Lot 463: 1956 Bentley S1 Park Ward Continental

To many connoisseurs the Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars of the Fifties and early Sixties were the last cars displaying the traditional craftsmanship for which Rolls-Royce had become world-famous. Their separate chassis allowed an uncommon elegance of coachwork design, either by the Crewe factory itself or by independent coachbuilders such as H.J. Mulliner, Park Ward and James Young; the unitary construction of body and chassis of all subsequent models all but ended such a traditional association. The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S series, announced in April 1955, employed such a chassis. Power was provided by the 4,887cc straight six engine of the R-Type Continental producing an estimated 158bhp which, via the four speed automatic transmission, allowed a top speed of 100mph.The use of the term Continental to indicate a high performance version of an existing chassis was an inspiration of Sir Henry Royce, and was first applied to the short chassis version of the Phantom II in 1930. Pleased with the success of the R-Type Continental, Bentley decided to offer a Continental version of the S series as well.To compliment the added performance and charisma of the Continental variant, a number of bespoke designs were produced for it by the few remaining independent coachbuilders. Of these, the Coupe produced by Park Ward is regarded as one of the most popular and certainly collectable of the S1 series. It's elegant and sporting lines, retaining a timeless appeal whilst not compromising the all important Bentley formality.This immaculate example of one of the most elegant and attractive touring cars of its time is beautifully presented in Brewster Green with a luxurious Beige leather interior. The interior is just as stunning as the exterior with brand new wilton carpets fitted through out, West of England headlining and immaculate French polished wood capping. With the highly desirable benefit of power steering as well as only having covered 65,881 genuine miles this car is ideal for long distance touring or sunny weekend jaunts. Continental Bentleys of this kind have for some time been at the top of the list for discerning car connoisseurs and extremely well presented examples such as this will continue to find favour.