Here on eBay is a thoroughly British, thoroughly luxe saloon for consideration – a 1960 Bentley S2, bid to $12,978 with reserve not met. The car is located in Camarillo, California. T.J., with his sharp eye for unusual cars, sent us this tip – thanks! Produced between 1959 and 1962, the Bentley S2 was a more powerful version of the earlier S1. The S2’s primary upgrade was its aluminum block V8, finally matching power to prestige. Only 2300 copies were made – with a portion of those given over to coachbuilders such as Park Ward, H.J. Mulliner, James Young, and others. These specialty bodies were produced in vanishingly small numbers and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars today. Our subject car offers the opportunity to acquire similar luxury and identical performance at a much-reduced price.
The Bentley’s heart is a 6.2 liter V8 aluminum engine serviced by two SU carburetors assisted by an automatic choke, and delivering power via GM’s Hydramatic four-speed automatic. The engine makes 200 hp but gas mileage sank from about 16 mpg clocked by the earlier S1’s big six-cylinder to 10 mpg for the V8; there’s a price for everything! Higher axle ratios and servos on the brakes helped usher the car to its top speed of 113 mph and back again with aplomb. The engine bay (opening up clam-shell style) is a testament to the car’s doting owner: it is clean as a whistle. The seller states that the car runs and drives excellently – easy to believe given appearances. The odometer reads 71,160 km.
This is a rare left-hand drive car, though the odometer is marked in km. Note the air conditioning switch; providing AC was one of Bentley’s goals when it upgraded the S1. The interior needs TLC, but I bet those seats can be resurrected with the right emollients. The wood dash, brightwork, and gauges are in presentable condition. The rear seating area (yes, “area” is the right word) offers plenty of legroom and wood service trays for each passenger.
I’ll admit I think this styling has its ungainly features: I prefer the Mulliner bodies. But this is a decent representative of a luxury British car with performance to match. With effort but little money, the interior could shine; the paint needs attention as well. Values seem to hover in the $50k area for running cars with nice cosmetics. Here’s a recent sale of a very spiffy car at $51k. This listing is an opportunity for the right buyer to make a much better car from a good beginning; I expect the final bid to be quite a bit higher than the current price.
It looks like a “grey poupon” car !! I like the style, but it does look a bit cumbersome. If I had a more spiffy house, this would look good out front.
Unlike the naked eye, close-up photos tend to visually distort the lines of the Cloud and S series cars. They do present a rather regal appearance in person. I’ve owned quite a few over the years, and if they have the FSH [Full Service History] paperwork, and don’t require a lot of mechanical repair, they can be a joy to drive and own.
While I’ve owned a couple of pre-ww2 Rolls-Royce cars, plus a Silver Wraith and a Silver Dawn, & several of the later Shadow series cars, I prefer the Cloud & S series cars as seen here. The one thing to note is if the car has ever had work done to the hydraulic lifters, as the early V8 cars did have some issues with lifter noise.
There are ways of cleaning and re-coating the leather interior, best done by someone who knows how to correctly perform the task.
The write-up suggested the car is air conditioned. I don’t see any evidence of A/C in this car. All S-1 and S-2 cars had the original A/C unit in the trunk area, and the trunk photo says no A/C. It wasn’t until the S-3 did the car have factory installed A/C inside the dash and right front fender. Later aftermarket A/C units can be installed behind the dash [I’ve installed a few over the years], but I don’t see evidence of any A/C parts under the hood.
Bill…………
Thanks a lot for your information and comments on this Bentley. Your input and valuable information on this car and many others that have appeared on BF is a very valuable asset to me, and I am, sure to many other readers of BF..
Thanks Smokey!
I’ve always believed in the concept of “The more you know, the better off you are”, and cars like Rolls-Royce & Bentley are often mis-understood. I’ve seen far too many people of little financial means who buy a cheap Rolls-Royce, only to find the cars they bought were abused, and as a result they will always be a money pit.
Just up the street from me in Hayward CA is a service company that always has a few interesting cars out front, sometimes for sale. Sometimes tempting but about 25 years too late. https://www.acmecar.com/
Actually, there is a lot to be concerned about regarding S2 Bentleys and SCII Rolls-Royces. 1) Cam bearings – these cars were originally built without replaceable cam bearings. The journals were machined in the block itself. Combined with a design flaw impacting oil flow, camshafts were known to size. Only fix is to remove and strip the engine to line bore the block for new cam bearings. 2) Primative metallurgy – leading to internal corrosion of the block, eventually making it impossible to achieve a seal between the iron liners and the aluminum block. No fix available – throw the engine away. 3) Overheating can lead to warpage of the block and/or heads – again, throw the engine away. I will never touch one again – the six cylinder is much more reliable.
Bill McCoskey’s advice and experience are very helpful. This car needs a sympathetic owner with the funds to bring it back to the road.
If the planets align, the project will yield a unique motoring experience and provide good value.