1957 Bentley S1 Continental Park Ward Drophead Coupé Adaptation скачать в хорошем качестве

1957 Bentley S1 Continental Park Ward Drophead Coupé Adaptation

10th Sep, 2025 9:00 Kelham Hall | Newark, Nottinghamshire https://www.handh.co.uk/auction/lot/l... 1 of just 45 RHD S1 Continental chassis bodied by Park Ward to its Design Number 701 Subject to an extensive restoration which included conversion to Drophead Coupé format by A&B Price The beneficiary of approximately £200,000 worth of expenditure with marque specialists such as Jonathan Padgett in the current ownership Unveiled in Autumn 1955 some six months after its Bentley S1 Standard Steel Saloon sibling, the Continental version was only available to coach-built special order. Featuring a higher compression ratio and taller back axle ratio, the newcomer was found capable of over 120mph. Underpinned by the same cruciform-braced box-section chassis as the ‘basic’ S1, complete with independent front suspension, a well-located ‘live’ rear axle and servo-assisted four-wheel drum brakes, most of the coachbuilders that clothed it favoured aluminium over steel. Lighter and nimbler than the standard factory offering, Continentals were typically some fifty per cent more expensive too. Long considered among the best engines Bentley ever made, the S1’s 4.9 litre straight-six was famed for its blend of torque, refinement and durability and was thus well-suited to the standard fit four-speed automatic transmission. Among the era's fastest and most exclusive four-seaters, the last of 431 S1 Continentals was completed in 1959. According to Martin Bennett’s authoritative book ‘Bentley Continental, Corniche and Azure’, chassis BC49CH was bodied by Park Ward as a Fixed Head Coupe to its Design Number 701. Delivered in November 1957 to A. Beatty, it was initially registered as ‘UXF 100’. The ‘A. Beatty’ in question is understood to have been Sir Alfred Chester Beatty; an American-British mining magnate who moved to London from New York City in 1911. Known as the ‘The King of Copper’, his donations were pivotal to the establishment and survival of what is now The Institute of Cancer Research. Little else is known about the four-seater’s early history until 1990 when the previous owner entrusted it to A&B Price for restoration and conversion to Drophead Coupé specification. Reportedly using an original Design Number 700 Drophead Coupe as a template, A&B Price carried out a limited number of such transformations around this time which were noted for their quality and accuracy. A taller gentleman, the last keeper requested that the rear hood line be raised slightly so that he could ride comfortably in the back should someone else take the wheel. Part of the vendor’s large Bentley Continental collection since 2008, '161 XUL' was purchased from marque specialists Frank Dale & Stepsons and has been lavishly maintained and improved to the tune of over £200,000 since. Acknowledged specialist Padgett Motor Engineers have thoroughly overhauled the original engine, not to mention attending to the automatic transmission and back axle. The hood has been re-profiled and renewed in Dark Green mohair, while the interior upholstery, boot and wood veneers have been refurbished (the associated SimTrim of Spalding bills totalling £50,000 plus). The cubbies to the driver and passenger doors house a seemingly unused picnic set, while the dashboard contains a digitalised Becker Mexico stereo. Performing notably well on a recent outing, the Bentley has lived up to its name making numerous trips to mainland Europe with the seller. Accumulating sundry stone chips as a result, it nonetheless remains highly presentable to our eyes. A rare coachbuilt Bentley S1 Continental in both its original and secondary guises, ‘161 XUL’ has been better maintained than many of its siblings. A singularly elegant motorcar, it is worthy of close inspection. For more information, please contact: Lucas Gomersall lucas.gomersall@handh.co.uk 07484 082430