Bentley Hooper Empress II Unfinished

This car is very interesting.

Not just because it is a Bentley Turbo R based Hooper Empress II, made by Hooper & Co Coacbuilders Ltd, but these photos actually raise some questions and show interesting details.

It is the state of the car that raises questions.

Lets take a look.

It is pretty obvious that it is unfinished. Like proper unfinished.

The doors have not been skinned yet, no glass and there may or may not be an engine in there.



But what I'm most interested in is the unexpected additions to the car.

Have a look at the front lights. It looks like they were building twin circular lights into the design, not the standard GM like front lamps on other Bentley Hooper Empress II cars.

Now look at the wheels. Well they certainly are unexpected. That is because they were designed well after this car would have been expected to be made.

They are late 1990 wheels on a car that I would have thought would have been built in the late 1980s. In deed the picture description from the Motoring Picture Library states that it is a 1989 car.

Now take a look at the side skirts. They are of quite a different updated design to all the other Bentley Hooper Empress II cars made.

They are of a Mulliner like design, which is quite impressive, and makes to car look quite new.



For comparision, below is a standard Bentley Hooper Empress II, and it looks dated when compared to this unfinished one.



I'm thinking it was an abandoned project once Hooper & Co Coacbuilders Ltd was closing shop.

Pity. I do hope it gets completed one day. I wonder where the picture was taken.

For more info on the Bentley Hooper Empress II, I have written these previous posts below -

Bentley Hooper Empress II Market Wrap
Bentley Hooper Empress II in Production
Bentley Hooper Empress II at Geneva Motor Show 1987
Bentley Hooper Empress II For sate in California
Bentley Hooper Empress II For sale in France
Bentley Hooper Empress II For Sale in the USA from Japan
Bentley Hooper Empress II Spotted in Monaco
Bentley Hooper Empress II Hi Res Black and White Ad
Bentley Hooper Empress II Original Advertisement
Bentley Hooper Empress II bodied Bentley Turbo R

PS- The above photos are hotlinked from the Motoring Picture Library and I do not have copies of them.