Beschreibung:

1962 BENTLEY S2 CONTINENTAL FLYING SPUR COACHWORK BY H.J. MULLINER Chassis No. BC35LCZ Engine No. C34BC Forest green with beige leather interior Engine: V8, overhead valves, twin SU carburetors, 6,230cc; Gearbox: four speed automatic; Suspension: independent front by unequal length wishbones and coil springs, with opposed piston hydraulic dampers and torsion roll-bar, rear semi-elliptic springs with electrically controlled piston-type dampers and single radius rod; Brakes: hydro-mechanical power assisted drum. Left hand drive. The S2 series of Bentley motor cars was introduced to the public in August 1959. The major change from the earlier cars was the fitment of a V8 engine, which gave a 25hp increase over the preceding series. This enabled the car to comfortably out-perform an S1, but retain similar fuel consumption. In addition to the standard chassis of the Bentley, a Continental variant was also made available. This modification, however, was only offered with a coachbuilt body, the most popular of which was the graceful Mulliner four door 'Flying Spur'. After the Second World War, H.J. Mulliner became the premier English coachbuilding house, and the elegance of its designs was rarely exceeded. This particular style, a continuation of design number 7443 which was first offered in 1957, was created by George Moseley, the chief designer at H.J. Mulliner. The superb styling and excellent quality of construction typified the work done at the coachbuilders. As the cost of the impressive 'Flying Spur' was considerably over and above the price of a standard car, the Continental rapidly became the choice of discerning and wealthy drivers throughout the world. The Bentley S2 was the high performance version of the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, which had gained a brand new 6.2 liter V8 engine in 1959; the Continental was the higher performance version of the Bentley, which came with power-steering and hydro mechanical power-assisted brakes. Thus this car was, in its day, very much a state of the art sporting machine and most rewarding to drive. Further, Bentley aficionados often believe that the S2 is the 'best buy' of the S-series; the S1 is handsome but lacks power, and the S3 gained an extra pair of headlights, which may have done wonders for the night driver, but which do little if anything to add to the car's elegance. This Bentley offered by Christie's was delivered in chassis form to H.J. Mulliner on June 13, 1961. Having been completed by November 4th, the Bentley was delivered to the 'Sidonia' and consequently shipped from London to New York on December 12th. At this point, for the US registration purposes, the car was classified and subsequently titled as a 1962 and then delivered to its first owner, Mr. Paul A. Nelson of Oak Park, Illinois. Authentically, this car was delivered with black paint and scarlet upholstery, and was built to American specifications. More recently, it has prospered from the care of both Paul Russell & Co of Massachusetts and Vantage Motors of Miami, Florida while it was in the ownership of noted collector Ervin 'Bud' Lyon. Recent restoration and repair work was carried out most notably to the engine bay and interior, and the wiring and mechanics have been freshened up while the interior woodwork has been thoroughly refinished. In addition to this, the chassis has been pressure washed and all affected points were lubricated and an after-market starter has also been installed. This example appears to be in very good order throughout, commensurate with the odometer reading of 82,930 miles which is believed correct. One of only 51 left hand drive examples ever built, this stunning S2 warrants a close inspection as we believe it to be one of the finest in existence.