Just Arrived

Bentley S1 - FSD 840

Chassis: 

It isn't every day that one Rolls-Royce leaves and six classics arrive to take its place.

Not long ago, our rather rare Mulliner Park Ward 2-Door Saloon found a new home. In return came something altogether less glamorous, but arguably far more exciting: a transporter loaded with six Rolls-Royce and Bentley classics making the journey across the Irish Sea from the Emerald Isle.

It was quite the sight. A Bentley Mulsanne Turbo, two Bentley S1s, a Bentley S2, a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and a Bentley T1, all spanning decades of Crewe engineering and all perched on one lorry. They arrived looking tired, weathered and carrying the sort of honest scars you'd expect from cars that have spent years waiting for somebody to make a decision about them. Some will inevitably donate their parts to keep others alive. One or two, however, might just have another chapter left in them. That's exactly what we'll be finding out over the coming weeks.

Then there's this Bentley S1.

If the others look a little weathered, this one looks like it's survived something considerably more dramatic.

Originally finished in a handsome two-tone brown over cream, it now wears what can only be described as an accidental camouflage. Large sections have been sanded back to bare metal, the wings are scattered with red primer, beige body filler and exposed steel, and from certain angles it resembles a restoration that paused somewhere around fifteen years ago and never quite resumed.

The missing grille, absent headlights and lack of a front bumper don't exactly soften the look.

Neither does the rope holding the front end together.

Oddly enough, it's difficult not to admire it.

There's something fascinating about a car that's so unapologetically honest. Every scar is visible, every unfinished repair tells part of the story, and although we don't know exactly how it reached this point, it's impossible not to wonder what sort of life it's had.

Sadly, this particular story won't be getting a happy ending.

This S1 has arrived to donate what remains of itself to other cars. Whatever usable components have survived will be carefully removed, refurbished where appropriate, and given the opportunity to live on elsewhere.

Not every classic gets restored.

Sometimes the greatest contribution it can make is ensuring several others continue to exist.

Looking at this Bentley, that feels like a rather fitting legacy.