Beschreibung:

Cette Bentley Continental châssis n° BC151AR qui se présente comme un modèle S2 datant de 1960 (ce que confirment les copies des fiches de fabrication du châssis qui l’accompagnent) est dotée des doubles projecteurs apparus seulement sur les modèles S3 de série de 1962. Immatriculée pour la première fois au Royaume-Uni « 569 BYT », la voiture fut vendue par John Barclay Ltd. à M. E. S. Prestwich de Chalfont St Giles (Buckinghamshire). Sa teinte d’origine était « Titanine Light Blue Metallic » avec intérieur en cuir bleu assorti, tapis bleus, drap de pavillon gris et capote Everflex bleue. Le propriétaire actuel acheta cette Bentley en 2004 en Angleterre chez le spécialiste de la marque Frank Dale & Stepsons qui, avant cette cession, avait faire refaire le circuit de refroidissement du moteur avec installation d’un radiateur neuf. Peinte en bleu pâle métallisé avec intérieur en cuir beige refait il y a environ dix ans, la voiture qui affiche un kilométrage total de 101 500 km environ, se présente en bel état. Elle est accompagnée des copies des fiches de fabrication du châssis et de son document d’immatriculation V5C de Swansea (Royaume-Uni) pour le numéro « DMU 691A ». Described by The Autocar as, ‘A new stage in the evolution of the post-war Bentley,’ the magnificent Continental sports saloon has been synonymous with effortless high speed cruising in the grand manner since its introduction on the R-Type chassis in 1952. With the arrival in 1955 of the final generation of six-cylinder cars, the all-new Silver Cloud and Bentley S-Type, the Continental lost some of its individuality but none of its exclusivity. Dependable though it had proved, Rolls-Royce’s six-cylinder engine was nearing the end of its development. At the same time the company was facing increased competition from faster rivals in the vital United States market, and it was, principally, these two factors that prompted the switch to V8 power as the 1960s approached. Introduced in the autumn of 1959, the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II and Bentley S2 appeared externally unchanged from their Silver Cloud and S-Type predecessors, though their performance was considerably enhanced by the new 6,230cc aluminium-alloy engine. ‘The Bentley S2, with its sister Rolls-Royce models, gives high-speed travel in silence and luxury, while the driver and passengers enjoy the sense of well being that only British craftsmanship can give. The V8 engine, with its flashing acceleration, certainly contributes to the result and is a definite step forward in Rolls-Royce technique,’ enthused Autosport. There were few significant changes to the running gear, though power-assisted steering was now standard and the manual gearbox had been dropped, Rolls-Royce’s own four-speed automatic transmission being the sole offering. The Continental version of the Bentley remained, as ever, exclusively a coachbuilt car. The firms of H J Mulliner, Park Ward, James Young and Hooper (with a solitary example) all offered bodies on the Continental S2 chassis, which differed from the standard version by virtue of its four-leading-shoe front brakes, shorter radiator and, up to chassis number ‘BC99BY’, higher gearing. Arguably the most influential were those bodied as coupés and dropheads by Rolls-Royce’s in-house coachbuilder Park Ward, and this design by Norwegian Vilhelm Koren, with its continuous front-to-rear wing line hinting at the shape of things to come, would continue on the Continental S3. Quad headlamps were the S3’s major styling innovation, and on the H J Mulliner, Park Ward-bodied Continental, were contained in slanting nacelles, giving rise to this model’s ‘Chinese Eye’ soubriquet. Bentley Continental chassis number ‘BC151AR’, although an S2 model dating from 1960 (as confirmed by the accompanying copy chassis cards), has the quad headlamps not adopted on production models until the coming of the S3 in 1962. First registered ‘569 BYT’ in the UK, the car was sold new via Jack Barclay Ltd to one E S