Flashback: 1955 Bentley S1 Fastback Mulliner

Mike Solowiow
by Mike Solowiow

In order to show visiting US Air Force Academy cadets the wonders of Europe, I ditched my Carrera, whose back seats are merely a nice gesture, for a lumbering Mercedes-Benz GLK. After four hours of driving the speed limited Autoroutes, we arrived at the Eiffel Tower, to throngs of drunk rugby fans celebrating the USAP win that day. Leaving the Mardi Gras spectacle we wandered around the veritable maze of streets that constitute the Seventh Arrondissement. Dodging rugby hooligans whose intentions seemed suspect (as some of us were wearing the opposing team colors), I never expected to stumble upon something so beautiful, so elegant, so alien as a 1955 Bentley S1 Fastback Mulliner parked on a curb in a hidden away section of Paris.

The lines of the car stood out amongst the dented French hatchbacks strewn down the boulevard as if Parisians hadn’t a care in the world, least of all parking etiquette. Even a nearby Alfa Romeo Brera looked like the jilted prom date in comparison. I stopped in silence, unable to conjure thought to even recognize what it was until one of the cadets shouted out “OH, WOW! A Duesenburg!”

Well, not quite, young grasshopper. The pronounced fenders, the swept back end resembling a Buck Rogers space ship, and the intricate chrome work rivaling Tolkien’s elves all spoke post-War, bespoke coach builder awesomeness. It wasn’t until we meandered around to the upright grill that we realized it was a Bentley, with its wings proudly mounted on the prow of the road-going automotive artwork.

Using that wonderful invention called the iPhone, which has Google, I discovered it was an incredibly rare Bentley manufactured from 1955-1959 under the auspices of Rolls-Royce. The coupe version by Mulliner Bodyworks the rarest of all, to the tune of fewer than 200 examples ever built. Underneath the impossibly long hood lay an engine block designed soon after the war, the first war. Originally powering the Rolls-Royce 20, from 1922, the 4.9L straight-6 produced enough power to waft 0-100kmh in 13 seconds to a top speed of 103mph. Which immediately underwhelmed me.

The profile, the lines, the 1950s sci-fi tributes all made it seem as if it should at least have the balls to outrun a 4-cylinder Camry, or at least a Peugeot 106 diesel.

And then, as the owner shooed us away, started up a beast of primeval origins, and literally glided down the street as if possessed by the souls of Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart, I realized, the Bentley didn’t need horsepower. It exuded that intangible prowess every car ever to call itself “passionately styled” (cough, BMW, cough) has attempted to ingrain in its exterior.

I for one count myself lucky to not only have seen but to have heard and witnessed one in motion. I salute the owner, who not only drives such a fantastic piece of history, but parks it on the street as if its only a “normal” car, instead of having it interred at the Louvre, in the English art section.

Mike Solowiow
Mike Solowiow

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  • Paul Niedermeyer Paul Niedermeyer on Jun 17, 2009

    Nicodemus, Thanks for the detail info. I thought (and said so above) that it was an R-type Conti. One of my all time favs. Right color too.

  • Nicodemus Nicodemus on Jun 17, 2009

    No worries Paul. BTW there's two easy ways to tell the difference. First is the side on which the fuel filler flap is placed. R-type Continentals have it on the left, whilst S1s (&S2&S3s) have them on the right. The second way to tell (from the front) is the shape of the air vent under the headlamps. The R-types have round ones whilst the S series (and the RR Silver Clouds on which they're based) have long oval vents.

  • ToolGuy This might be a good option for my spouse when it becomes available -- thought about reserving one but the $500 deposit is a little too serious. Oh sorry, that was the Volvo EX30, not the Mustang. Is Volvo part of Ford? Is the Mustang an EV? I'm so confused.
  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
  • Ajla If I was Ford I would just troll Stellantis at all times.
  • Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
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