1964 Bentley S3 - S3

Delivered new to France

One of only 150 left-hand-drive S3

In the importer’s collection for over 20 years

Preserved largely in its unrestored condition

When Bentley introduced the S3 in 1962, the great revolution failed to materialise. Not that it mattered much. After all, anyone buying a Bentley was hardly looking for revolution, but rather for the most dignified possible means of getting from A to B very quickly and very comfortably.

Mechanically, the S3 remained closely related to its predecessor. Beneath the long bonnet was the same 6.2-litre V8 that Bentley had introduced with the S2 in 1959. Power output was traditionally treated with gentlemanly discretion and described simply as “adequate”. Thanks to a higher compression ratio, the S3’s performance was, at any rate, rather more adequate still. A four-speed automatic transmission was as much part of the expected standard as power steering and powerful servo-assisted brakes.

The new front end, on the other hand, was impossible to miss. Four headlamps, together with a slightly lower radiator grille, gave the S3 a more modern face. Improvements were also made inside, including individual front seats and greater legroom for the rear passengers. After all, that was quite possibly where the person paying the bill was sitting.

As with the S2, the Bentley was mechanically closely related to the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III. The difference was primarily one of character: traditionally, the Bentley presented itself as a shade less stately and correspondingly more sporting.

The S3 remained in production until 1965, when the completely new T-Series brought the old school to an end. It was therefore the last Bentley of the traditional separate-chassis breed – large, heavy and conservative, and for precisely those reasons possessed of a sense of effortless authority that is difficult to recreate.

This Bentley S3 was registered in France on 23 December 1964, just in time for Christmas. Its appearance is therefore one of continental elegance; equipped with rare air conditioning and handsome picnic tables, it possesses precisely that distinguished air that makes continental European Bentleys so appealing.

Its last registration in Paris took place on 13 January 1993, before the car found a new owner in the Netherlands in December 1996. In September 2005, it was offered for sale in Germany with fewer than 100,000 kilometres recorded, where the consignor acquired it on 1 October 2005. Maintenance records are available from 2000 onwards, and given the mileage, the work required appears to have remained relatively modest.

Today, the S3 presents with majestic presence despite some cracking to the paint on the roof and bonnets. The car appears to be largely unrestored; everything feels solid, substantial and built for eternity. Anyone with a weakness for stately saloons will find it difficult not to be immediately drawn to this one. Its appearance is serious and dignified: the classic Bentley for the gentleman owner-driver, and in continental European specification something of a rarity besides. It is precisely this combination of unusual specification and honest condition that makes this particular S3 so appealing.