Bentley S2 1961

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<Introducing the history of the Bentley S series, which is considered a masterpiece in Bentley's history>

1961 Bentley S2 is now in stock! Introducing the history of the Bentley S series, which was produced for 10 years after its introduction in 1955.

A car that demands the world's highest level of tradition and dignity

A top-of-the-line car is expected to have a traditional style and a certain level of dignity. In the case of Rolls-Royce and Bentley, two of the world's best cars, the Silver Cloud and Bentley S series, which were introduced in 1955 and produced over the next 10 years, had a high level of balance between these two qualities. Both have long bonnets, and the front and rear fenders draw a gentle curve like a boat cutting through the waves. The roofline flows gently into the trunk, reminiscent of the back view of a noblewoman walking away with her hem in the air. Its style should be considered a masterpiece in the long history of Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

However, when the Silver Cloud/S series was first planned, a completely different style was in mind. At the time, Rolls-Royce's chief designer was John Blatchley, born in 1913. He was hospitalized for three years due to illness since he was 12 years old. During that time, he was always drawing pictures of cars in bed. As an adult, he used his talent for drawing to work for Gurney Nutting, one of the leading coachbuilders (manufacturers specializing in automobile bodies) of the time, and in 1940 moved to Rolls-Royce.

A historic masterpiece design

Then, in the 1950s, when plans for a new car began to be talked about, Blatchley also began thinking about the design of a new car. After spending two years creating a style for the new model, he unveiled it at a planning meeting. However, the reactions of executives who saw this were not what they expected. The majority of their opinions seemed to be that it was too new. So Blatchley quickly drew up another sketch (some say within a few hours). The management agreed to this, and the design of the Silver Cloud/S series was born. I would like to know what kind of style Blatchley originally had in mind, but the style of the Silver Cloud, which was a gentle modernization of the Silver Dawn and Silver Wraith with a little less newness, became a masterpiece that will go down in history, so this model change should have been a great success.

Additionally, Rolls-Royce/Bentley does not want to suddenly switch to a new mechanism when changing a model, instead taking the approach of gradually changing over time. When the Silver Cloud/S series was introduced, we did not make many changes to the chassis, instead focusing on the body.

Designed in anticipation of using a V8 engine

Initially, the engine was a conventional inline 6-cylinder engine, but four years later it was finally replaced with a newly designed light alloy V8. The height and width of the engines differ between in-line 6-cylinder and V-8 engines. V8s have a lower height and center of gravity, but are typically wider. Therefore, if you try to put a V8 under the hood of a car that has an inline 6-cylinder engine, space will be tight. However, if you look at the engine room of the Silver Cloud/S series, you will see that the V8 engine is neatly accommodated. This means that the Silver Cloud/S series was designed from the beginning with the assumption that this V8 would be used.

The Silver Cloud/S series, which was reloaded with a V8, is distinguished by adding II after the car name. So, if you ask how much power was increased by changing from 6 cylinders to V8, the answer is "I don't know". This is because Rolls-Royce has a long tradition of not announcing engine horsepower figures. When asked how much power they have, the answer they always give is, "It's just enough." Also, the Rolls-Royce and Bentley of this time are essentially the same model, with the only difference being the radiator grille and radiator mascot (R-R's Flying Lady, Bentley's Winged B), and some interior decorations. However, the number of Bentleys sold was significantly lower.