Lot 142: 1963 Bentley Continental Flying Spur by HJ Mulliner

To many connoisseurs, the Rolls-Royces and Bentleys 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, to which was mounted standard steel coachwork. Power was provided by the 4,887cc straight six engine of the Bentley R-Type Continental producing an estimated 158bhp which, via the four-speed automatic transmission, allowed a top speed of 100mph. The evolution Silver Cloud II and S2 models of 1959 used Rolls-Royce's new alloy V8 engine but otherwise differed to their predecessors only in having a long life chassis lubrication system, standard power steering, increased front braking effort, a reduction in rear roll stiffness, a new ventilation system and a revised facia. With a capacity of 6,230cc the V8 was also notably lighter and produced around 200bhp. For the Silver Cloud III/S3 models introduced in October 1962, quickly distinguishable by four headlamps, the specification remained largely unchanged bar another increase of around 20bhp which raised top speed to 115mph.To many connoisseurs, the Rolls-Royces and Bentleys 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.Originally bought from Coys in 1991 and used sparingly for the ensuing four years, it accrued just an estimated 500 miles driven, this fabulous motor car was then sent away to Hertfordshire to secure storage, the owner, an Italian count, rarely in the country long enough to use it. In 2005, it was sent to be restored. Unfortunately, it did not receive the dedication it deserved and so only a portion of the restoration took place. The bodywork would benefit from a respray whilst the interior, it can be noted has been the subject of considerable work. The red leather trim is in excellent order. The car starts on the button and drives although, as means of transport home from the sale, it should not be relied upon. The paperwork that accompanies the car includes a V5C registration document, a bill for nearly £58,000 from Coys dated 19th March 1991 as well as some bills from Montague and Company of Bramley. Looking further back into the history file, there are also bills from Michael Hibberd, Bentley specialists from Berkshire and HL Motorworks, Bentley engineers from London, these all date back to the 1980's. This represents a car devoid of love in recent years but would, I'm sure, respond well to a thorough shakedown. It should also be noted that that this Bentley Continental Flying Spur is to be offered here at No Reserve.