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LOT 149 Black
The Bentley ‘S’ Type was launched in 1955 with an entirely new box-section chassis and beautifully proportioned styling by John Blatchley. Identical to the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud apart from the traditional Bentley radiator and badges, both were powered by the silky smooth six-cylinder engine, featuring a new light alloy cylinder head. Another major improvement was the adoption of hydraulic brakes. Inside, the Bentley was superbly appointed, using only the finest quality hides and timbers, all hand-made to the highest of standards. With almost 4.9 litres, twin SU carburetors and a 6.6:1 compression ratio mated to the standard four speed automatic transmission, the Bentley was recorded a top speed of 103 mph on test. The Autocar had this to say; “The latest Bentley offers a degree of safety, comfort and performance that is beyond the experience and perhaps even the imagination of the majority of the world’s motorists”. All but a small number of the 3,107 Bentley ‘S’ Types produced wore Blatchley’s Standard Steel coachwork, with a few made by outside coachbuilders and a small number of Continentals. It’s worth noting that Bentley built approximately one-third more ‘S’ Types than Rolls-Royce did of the Silver Cloud, illustrating the high regard people had for the Winged ‘B’ at the time. Finished in black with the original grey leather upholstery, this Bentley S1 was originally delivered to Ernest Hillier of Vaucluse, New South Wales in June 1955 and was sold through York Motors (the car still has their plate on the firewall). Ernest Hillier left England and moved to San Francisco in the early 1900s to learn the confectionary trade but an untimely earthquake saw him set up shop in Pitt Street, Sydney. Hillier’s became Australia’s first chocolatier with the establishment of his business in 1914, moved to Melbourne in 1934 and ultimately became an Australian confectionary institution. Ernest Hillier’s still thrives today, adding another famous Australian name, Newman’s, to the empire in 2000. Life as a successful chocolatier had its rewards and a brand new Bentley was clearly just one of the many finer things in life Ernest Hillier enjoyed. Remarkably, the Bentley stayed with the family until very recently, spending its later life in the Southern Highlands. Major work carried out in recent years included overhauling the front suspension in 1999 and the brake system was done in 2004 (at a cost of just under $8,000). Fitted with an original push button radio, the car comes with an original handbook, operating instructions for the HMV radio, spare keys and a history file. Sold with registration number NSW TR 1959 (Expires 12.2009) if sold to a NSW based buyer.
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