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1956 Bentley S1 Saloon

Award Winner, Tour Veteran, Beautiful, Power Steering

$68,800

Harry's Thoughts

It is incredibly rare to see a Bentley S1 and this has to be one of the nicest examples in North America. With an older restoration and meticulous care and maintenance, this is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a Post-War Bentley. But the treat here is in the trunk. It is a gorgeous and rare set of factory luggage, a rare Continental Touring Kit (spares) and a hoard of other goodies. You could spend a decade putting this collection together.

THE ESSENTIALS

This is a rare find.  A 1956 Bentley S1 Saloon that is known as “Sir Geoffrey” has benefited from a gorgeous older restoration and has been a multiple award winner with the RROC.  This is the most accessorized Bentley that we have ever sold, with a full set of Antler luggage, a Continental Touring Kit and loads of manuals, brochures and spares!  Having participated in numerous tours, this S1 is perfect for touring or for concours events.

Sir Geoffrey was ordered new on February 14, 1956 (Valentine’s Day) by Rolls-Royce of Canada for Dr. Joseph E Kania of Vancouver, BC, Canada.  Dr. Kania was a well-regarded geologist and stockbroker in the Vancouver area.  The Bentley was ordered with power steering, which was an important addition to making it much better for driving.  By May 4th, 1956, Sir Geoffrey was aboard the Empress of Scotland to be transported to Vancouver.  By September 27, 1966, Sir Geoffrey was acquired by Mrs. EJ Evanson from Vancouver.  By about 1991, this S1 was acquired by Pat Murray who commenced a thorough restoration of the body and interior.  This restoration was documented with numerous photos included in the sale.

The present owner, Kim Spencer of Vancouver, acquired Sir Geoffrey in 2009 and continued improving the S1 and successfully showed him at concours events and RROC Annual Meetings winning the Touring Class in 2015 (after driving the Bentley from Canada to the meeting in Lake Tahoe, CA).

Mr. Spencer has made a significant investment in upgrades to make this a fantastic touring car.  Some of the more notable improvements are a high-capacity cooling system from Simon Curzon, seat belts, back-up camera, battery cut-off switch, and an auxiliary cooling fan.

The livery is finished in a beautiful Shell Gray metallic that has gorgeous shine and luster and is complemented with red pinstriping.  Having been used on numerous tours, there are several small chips and scratches that are only noticeable upon close inspection.  We included a specific video to review these in detail.  The chrome and stainless-steel trim are gorgeous, and the wheel discs look great with the Shell Gray and red pinstripe.  The radials feature a nice white wall and improve the driving characteristics.  Overall, the exterior looks really sharp and elegant.

The interior overall looks nearly as new.  The red leather is soft and supple and feels comfortable and correct.  The Wilton wool red carpeting is nearly as new as are the matching red sheepskin mouton overlays.  The wood is also beautifully finished with gorgeous burl wood.  The instruments are also beautifully finished.  The oil pressure gauge and odometer stopped working last week and we will be addressing these in our shop.  The “His Masters Voice” original AM radio has been electronically upgraded to an AM/FM radio, which is terrific for touring.

The engine compartment is detailed for concours and is stunning.  Mr. Spencer invested heavily to ensure that the engine compartment looks better than new.  The 4.9 liter six-cylinder has ample power and is very smooth with its four-speed automatic transmission.  There is a long and detailed file of invoices with all of the restoration and maintenance of the engine and mechanical systems.  Needless to say, this is a properly maintained Bentley and exceeds expectations in most all areas.

The trunk is loaded with special accessories including a correct set of Antler luggage, a Continental Touring Kit and numerous manuals, brochures and spares.  Refer to the 160 photos in our photo gallery and the several videos.  The luggage, Touring Kit, brochures and manuals are worth at least $10,000 and would normally take years to accumulate (we speak with experience on this point!).  We could sell this Bentley without these accessories at a lower price to sell them separately, but it is a rare, nearly once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire the entire collection compete.  That is by far our preference and the way we like to conduct business.

For more details and information, please text, call or email Harry Clark at +1.602.245.7200 or sales@classicpromenade.com.  The Rolls is in our Phoenix showroom.  We are pleased to offer FaceTime or WhatsApp live video inspections and we help coordinate shipping worldwide. We also have financing partners if you are interested in financing.

1956 Bentley S1 Saloon

$68,800

PRIVATE SALE STATUS
SELLER NAME
LOCATION USA
VIEWS 1141

Videos: 1956 Bentley S1 Saloon

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1956 Bentley S1 Saloon
1956 Bentley S1 Saloon

$68,800

VIN B199LBC
BODY STYLE Saloon (Sedan)
FUEL Gasoline
MILES 79,000
GEARBOX Automatic
DOORS 4
INT COLOR Red Leather
EXT COLOR Shell Gray
YEAR 1956
LOCATION Phoenix, AZ
PRIVATE SALE STATUS
SELLER
VIEWS 1141

Bentley S1 Saloon

The car was announced at the end of April 1955, and it was noted that the existing Continental model would continue. The new standard steel saloon replaced the R type standard steel saloon which had been in production, with modifications, since 1946. It was a more generously sized five- or six-seater saloon, with the body…
The car was announced at the end of April 1955, and it was noted that the existing Continental model would continue. The new standard steel saloon replaced the R type standard steel saloon which had been in production, with modifications, since 1946. It was a more generously sized five- or six-seater saloon, with the body manufactured in pressed steel with stressed skin construction. Doors, bonnet [hood] and luggage locker lid [trunk lid] were of aluminium. Having a totally new external appearance, although with the traditional radiator grille, the main differences from the R type were: three inches longer wheelbase lower build without reducing headroom and with an enlarged luggage boot [trunk] softer suspension with electrically operated control of rear dampers lighter steering and improved braking engine capacity increased to 4887cc, the same size as used in the Bentley Continental four-speed automatic gearbox was standard, with ability to select individual ratios if desired.

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