Description
Supplied by former Coachbuilders ‘Sanderson & Holmes Limited’ of London Road in Derby, this majestic S1 saloon embarked on a journey of merely 30 miles to Leek in Staffordshire whereupon it has resided ever since.
The car was first registered on 11th July 1956 and was used ever lightly until 2001 when it was parked up (in working order) in the space within the garage that it had always occupied from new.
Following the recent passing of its owner, the car has been lifted off its axel stands and rolled back out on its wheels into the daylight for the first time in twenty-three years. The process was painless with only the slightest suggestion of a binding brake on the rear nearside which became free almost instantly when the car began to emerge from its slumber.
The original buff log-book is present, along with a current V5 document. Additional paperwork in the history file includes old tax discs and MOT certificates and most pleasingly, various pieces of correspondence from Bentley HQ. This includes delivery confirmation of the car with; a Smiths Radiomobile 200X wireless, Dagenite battery, spare bulbs and by special order, ‘India tyres’. When new the car was finished in Black Pearl over Shell Grey and was trimmed with Grey hide inside the cabin. During the 1960’s the car underwent a colour change however and was repainted in Sand over Sable, with the leather being recoloured to Cream at the same time.
The overall condition of the interior today is good with the wooden dashboard veneer remaining in beautiful condition and only the drivers side door capping showing some very light degradation. The seats are in good tear-free condition though would clearly benefit from feeding. Externally the body presents admirably with only a couple of light marks which could hopefully be extracted with ease. There is a more notable crease to the sill on the drivers’ side at the rear but this should be relatively easy to rectify also. As to be expected from a long lay up the paint is fairly dull and dry. It could potentially be brought back to life with a professional machine polish. There is the odd area that would require new paint, but this is obviously at the discretion of the new owner. For some there will be a certain charm to the current patination the car exudes. Fundamentally, the structure of the body is the most important thing and there are no signs of corrosion or indeed problem areas masked with filler that a shinier car might be hiding! On the underside the chassis looks to be very solid. This can be inspected at our premises on a ramp for any potential new custodian to satisfy themselves.
Though clearly a thorough recommissioning is required, the car starts, runs quietly and smoothly and drives in all gears. It stops happily thereafter with a normal prod of the brakes. It does all this with reassuring ease and the electrics all appear to be working too.
The ‘200 MRE’ registration was assigned from new and would also have a reasonable value. It will remain with the car upon sale. With a documented sixty-eight year period of unbroken single ownership it provides a very unique opportunity for a new custodian to take possession of a very honest and desirable example of a Bentley S1.
