Description
1960 Bentley S2 Continental Sports Saloon. Coachwork by James Young
In the 1950s and 1960s the Bentley Continental was the world's ultimate Grand Tourer, a car in which you could set off from any European capital in the morning and arrive at Monte Carlo fresh enough to play the tables that same evening. With the arrival of the V8-engined S2 version in 1959, this consummate ability was further enhanced.
Despite the popularity of the 'standard steel' bodywork, introduced when production of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars resumed after WW2, a steadily declining number of independent coachbuilders continued to offer alternatives. Arguably the most stylish were those produced to clothe the Bentley Continental which, of course, was only ever available with bespoke coachwork.
One of the most prominent of these surviving firms was James Young, a company that had established itself among the foremost coachbuilders for upmarket chassis by the end of the 1930s. The Bromley-based carriage-maker had bodied its first automobile in 1908, affiliating itself with a succession of quality marques throughout the 1920s and 1930s before being acquired by the Jack Barclay Group in 1937. Its factory devastated by wartime bombing, the company did not resume exhibiting at the London Motor Shows until 1948, continuing to offer coach built designs of distinction on (mainly) Rolls-Royce and Bentley chassis until the arrival of the unitary construction Silver Shadow/ T-Series range in the 1960s. A lack of suitable chassis would force the firm's closure before the 'Sixties decade ended, but in its declining years James Young produced what are widely recognized as its finest creations, this beautiful Bentley Continental among them. In total, James Young bodied 41 S2 Continental chassis.
This Bentley originates from England where the first owner was a solicitor in Dundee Scotland. He ordered the Continental chassis in February 1960 and the complete car was delivered through Jack Barkley London in June 1960 under the registration number 788AXA. The design was C. V 100 and the price was £ 7. 499.
Our Bentley was body off restored in the 1990ies at Classic Restorations Scotland LTD. It is a hand build car in aluminium and the restoration has been carried out so the Bentley today is in a fantastic condition. It is an absolute joy to drive. Engine pulls strongly and you feel clearly what the word Continental means.
In 2007 it was imported to Denmark where it has had only one dedicated owner – member of the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club for many years and always kept his Bentley maintained at the only authorized Garage in Copenhagen. Bernt Hansen.
Priced to sell
daytona dk
