cars

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