Description
Bentley S1, 1957 At the end of the Second World War, Europe was on its knees economically, and the market for luxury vehicles was extremely limited. Prestigious brands such as Rolls-Royce and its sister company Bentley had to reinvent themselves at a time when it was no longer possible to supply only chassis to be dressed by prestigious coachbuilders. This gave rise to the so-called "standard steel" cars, i.e. chassis with "in-house" bodywork. In 1955, after 4 years of development, Rolls-Royce presented its Silver Cloud model to replace the aging Silver Dawn. Bentley's equivalent adopted a traditional letter of the alphabet. Logically, this will be the letter "S", since the previous model bore the letter "R"! It's a resolutely modern car, but it retains a "hand-made" aspect, which is not usurped when you consider the number of hours spent assembling it, and the real manufacturing aspect. For its first version, the S received the famous, ultra-quiet 6-cylinder in-line cast-iron engine with monobloc crankcase, increased from 4,566 cm3 to 4,887 cm3. It propelled the 2-tonne car to 170 km/h, covering the 400 m from a standing start in less than 19 seconds. The standard GM "Hydramatic" gearbox is modified in that it loses the "P" position in favor of a 4-speed, with reverse acting as a parking position with the engine stopped. The emphasis is on smooth running and fuel economy! The drum brakes are assisted by a Hispano-Suiza servohydrostatic system, and are highly efficient. They are controlled hydraulically on the front wheels, and hydraulically and mechanically on the rear wheels. Burr walnut trims the dashboard, door tops and picnic shelves. Connolly leather covers the seats and door panels, while a thick Wilton carpet covers the floor and the roof is draped in fine wool. The model offered for sale bears chassis number B30 LEG. It benefits from power steering and is one of only 167 produced with true left-hand drive (LHD), and its odometer and speedometer are in kilometers, all having been renovated in 2020. The leather is original, the woodwork has been redone, as have the carpets, with a new transmission. The brakes have been overhauled. Invoices have been available since 1975, and the car has only had five owners. It has 80,000 km on the clock. It is appraised as a veteran in both Switzerland and France. There are no import taxes for France. It sports a beautiful sand-on-brown livery, with a biscuit-colored interior. It benefits from the French specifications of the period, in particular a Marshal turn signal reminder on the B pillar. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a mythical vehicle and undoubtedly one of the most emblematic post-war cars.
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Bentley S1, 1957 At the end of the Second World War, Europe was on its knees economically, and the market for luxury vehicles was extremely limited. Prestigious brands such as Rolls-Royce and its sister company Bentley had to reinvent themselves at a time when it was no longer possible to supply only chassis to be dressed by prestigious coachbuilders. This gave rise to the so-called "standard steel" cars, i.e. chassis with "in-house" bodywork. In 1955, after 4 years of development, Rolls-Royce presented its Silver Cloud model to replace the aging Silver Dawn. Bentley's equivalent adopted a traditional letter of the alphabet. Logically, this will be the letter "S", since the previous model bore the letter "R"! It's a resolutely modern car, but it retains a "hand-made" aspect, which is not usurped when you consider the number of hours spent assembling it, and the real manufacturing aspect. For its first version, the S received the famous, ultra-quiet 6-cylinder in-line cast-iron engine with monobloc crankcase, increased from 4,566 cm3 to 4,887 cm3. It propelled the 2-tonne car to 170 km/h, covering the 400 m from a standing start in less than 19 seconds. The standard GM "Hydramatic" gearbox is modified in that it loses the "P" position in favor of a 4-speed, with reverse acting as a parking position with the engine stopped. The emphasis is on smooth running and fuel economy! The drum brakes are assisted by a Hispano-Suiza servohydrostatic system, and are highly efficient. They are controlled hydraulically on the front wheels, and hydraulically and mechanically on the rear wheels. Burr walnut trims the dashboard, door tops and picnic shelves. Connolly leather covers the seats and door panels, while a thick Wilton carpet covers the floor and the roof is draped in fine wool. The model offered for sale bears chassis number B30 LEG. It benefits from power steering and is one of only 167 produced with true left-hand drive (LHD), and its odometer and speedometer are in kilometers, all having been renovated in 2020. The leather is original, the woodwork has been redone, as have the carpets, with a new transmission. The brakes have been overhauled. Invoices have been available since 1975, and the car has only had five owners. It has 80,000 km on the clock. It is appraised as a veteran in both Switzerland and France. There are no import taxes for France. It sports a beautiful sand-on-brown livery, with a biscuit-colored interior. It benefits from the French specifications of the period, in particular a Marshal turn signal reminder on the B pillar. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a mythical vehicle and undoubtedly one of the most emblematic post-war cars.
