1957 Bentley S1 Continental Sports Saloon
Coachwork by H J Mulliner
Registration no. 722 UYL
Chassis no. BC41BG
Engine no. BC40B

Bentley's 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. Unlike the ordinary, factory-bodied, 'standard steel' R-Type, the Continental was bodied in the traditional manner and first appeared with what many enthusiasts consider to be the model's definitive style of coachwork - the lightweight, wind tunnel-developed fastback of H J Mulliner.

The Continental's performance figures would have been considered excellent for an out-and-out sports car, but for a full four/five seater saloon they were exceptional: a top speed of 120mph, 100mph achievable in third gear, 50mph reached in a little over 9 seconds and effortless cruising at the 'ton'. Built for export only at first, the Continental was, once delivery charges and local taxes had been paid, almost certainly the most expensive car in the world, as well as the fastest capable of carrying four adults and their luggage. "The Bentley is a modern magic carpet which annihilates great distances and delivers the occupants well-nigh as fresh as when they started," concluded Autocar.

With the arrival 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. Eulogising about the new S-Series cars, introduced in April 1955, The Autocar wrote, "the latest Bentley model offers a degree of safety, comfort and performance that is beyond the experience and perhaps even the imagination of the majority of the world's motorists".

Later, in October that same year, the Bentley Continental became available on the 'S' chassis. "It brings Bentley back to the forefront of the world's fastest cars," Autocar remarked of the H J Mulliner-styled fastback which, arguably, was the quickest four/five-seater saloon of its day. The S-Type's new box-section chassis incorporated improved brakes and suspension and an enlarged (to 4,887cc) and more powerful version of the existing inlet-over-exhaust six-cylinder engine, which for the first time was identical in specification in its Rolls and Bentley forms. The Continental version came with shorter radiator and higher gearing and, for a time at least, could be ordered with right-hand change, manual transmission. As had been the case with the original R-Type, the new S-Type Continental was only ever available as a coachbuilt car, the designs produced by independent coachbuilders for the S1 Continental chassis being among era's the most stylish, although – arguably – none ever improved on H J Mulliner's sublime original.

This 'modern magic carpet' was supplied new via Jack Barclay's Mayfair showroom and comes with a most comprehensive history folder containing the original sales contract, numerous service records, internal memorandums, and correspondence from the car's earliest days. The folder also contains Bentley and H J Mulliner build sheets; owners' correspondence; bills from various specialists; a quantity of expired MoTs; and V5C documents to bring the story up to date.

The first owner, one J H Rawlings of the Automatic Coil Winding Co Ltd, exchanged his R-Type Continental plus a substantial amount of money for this more modern Continental, a model that would turn out to be far rarer than its illustrious forebear. Jack Barclay ended up supplying 'BC41BG' to its first three owners and they appear to have serviced it throughout this period. The copy chassis card lists a further four owners up to 1965, while a hand-written document lists a further six up to 2011. There have been three owners since, including the current vendor, who purchased the Continental from Graeme Hunt Ltd in early 2020.

Works carried out while with recent custodians include a suspension overhaul and engine rebuild by local specialists in Essex, plus a strip to bare metal, fabrication of new rear wheel spats, repaint, and a complete re-trim of the interior and boot by Graeme Hunt Ltd (photographs on file).

Without doubt one of the nicest examples currently available, this beautiful S1 Continental 'fastback' is sure to command attention wherever it goes and delight the fortunate next owner.