"The Bentley S2 Saloon and Continental models all received a shot in the arm in 1959 when introduced at London Motor Show, the Rolls-Royce/Bentley straight-six engine was replaced by an all-new aluminium V8 unit. The more muscular engine, producing approximately 200bhp, was designed primarily to deliver more torque, but it also allowed the company to deliver a product more in tune with its rivals in export markets. Of course, there were many rumours as to what the origins of the V8 engine were but Rolls-Royce always maintained it was an entirely in-house effort. As before, the Bentley S2 was a badge-engineered Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II and was built to the same standards and luxury. The 6230cc unit installed in the S2 was smoothly powerful and transformed the Bentley into a grand tourer capable of running silently at speed all day long. Power steering was improved in the S2 but the General Motors automatic gearbox was the same as its predecessor and in fact Rolls-Royce continued to use the gearbox until the introduction of the Silver Shadow.
This excellent 1960 Bentley S2 Saloon was supplied new by Mann Edgerton of Bury St. Edmunds to the Hon. J.P. Philipps of Dalham Hall, Newmarket in Suffolk. Recently it has been the subject to a chassis-up restoration, returning it to near new condition by Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialists P.F. Autos of Stoke-on-Trent. We are informed the car looks and smells as new with the only deviation from standard being the fitment of a stainless steel exhaust system, air conditioning and modern internals to the radio. Finished in the original colour scheme of Tudor grey with magnolia leather interior and beige carpets, this car was recently purchased by a specialist film vehicle hire company to feature in the new Walt Disney film, ‘Artemis Fowl’, which will be released in the Spring of 2020. Artemis Fowl is based on the first novel, in the series, by Eoin Colfer about a boy genius who discovers a subterranean fairy world and directed by Kenneth Branagh. This stunning S2 is supplied with a V5 registration document, a set of Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club supplied chassis cards, a file containing some invoices and a photo album containing a record of the chassis-up restoration. The MoT test certificate history shows that this car has covered very little mileage since 2012 and the recent restoration. This is a rare opportunity to purchase a beautifully restored Bentley S2 for a fraction of the cost of the restoration."