MAKE & MODELS OVERIVIEW

The S-Series Continental was essentially an updated and improved version of the R-Type template, with a separate chassis, straight-six engine and bodywork by independent coachbuilders. At a time when the standard, factory-bodied S-Series Bentley saloon cost £3,295, owners had to be seriously wealthy to pay more than double for an H.J. Mulliner or Park Ward version. Between 1955 and 1959, 432 S-Series Continentals were bodied by specialist coachbuilders, with H.J. Mulliner accounting for 217. During the same period the factory produced 2,927 standard-body saloons.

Most S-Series Continentals were two door models, but H.J. Mulliner backed a hunch that there would be a small but discerning market for a coachbuilt four-door Continental as an alternative to the factory four-door offering. Their design was balanced and elegant, with ample space for four. The new four-door was named by Arthur Talbot Johnstone, H.J. Mulliner’s Managing Director, after the heraldic device of his family, the Clan Johnstone of the Scottish Borders. The first example even featured the Clan Johnston’s spur mascot on its radiator grille. Following the success of the H.J. Mulliner Flying Spur, coachbuilder James Young also offered its bespoke interpretation of a four-door Continental.