Race Retro Classic & Competition Car Sale 2023 24th - 25th February 2023

193 + buyers premium of 12.5% plus VAT (15% incl VAT) on the first £300,000 of the hammer and 10% plus VAT (12% incl VAT) thereafter Lot 488 1961 Bentley S2 Continental Drophead Coupé The history file documents lots of lavished attention on this venerable Bentley in later years, however its very early history is, as yet, unknown. In the file, there is an early MOT Certificate from April 1978, and many invoices addressed to a Mr Warriner of Kent by James Young of Bromley in Kent. Subsequently, it would appear the car’s owner relocated, as there is an invoice for an almost entire strip down by a garage in Newtown, Powys dated 1980 but nothing more until 1984, when the photographic file shows it in a stripped condition located in Shropshire, presumably lost to the sands of time or hiding in a barn somewhere. Fortunately, it was discovered by its next owner, Stewart John, around this time. He was the Director of Engineering for the Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airlines and was on holiday in the UK with one eye open for a project and this S2 was certainly that. The Bentley was duly acquired and exported on 11th September 1984, bearing the plate 26 HYW, and there are a number of photographs in the file showing the car being loaded here and unloaded in Hong Kong. Additionally, within the file are lots of supporting invoices showing the acquisition of parts and materials, flywheels, hood parts, hooding, West German Leather etc., all sent to an address in the city district of HK. Associated Engineering Limited were tasked with carrying out a full restoration and they worked on the car over a period of 18 months during 1985 and 1986, supported by correspondence and invoices in the file. The results were pretty impressive, and there is evidence that when it was completed, it won the Concours d’Elegance at one of HK’s major classic car shows. At this point in the story, 26 HWY was acquired by our late vendor, who lived in Hong Kong in December 1993, at a price of £36,500, with its insured value at the time being $400,000 HK. It had been seven years since the restoration so he lavished some time and money on the car during its last eighteen months in Hong Kong, before returning, via Australia, with the Bentley to the UK in October 1995. Since being back here, the car has been attended to by recognised Rolls and Bentley specialists, with many invoices showing standard MOT and service work as well as recent expenditure on minor cosmetic paintwork, re-Connollised leather and minor detailing at a cost of over £12,000 in 2017 and 2018. Indeed, the MOT history shows the car having been tested every year since 2006 until its most recent expiry in 2021, with the mileage increasing by only a few miles each time. Ready for a sympathetic recommissioning, we believe that 26 HWY has been parked for around two years in recent times and, whilst it has had a new battery fitted and starts first time, it would seem sensible that a new owner would have the car properly inspected and prepared ready for the summer, when in its distinctive hue and with its glamorous, globe-trotting back-story, it will undoubtedly be welcomed at many garden parties, gatherings, club events and more. As one of very few Convertibles on the market currently and with many standard Coupés available at well over £100,000, our vendor has rightly chosen to bring this remarkable car to the market at auction to allow the world to decide just how special this car is. One of 62 Park Ward-bodied right-hand drive Drophead Coupés from long-term ownership. Registration: 26 HYW Chassis No.: BC25CZ Estimate: £50,000 - £60,000 Consignor: Gary Dunne Telephone No: 07740 946796 More Details Lot 488 Bid On Lot 488