Lot 311: 1961 Bentley S2 Continental Sports Saloon

Described by The Autocar as, ‘A new stage in the evolution of the post-war Bentley,’ the magnificent Continental sports saloon has been synonymous with effortless high speed cruising in the grand manner since its introduction on the R-Type chassis in 1952. With the arrival in 1955 of the final generation of six-cylinder cars, the all-new Silver Cloud and Bentley S-Type, the Continental lost some of its individuality but none of its exclusivity. Dependable though it had proved, Rolls-Royce’s six-cylinder engine was nearing the end of its development. At the same time the company was facing increased competition from faster rivals in the vital United States market, and it was, principally, these two factors that prompted the switch to V8 power as the 1960s approached. Introduced in the autumn of 1959, the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II and Bentley S2 appeared externally unchanged from their Silver Cloud and S-Type predecessors, though their performance was considerably enhanced by the new 6,230cc aluminium-alloy engine. ‘The Bentley S2, with its sister Rolls-Royce models, gives high-speed travel in silence and luxury, while the driver and passengers enjoy the sense of well being that only British craftsmanship can give. The V8 engine, with its flashing acceleration, certainly contributes to the result and is a definite step forward in Rolls-Royce technique,’ enthused Autosport. There were few significant changes to the running gear, though power-assisted steering was now standard and the manual gearbox had been dropped, Rolls-Royce’s own four-speed automatic transmission being the sole offering. The Continental version of the Bentley remained, as ever, exclusively a coachbuilt car. The firms of H J Mulliner, Park Ward, James Young and Hooper (with a solitary example) all offered bodies on the Continental S2 chassis. Arguably the most influential were those bodied as coupés and dropheads by Rolls-Royce’s in-house coachbuilder Park Ward, whose design, with its continuous front-to-rear wing line, hinted at the shape of things to come. The style favoured by H J Mulliner however, as exemplified by the splendid example offered here, remained truest to the Continental’s first evocation on the R-Type chassis and thus found favour with Bentley’s more traditionally inclined clients. Indeed, H J Mulliner was responsible for bodying the majority of S2 Continentals, accounting for 221 cars out of a total of 388 produced. Sold new via Wessex Motors Ltd, of Salisbury and first owned by F R Readhead Esq, of Readhead Engineering in Salisbury, this right-hand drive S2 Continental was supplied finished in Regal Red with tan interior and first registered ‘YAM 444’. The car enjoyed one subsequent owner in Britain and another in Germany before being purchased by the German vendor in June 2003, by which time it had been repainted dark blue. ‘BC58BY’ is offered fresh from a body-off restoration to concours standard costing an estimated 40,000 Euros (approximately £28,000) and comes with a CD-ROM of some 120-or-so photographs recording the work’s progress. Bodywork and paint specialist Axel Meuten, of Dortmund, Germany carried out the restoration, and the car comes with a ‘no corrosion’ warranty valid for 12 months. The brightwork has been re-chromed as necessary and new front and rear screens fitted, while the beige leather upholstery, carpets and woodwork – all in very good condition – have been left unrestored to preserve their charm and patina. Included with the car are assorted invoices for maintenance undertaken in Germany, including a lengthy list of parts and servicing by marque specialist Werner Mork, of Kamen carried out in May/June 1999 at 50,249 miles. In addition, the Bentley comes with copy chassis cards, German registration document (Fahrzeugbrief) and German MoT valid until April 2009.