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
Related Reading : Bentley S1 and Continental History
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Related Reading : Bentley S1 and Continental History
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1955 Bentley S1 Series
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1955 Vehicle Profiles
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Industry Production
#1 | #2 | #3 | Bentley | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | Chevrolet (1,653,168) | Ford (1,439,370) | Toyota (1,068,321) | |
1959 | Chevrolet (1,462,140) | Ford (1,450,953) | Volkswagen (575,407) | |
1958 | Chevrolet (1,142,460) | Ford (987,945) | Volkswagen (451,526) | |
1957 | Ford (1,676,449) | Chevrolet (1,505,910) | Plymouth (726,009) | |
1956 | Chevrolet (1,567,117) | Ford (1,408,478) | Buick (572,024) | |
1955 | Chevrolet (1,704,667) | Ford (1,451,157) | Buick (738,814) | |
1954 | Ford (1,165,942) | Chevrolet (1,143,561) | Plymouth (463,148) | |
1953 | Chevrolet (1,346,475) | Ford (1,247,542) | Plymouth (650,451) | |
1952 | Chevrolet (818,142) | Ford (671,733) | Plymouth (396,000) | |
1951 | Chevrolet (1,229,986) | Ford (1,013,381) | Plymouth (611,000) | |
1950 | Chevrolet (1,498,590) | Ford (1,208,912) | Plymouth (610,954) |
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