Supercar Fest Sale of Iconic and Classic Cars 2023 20th May 2023

101 + 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 Launched in 1955 as a replacement for the long-running Mark VI/R- type, Bentley’s new S-type was more closely related to the equivalent Rolls-Royce, the Silver Cloud, than ever - radiator and badges apart, there were no differences between the two. Under the stately bonnet Bentley’s superb six-cylinder engine was revised with a light alloy cylinder head and the new box-section chassis boasted many improvements, including hydraulic brakes all round. The perfectly proportioned, traditional styling of the S-Type and Silver Cloud was by John Blatchley and to this day remains the very epitome of British luxury motoring. Although Standard Steel coachwork was fitted to the vast majority of chassis built, there were still a small number of cars bodied by independent coachbuilders such as H.J.Mulliner, Park Ward and James Young, however, the unitary construction of the S-Type’s successor and all subsequent models, all but ended such a traditional association. Completed on the 4th September 1959, B20HA is one of just two convertibles styled to Body Design Number 7492 by H.J.Mulliner. Bentley Works paperwork in the file contains details of the car’s initial build. The order reference was BS:5897 and the finished car was scheduled to be delivered on 27th August 1959 so it was a week late. The car was to be finished in Shell Grey with a Putty coloured hood and Red upholstery. Specific options included ‘No. plates XXA 262 supplied and fitted, Radio 200R, Dunlop tubeless tyres, Electrically operated windows, Power operated hood, Hood cover, Badge bar with 4 badges, Zip-fasteners to backlight and finally, Initials ‘BD’ to doors’. We understand that the car’s final cost was £7,266 which would have bought a couple of comfortable three-bed homes in 1959. That ‘BD’ referred to the cars first owner, Sir Bernard Docker KBE, of Claridge House, London W1. Sir Bernard was the Managing Director of the BSA grup of companies, Chairman of Daimler and the Anglo- Argentine Tramways Company and was awarded a Knighthood for his work as the Chairman of Westminster Hospital. The Bentley was a present for his second wife Norah Collins, a former showgirl. She was the widow of Sir William Collins, the President of Fortnum & Mason and also the widow of Clement Callingham, the head of Henekeys wine and spirit merchants. You have to respect Lady Norah’s perspicacity in marrying (and outliving) three millionaire husbands but, we understand, that she may have been a bit of a nightnare. Her notorious parties on their 863-tonne Motor Yacht Shemara, her outrageous spending, talking her husband into commissioning a gold-plated Daimler for her, and her outspoken approach meant that during the fifties she was seldom out of the tabloid newspapers who christened her “Naughty Norah”. There are books written about her escapades but, inevitably things started to take a turn for the worse when the Rainiers banned her from Monaco, and indeed the whole of the Cote d’Azure, a similar thing happened in Jersey when they moved there and she finally ended up in Majorca. B20HA passed briefly through the hands of agent Neville Hamwee who managed to find the car’s next owner on 29th November1960. (It was never registered in his name). Incredibly it was another vivacious young woman, Maureen, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava who was equally newspaper worthy but more The Times and Country Life . She was originally Maureen Guinness, heir to the brewing family, friends with the Royal Family and the original society “It Girl” as christened by the press. She was a blonde-haired, pre-war beauty, who dated celebrities and the aristocracy, was photographed for Vogue by Cecil Beaton and was the inspiration for Osbert Lancaster’s cartoon character, Maudie Littlehampton. She too had three husbands and kept her first husbands title, the Fourth Marquess of Dufferin. She owned the Bentley for 25 years until late 1985 when it was sold to James Carroll of Bexleyheath for £22,000. There is correspondence in the file between the Marchioness and Mr Carroll some of which refers to Mr Carroll’s intention to restore the car and possibly change the colour. Lot 857 1959 Bentley S1 Drophead Coupé Coachwork by H.J. Mulliner Believed to be one of only two H.J. Mulliner Drophead Coupé s, this late production example was first delivered to the BSA Chairman Sir Bernard Docker. Sporting a delightful patina, the Bentley retains its original interior. Registration: XXA 262 Chassis No.: B20HA Estimate: £200,000 - £250,000 Consignor: Rob Hubbard Telephone No: 07775 511825 More Details Lot 857 Bid On Lot 857