1960 Bentley S2 Continental Drophead Coupe

The Bentley S2 and its twin wearing a different badge - the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II, both were given the basic chassis of the original Bentley S1 / Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I. The six-cylinder engine was replaced by an aluminum overhead-valve V8.

With the new chassis, Park Ward created a new drophead coupe style, design number 991. Norwegian designer Vilhelm Koren, working under John Blatcheley, used steel and alloy body panels that were shaped with a 300-ton stretch press. The framework was from lightweight steel and alloy construction. The convertible top was electro-hydraulically powered, lined with a padded cloth headliner with a zipped PVC rear window.

This particular example was one of 65 left-hand-drive S2 Continental drophead coupes built. All examples were built by special order and many were destined for American residents. This car's original owner was J. Robert Neal, who apparently took delivery overseas during a European tour, as the car was ordered through Jack Barclay's. It was ordered with special features including a heavy-gauge frame, factory air conditioning, larger brake pedal, WindTone horns, AM/FM radio, power antenna, and a speedometer in mph.

It is finished in Midnight Blue with white Connolly leather interior. The car features power windows, new power top with new hydraulics and has been treated to an extensive restoration in the early 2010s. The 6.2-liter V8 engine was rebuilt in 2011, along with the shocks and many other mechanical components.

In 2013, the car took First Place in the Collector Foreign 1946-85 Class at the Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2019