1964 Bentley S3 - Continental Drophead Coupe

The standard version of the Bentley S3, featuring a factory-built four-door saloon body, was produced from 1962 to 1965. It made its debut at the Mondial de l’Automobile in October 1962. The main external difference from its predecessor, the S2, was the new front-end design, which now featured four headlights instead of two. This also marked the transition to the completely revamped design of its successor, the T1. Apart from the new headlamp design, the front end was altered by a radiator grille that was 1.5 inches (approx. 3.8 cm) lower; redesigned front wings with separate indicators (previously integrated into the auxiliary headlamps); and smaller bumper trims. Inside, the S3 was fitted with individual seats for the driver and front passenger, whilst the dashboard was fitted with a padded impact guard. The predecessor’s 6.25-litre V8 engine was slightly revised; power was increased by 7 per cent thanks to larger carburettors and a compression ratio raised from 8:1 to 9:1. The power steering was also improved and now required less effort to operate. As with its predecessor, Bentley also offered a sporty special edition of the S3 known as the Continental. In this case, Bentley supplied only the ready-to-drive chassis; the bodywork was provided by independent coachbuilders on behalf of the customer. S3 bodywork was available from Mulliner Park Ward and James Young. The Bentley S3 Continental Drophead Coupé offered here – one of just 76 cars with a Mulliner Park Ward body – was ordered in 1963 by Rippon Brothers Ltd. on behalf of a Mr Crossley from Yorkshire, England. Chassis BC52XC was delivered to Mulliner Park Ward in October 1963, where the elegant open-top body was fitted, and in January 1964 the finished S3 Continental was delivered to its first owner. At that time, it still had right-hand drive, was finished in ‘Rouge Irise’ with cream-coloured leather upholstery and a cream-coloured soft top; in April 1966, this elegant convertible was sold to a Mr Park in Lancashire. After that, its history is lost for a few years. The Bentley was restored around 2010 – during which time the car was converted to left-hand drive and given its current vanilla/red paintwork with matching leather upholstery and a corresponding fabric soft top. From 2012 onwards, the S3 was part of a collection and was hardly driven at all. In December 2022, the car was imported into Switzerland by the very same collector and stored in a climate-controlled hall. In November 2025, the Drophead Coupé was finally acquired by the current owner in a non-roadworthy condition, with the intention of getting the car back on the road. The Bentley was carefully brought back into service, and the mechanical components were checked and repaired where necessary. The car is currently in fair to good condition; the bodywork and interior are in fine condition and the engine runs correctly, though it will likely require some final tuning and possibly further optimisation. Due to his advancing age, the owner has decided to sell this rare convertible. The S3 Continental will be handed over to a new enthusiast having passed its most recent veteran MOT completed in September 2026.