Registration - 293 UXN

Chassis No. - B74DW

M.O.T. - Exempt

Odometer - 29,598

The vendor is the sixth owner of this seemingly very original S2, which he purchased in 2006 for use in his wedding hire business – a role it retained until as recently as 2019, when the company was retired and the car placed in secure storage, where it has remained until now. A striking example, it is finished in gold and trimmed in champagne hide, the subtle tone of which is amplified by a nicely patinated wood facia and door trims. Substantial fold-down wooden picnic tables adorn the rear compartment, further adding to the luxurious ambiance that only a car of this calibre can engender. The vendor currently classes the Bentley’s upholstery as ‘excellent’, and the V8 engine, automatic transmission, standard steel bodywork and paintwork as all being in ‘good’ order. He is now offering the S2 complete with what one imagines to be the original push-button radio and Lucas auxiliary driving lights. The odometer currently stands at a very modest, though unwarranted, 29,598 miles from new.

By 1955, Rolls-Royce felt increasingly less need to visually differentiate between its own models and its Bentley-badged ones. The Bentley S1 was therefore essentially a Silver Cloud I behind the distinctive ‘Flying B’ radiator grille. The newcomer was built along traditional lines with a separate chassis and body, which facilitated the manufacture of coachbuilt versions. However, the vast majority were delivered with the Standard Steel one that featured alloy doors, bonnet and boot lid. Greatly improved performance arrived with the S2 model of 1959, when the straight-six engine was supplanted by a new 6.2-litre aluminium V8 unit. This raised the top speed to 114mph and improved acceleration through the gears.

In summary:

• A striking example of a great British classic
• A former wedding hire car currently displaying just 29,598 miles
• Has remained within the current ownership since 2006