1955 Bentley S1 Series

The Bentley S-Series (later known as the Bentley S1) was a high-speed, luxurious grand tourer produced from 1955 through 1959 with 3,538 examples built during that time. Serving as a replacement for the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn and Bentley R-Type, the all-new Silver Cloud and Bentley S-Series wore sleeker bodywork on a new box-section separate chassis, with improved brakes and a suspension system with electrically controlled damping. Both the S1 and the Silver Cloud were similar, apart from the radiator grille. The inlet-over-exhaust six-cylinder engine gained a six-port cylinder head and a larger displacement size of 4,887cc and marked the first time that the Bentley and Rolls used identical specifications. Automatic transmission was now standard equipment, with manual transmission a Bentley-only option up to 1957.

Both the Rolls-Royce and Bentley used body-on-frame construction, however, most wore 'standard steel' bodies which meant the demand for coachbuilt alternatives continued to decline, and just 145 S1s were so-equipped, most often by British coachbuilders. The wheelbase of the S1 measured 123-inches and had an overall length of 211.75-inches. It had more interior room than its predecessor, the R-Type, which rested on a 120-inch wheelbase and had an overall length of 200-inches. From 1957, a longer 127-inch wheelbase platform was offered on the Bentley S, and 35 examples received this configuration including 12 with custom coachwork.

S Continental
The S Continental was built in chassis form only and received custom coachwork by Park Ward, Freestone & Webb, H.J. Mulliner & Company, and James Young. A pre-production 2-seater fixed-head-coupe was created for the Bentley factory by Pininfarina.

The S Continental was a high-performance version introduced six months after the S1, and a total of 431 examples were ultimately built.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021