1958 Bentley S1 Continental

Continentals were lightened versions of the standard steel-bodied cars, built for high-speed cruising

by Dave Kinney

The post-war heyday of Bentley was with the Continental models, from their introduction in 1952. The combination of sporting performance and a beautifully clothed chassis made for the ultimate in long distance luxury touring. The name itself became synonymous with elegance. With the arrival of the 4.9-liter S1, the final edition of Crewe’s historic straight-six, there came enhanced power with an increased compression ratio, and larger carburetors and inlet valves. Bentley would never say directly how much more power the S1 made, admitting only to a 13-percent increase in output. A “long” rear axle held down the revs at high speed, while well judged improvements to suspension, steering and braking insured that road manners kept pace with performance. Later came Park Ward’s supremely elegant and longer, slightly lower coachwork in both fixed and drophead form. It used advanced technology with high-duty alloys in the structure supporting the aluminum shell. The...