1961 Bentley S2

Finished in Shell Silver Grey with a Tudor Grey roof and boot lid, this Bentley S2 was supplied new to the Right Honourable Lord Allendale.

Fitted with the 6.2-litre V8 engine mated to an automatic gearbox and piloted via power steering, ‘XAS 560’ is as soothing to drive as it is to be a passenger in.

It has been in the hands of Alan Fearon, the well-known Rolls-Royce specialist, since 1999. As you’d expect given his reputation, he kept on top of the car’s mechanical components, while the seller, who bought it only recently, has refurbished it cosmetically inside and out.

Thus, restored and running well, it now looks every bit as good as it drives.
 

The vendor spent £3,750 in getting the coachwork refreshed, which might sound easy but actually involved having the front bumper, both front wings, the lower half of the nearside, and most of the offside painted.

Expertly done and blended into the existing paintwork by South Mimms Cars, the result is nothing short of magnificent with the car’s updated colour scheme (it was originally red and silver) emphasizing the Bentley’s flowing lines to perfection.

The all-important chromework, of which there is quite a lot, is also excellent. Largely free of rust and pitting, the dominant brightwork is, of course, that trademark radiator grille.

Other nice features include a badge bar with two enamel badges and a chrome horseshoe, the winged ‘B’ radiator mascot, and two auxiliary driving lamps.

And speaking of lamps, all are in fine fettle including the small-but-perfectly-formed rear lights.

The Bentley also features rare and desirable Sundym tinted windows, which are also electrically operated front and rear.

The 15-inch steel wheels are fitted with a decent set of painted and chrome hubcaps. The tyres fitted to them are a mixed set of three Cooper Super Lifeline Classic II, with one Hercules MRX Plus IV fitted to the nearside front wheel. All have a whitewall finish though, which adds cohesion and suits the car’s period elegance.

As for cosmetic flaws, some of the chromework is lightly tarnished with faint scratches. This is most noticeable on the front bumper, which also has some light rust spots on it.

There’s also a blemish in the paint on the offside rear door shut, the handle for the boot is patinated and worn, and there’s a mark on the top nearside corner of the radiator grille.

More pressing is the rust that’s broken out on the rear of the offside sill and some of the wheelarch lips. 
 

The recently repaired and refurbished leather interior (the invoices for £750 from Strong & Turton for the re-Connolising and £1,000 from Rons Auto Upholstery for new seat squabs are on file) looks sensational, doesn’t it?

Plump and sumptuous and reeking of Old World elegance, it’s a million miles away from the touch-screen superficiality you find in modern-day luxury cars.

Because what you get here are proper materials like wood and leather and chrome and wool, items that are as durable as they are reassuring to touch.

The recent work to the seats has left all of them, front and rear, looking terrific with just enough of a patina left on them that no one could accuse you of being New Money.

There are also a pair of central armrests for those in the front, plus height-adjustable armrests on either front door.

Coverdale supplied new Wilton carpets in March 2025, and a modern Pioneer headunit has been fitted to the right of the steering wheel. This later addition supplements the original push-button radio from His Master’s Voice, which is still fitted in the centre of the dashboard.

And what a dashboard it is! Crafted using acres of walnut veneer and hosting comprehensive instrumentation as well as elegant switches and controls, the condition of the woodwork is still excellent.  

Other nice touches include a yale lock on the glovebox, a very good woollen headlining, a wonderfully ornate brake pedal, and the nicest handbrake handle we’ve seen in a while.

Not that those in the back seat have been neglected because they get a pair of walnut picnic tables in addition to masses of legroom, a huge central armrest, and walnut-framed mirrors fitted to the C-pillars.

The four electric Sundym tinted windows rise and fall as they should, and we haven’t been made aware of anything that needs attention to get it working. In fact, it’s even got a working heater, something that isn’t always the case according to the seller.

The split-level boot is nicely trimmed and plays host to the car’s spare wheel, jack, and tool kit on the lower level, with the occupants’ luggage being stored up top where it’ll stay nice and clean.

As for work to do, the carpet on the lower edge of the driver’s door card is a little stained, the rearview mirror might be wonderfully shabby-chic but is so worn as to be almost unusable now, the nearside rear hand strap is broken, and there is some cracking to the leather on the rear quarter panel cushions.
 

As the video demonstrates and you’d have every right to expect given its provenance, the Bentley starts very well, even when cold. It also shows a healthy charge to the battery, good oil pressure, and idles well.

Last serviced by Fearon on the 1st of April 2022 at 83,075 miles, it revs nicely too, and while the engine note itself is as civilized as the rest of the car, the exhaust note betrays the inner hooligan that’s just waiting to be unleashed.

The seller tells us that it has “excellent brakes and drives very well” with a “good gearbox.”

The engine and underbonnet area are accessed via a centre-hinged bonnet that can be removed very easily to give even better access.

Which might come in handy because while the area is decently presented but we can see the car’s new owner will probably want to spend a little time and money in bringing it all up to the same high standard as the rest of the car.

It’s the same story underneath. While no MoT tester has mentioned structural corrosion since 2021, some of the new underseal has come away and rust has started to take a hold again in a few places. 
 

Said to have been kept “fully serviced and maintained” since being in Alan Fearon’s care, the Bentley also has a current MoT certificate despite not needing one. Valid until July 2025, it probably isn’t too much of a surprise to see that it was issued with no advisories, just like the previous two.

The Bentley S2 also costs nothing to tax and is ULEZ compliant, and the recent Vehicle History Check is clear bar the marker for its change of colour in 2009.

It also comes with a thick wad of expired MoT certificates, a handbook for an S3, and some invoices for the recent work that’s been carried out on it. 
 

The seller, who specializes in selling Bentleys like this, describes this as a “good, good driving car” an assessment we find little to quibble about.

And while it looks fabulous and goes very well, the need for some further minor attention here and there will influence the price it’s likely to fetch.

Which will, we estimate, be somewhere between £25,000 and £30,000, which doesn’t feel like much to pay for a well-maintained example of one of the most elegant cars the British car industry has ever produced.  

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