In the mid Fifties, Bentley rolled out the S1 as its flagship full-sized luxury offering. Running for four years between 1955 and 1958, the S1 could be gotten as a four-door sedan, or two-door coupe. These majestic cars represented the conveyance of the well-heeled at the time, and it wasn’t uncommon to see celebrities and prominent personalities alighting from the rear seat of one. This 1958 Bentley S1 is thus a collector’s car, as well as perfect if you want a slice of Fifties luxury in your life. It’s got 97,000 miles under its belt and appears well cared for.

Exterior and Interior

Just look at the Fifties opulence that this 1958 Bentley S1 proudly proclaims in its distinctive Sand and Sable two-tone original paint configuration. Rolling on the requisite set of white-wall tires which are reportedly new, and wrapped around original wheels, it looks every bit the stately cruiser. A new vinyl top is reported, and all brightwork and badging seem to be in good nick. The tan interior on this 1958 Bentley S1 has seen refurbishment in the shape of a new leather interior set that was imported from England. Wood trim abounds the dash, and there are wood picnic tables in the rear as well. The carpets and headliner are reportedly new. All gauges look clear and bright, particularly the interesting speedometer that sweeps anti-clockwise. A push-button radio can be seen in the dash too. The shifter for the automatic gearbox lives just behind the steering wheel in a column shift arrangement, and you can see that it offers a degree of manual shifting as well, which must have been a superb novelty at the time. The padded door cards also look in good condition, however rear legroom appears to be a bit average. Pop the trunk and it’s upholstery looks intact as well.

Engine

This 1958 Bentley S1 is propelled by a 4.9L straight-six engine with twin SU carburetors, sending drive to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission, which was very rare for the Fifties, when most automatic transmissions still had two or three speeds. Bentley didn’t declare power outputs for the car, but a test by an independent magazine at the time revealed a 103mph top speed and a zero to sixty in around thirteen seconds, not too shabby for a 4,200lb Fifties luxobarge.