1956 Bentley S-Type


Details

The Bentley motor car company was founded back in 1919 by brothers W.O. and H.M. Bentley. The Bentley brothers were involved in the motor industry having acquired the agency to sell French built DFP (Doriot, Flandrin & Parant) cars in 1912, however, they desperately wanted to build their own cars. So that they did and the first Bentley motor car, being just a chassis with a dummy engine, was shown at the 1919 London Motor Show and in late 1921 the first production Bentleys were built and delivered to their new owners.

Bentley got the formula right and their cars proved to be luxurious, reliable and fast thus attracting buyers from the elite of society in period. The cars were also incredibly successful on the race track with Bentley achieving the ultimate success winning Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930.

The difficult economic times in the late 1920’s had a major impact on Bentley and they stopped motor racing soon after winning Le Mans in 1930 and ultimately fell into receivership in 1931. Rolls Royce acquired the assets of Bentley in late 1931. In this period Bentley produced some fabulous motor cars including the 3 Litre, 4½ Litre, ‘Blower Bentley’, 6½ Litre and 8 Litre models that are all today highly sought after by enthusiast and collectors all over the world. The first new Bentley produced following Rolls Royce’s acquisition was the Bentley 3½ Litre which evolved into the Bentley 4½ Litre. Bentley’s of this era are also known as Derby Bentleys as they were built at Rolls Royce’s factory located in Derby in the north of England. Subsequent models included the Mark V, Mark VI and R-Type.

Rolls Royce introduced the Silver Cloud and Bentley the S-Type in 1955.

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer this absolutely stunning 1956 Bentley S-Type (S1).

The Rolls Royce / Bentley factory build sheets confirm B203BC was delivered on the 23rd March 1956 making it quite an early example of this elegant Bentley. The records note the car was shipped on the SS Arcadia on the 10th April 1956 bound for Sydney. The car arrived on the 7th May 1956 and it was delivered on the 24th May 1956 to Allen Lewis from Concrete Constructions in Sydney.

There are eighteen pages of York Motors service records that accompany the car documenting its service history through until January 1967, at which time the car’s mileage was 80,032 miles.

The records note that B203BC was sold to a Mr Hamilton in Adelaide, however, this deal may have fallen through as the file notes the car sold to a Mr Lance O’Neil in Adelaide at the same time, being June 1965.

The car was acquired by well-known Brisbane based Rolls Royce and Bentley enthusiast in the mid 1980’s from a car dealer in Fortitude Valley (Kevin London). During a recent discussion with him on the car he recalls the car as “ . . . running and driving . . . but in need of some work . . . in fact I recall that the brakes failed  on the drive home”. He used the car for a while but soon after he made the decision to have the car restored and entrusted local Rolls Royce and Bentley specialists NBS Services (Barry & Steve Sparks) with that job. NBS managed the project and completed the disassembly, all the mechanical works and the reassembly.  The body and prep work was completed by Kearley Automotive in Herston (Brisbane) and then the car was painted by a local specialist. Ken Beech did the timberwork and Graham Crittenden in Kingaroy did the upholstery and carpets.

The car was sold in the early to mid-1990’s to a subsequent owner from Everton Park (Brisbane). He used the car sparingly taking it to the occasional Rolls Royce & Bentley club event before selling the car after almost twenty years of ownership.

The current owner, who is a Brisbane based orthopedic surgeon and classic car collector / enthusiast acquired B203BC on the 17th May 2013 at which time the odometer was at 56,528 miles. In his near four years of ownership the car has been used sparingly and travelled circa 800 miles. The odometer today reads 57,319 miles.

The restoration of this car was completed some thirty years ago, however, the work was done to the highest standard by respected craftsman and their work has stood the test of time. Today the car presents beautifully and it drives very well. Whilst the car has had minimal use in this time it has been well cared for and maintained by its respective owners. The car has been looked after for the current owner by Memmotts Automotive and prior to this (since the mid 1980’s) by Rolls Royce and Bentley specialist NBS Services (Steve Sparks).

The car is finished in the most elegant colour combination of two tone blue with a grey leather interior. The paintwork is in excellent condition with the odd minor imperfection and stone chip evident on closer inspection. All of the exterior trim, chrome and glass are also in very good condition. Inside the car the cabin is just a lovely place to be. The leather seats & door cards, carpets and all of the timber are in excellent condition. The car starts easily and once warm she just glides along as one would expect of a classic Rolls Royce or Bentley. Everything looks to be in working order and the car performs well out on the open road.

Accompanying the car is an original owner’s manual, a copy of the original Rolls Royce / Bentley factory build sheets, eighteen pages of service records from York Motors from 1956 through until January 1967, tool kit, jack & accessories, accessory torch and spare wheel.

The build sheets confirm the car has a matching engine number (BB226) and body number (S830).

Hard to find a better example of this classic Bentley.

 


Specification

  • -
  • Bentley S1
  • 1956
  • Saloon
  • Auto
  • 57319 miles
  • 4887cc

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