Beschreibung:

1962 BENTLEY S2 DROPHEAD COUPE COACHWORK BY H.J. MULLINER Chassis No. B 68 LDW Engine No. 284 DB Dark blue with beige leather interior and tan soft top Engine: V8, pushrod overhead valves, 6,230cc, c200bhp at 4,500rpm; Gearbox: four-speed automatic; Suspension: front independent by unequal length wishbones and coil springs and hydraulic shock-absorbers, rear, semi-elliptic springs with radius rods and electrically controlled piston-type shock-absorbers; Brakes: four wheel servo-assisted hydraulic and mechanical drums. Left hand drive. At the 1959 London Motor Show, Rolls-Royce introduced their first all alloy V-8 engine in both the Silver Cloud II and its equivalent the Bentley S2. This 6.2 litre engine with hydraulic tappets operating overhead valves produced an impressive 200bhp at 4,500rpm. A large percentage of alloy was used in the engine construction, enabling it to obtain a similar weight to its 4.8 litre six cylinder predecessor. The result was a larger, more powerful engine providing an extremely smooth power curve and top speed well in excess of 110mph. The American Hydramatic automatic transmission and power steering completed the modernization, making the S2 a much more comfortable car to drive than the S1. Other changes from the earlier series included a smaller steering wheel, improvements in the braking system and variations in the instrument panel. This S2 Drophead Coupe was delivered new to the New York Bentley/Rolls-Royce distributor J.S. Inskip in June 1962. The car was supplied with Steel Blue paintwork and beige leather interior to the first owner, Mrs. Irene J. Gudewicz, and a copy of the original guarantee card is on file. The build sheets further confirm that the car had power-operated windows, Sundym glass and a split front seat. An electric aerial was installed by Inskip. The total price when new was $22,767. A point of interest is that the chassis card build sheet records describe the body style both as a Drophead Coupe and a Convertible! The next name that we have on record is from a copy of a title dated 1975 when the car was owned by Mr. Grimshaw of Dartmouth, Massachusetts. On 21 June 1975 the ownership was transferred to Mr. Stephen Antine of Taunton, Massachusetts. During his ownership some restoration work was carried out including the fitment of a new tan interior and a new convertible top in 1997. More recently in the current ownership it has benefited from considerable cosmetic restoration as well as a bare metal respray. There were very few coachbuilt bodies on the Silver Cloud II or the Bentley S2 chassis, the coach builders generally being confined to the longer wheelbase cars with the Continental chassis. However H.J. Mulliner continued to adapt the Standard Saloon body as evidenced by this car in the same way as they built the Continental convertible. No fewer than 107 Silver Cloud II Rolls-Royces were built, with a further 15 Bentleys built, of which this is the last one and of which only 6 were left hand drive cars. Thus this is an opportunity to purchase a rare Bentley convertible with handsome convertible coachwork by H.J. Mulliner.