Unique 1957 Bentley finds its way to Northwest collector

by Sam Barer

Throughout automobile history, no company has surpassed Bentley at consistently fusing performance, luxury, style and exclusivity.  From high-speed touring cars to racers, the legendary British marque has produced some of the industry’s best machines.

Old Bentleys are rarely seen outside of vintage car shows, except for a handful of white 60’s examples serving as wedding cars.  One thing is for certain: you’ll never see two examples of this featured Bentley on the street, because it is a unique 1957 S1 with custom saloon coachwork by H.J. Mulliner.

This tudor gray sedan with red leather interior was originally ordered by actor Gary Cooper for his mother-in-law. For unknown reasons the star refused to purchase the exquisite automobile upon delivery.  After being transported to an Indianapolis dealer, the car was sold to a local insurance mogul for slightly more than $25,000 – a sum exceeding the cost of the newly released fuel-injected Corvette by roughly $21,500!  Intimidated by its expense, the owner sold back the seldom driven automobile to the dealer eight months later.  Over the next 44 years, this Bentley saw four more owners, including the president of Morton Salt Company, before landing in the hands of a Mason County collector earlier this year.

At first glance this Bentley looks similar to the later Flying Spur sedan.  What makes this so special is that while it is built on the S-1 Continental Chassis, it is one of only two aluminum-bodied sedans built by Mulliner with suicide doors and left hand drive.  It is the only car with the Continental’s curved dashboard design and bucket seats.

The dual-hinged bonnet hides the standard 4.9 liter inline six-cylinder engine with dual SU carburetors.  This engine was known for solid craftsmanship, reliability, and unlike later eight-cylinder engines, ease of maintenance.  Power is driven to the rear wheels via a GM Hydra-Matic automatic transmission.

Knowing there are opportunities that one shouldn’t pass up, I jumped when offered the once-in-a-lifetime chance to drive this truly unique Bentley.  I met the owner in his Mason County garage, which houses a number of extremely desirable automobiles, all of which deserve their own profiles in future Sound Classics columns.

The friendly owner first instructed me to test the back seat.  Now, British cars have never been known for their spaciousness, but this Bentley made for cross-continental touring while wearing one’s top hat offers abundant head and legroom.  The non-restored original leather seats can only be described as “so comfortable you want them in your living room.”

As a passenger one gets the feel of how smooth the car rides.  The engine is barely audible at start-up, and the chassis does an amazing job of soaking-up road irregularities.  The cabin significantly filters road noise, so occupants can chat without raising voices.

Taking over behind the wheel I find the driver’s seat simply one of the most inviting places a car nut could hope to spend time, offering perfect support at all critical points for long hours of driving.  The wheel is large but comfortable.  Gauges, including the standard altimeter are easy to read within the beautiful curved wood dash.  With a push of a button, the driver can even check the oil level, because a gentleman should never risk ruining his clothes.

The variable gear power steering is simply industry-best for the era, and makes the car easy to maneuver at low speeds through crowded parking lots.  The wheel becomes firmer at higher speeds providing high-speed stability.  This car has a top speed around 110mph, although with the gracious owner riding in the passenger seat, I feel it smarter to stick to posted speed limits.

This unique Bentley is positively addicting to drive. Power delivery is smooth.  The only driving instability comes when its bias-ply tires hit larger road grooves.  With a set of radial tires, this car’s ride would rival today’s luxury leaders.  One could imagine taking the Bentley from London to Dover, and then by ferry to France to begin a trek through Europe, stopping at the nicest hotels for a few brief rest stops.  Fatigue, however, is something kept to a minimum due to a wonderful mix of luxury and driving dynamics. 

For this reason, the current owner plans to drive his unique Bentley around the world with the Rolls Royce & Bentley Club in 2003-2004.  With its reliability, comfort and style, I couldn’t imagine a better car in which to travel.

Sam Barer writes for Apex, an Olympia, WA based freelance writing company. To submit a car for a future “Sound Classics” story, email soundclassics@apexstrategy.com

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