1956 Bentley S1 - S1 Continental Drophead Coupé

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' The London Auction event, 31 October 2026.

Offered from 47 years of loving, enthusiast family ownership

Superbly restored by noted firm P&A Wood

Class award-winner at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance; winner of its class at the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club Annual Rally in 2024

One of 58 right-hand-drive Drophead Coupés to style number 700, with fully custom aluminium coachwork

Originally delivered to noted motoring enthusiast Alfred James McAlpine

Among the most superb survivors of a highly regarded design on an exceptional chassis

Unlike the majority of Bentley drophead coupés produced in the post-war era, Park Ward’s body style number 700 for the S1 Continental was not an “adaptation” from factory saloon stampings. Rather, it was a fully custom body, built from the ground up in aluminium by the revered coachbuilder on the exceptionally rigid, magnificently well-tuned Continental chassis, a renowned “gentleman’s express” of the period.

The picture of well-considered grace, John Blatchley’s lines were a classic from the moment they were first carried out and have long been considered one of the peaks of modern Bentley styling. Distinguishing the design were smooth and subtle curves—long, fully “flow through” wings reached gracefully from the front to the rear, with a subtle kick-up forming “hips” over the back wheels, and the very tiniest vestige of tailfins at their trailing tips. Significantly, thanks to its alloy panelling, this model also ensured maximum performance from the chassis beneath.

Only 94 Drophead Coupés were produced on the S1 Continental chassis, for an eager clientele of the most sophisticated motoring enthusiasts on both sides of the Atlantic—captains of industry, Hollywood stars, and world royalty among them. Today, the heirs to that tradition happily maintain the restored survivors.

Chassis number BC33BG, offered here, was one of 58 right-hand-drive Drophead Coupés built to style number 700. It was specified with the later high-compression engine fed by larger carburettors, as well as an automatic gearbox and power-assisted steering. It was originally delivered to Alfred James McAlpine. Chairman of the Northeast England civil engineering firm Sir Alfred McAlpine & Sons, he was a prominent vintage automobile collector and member of a family that had been avid Rolls-Royce and Bentley clients for some 40 years.

The current owner’s father acquired the Bentley in Australia in 1979. He retained it until his passing in 1992, when it was inherited by the vendor. It was used by the consigning owner regularly for over a quarter of a century, still in its very original condition, while maintaining it properly. Thus, it remained in fine, largely original condition when it finally came time for restoration, undertaken by revered firm P&A Wood and completed in time for the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours.

The fastidious, body-off, and ground-up restoration was initially overseen by Paul and Andrew Wood themselves; later by Paul’s daughters, Georgina and Louise Wood. Undergoing a full engine and mechanical rebuild, the car was finished in a spectacular combination of Shell Grey over Astral Blue, with Navy Blue hides and blue hood, and incorporated air conditioning for comfortable long-distance touring. The result is one of the most beautiful-yet-practical Bentley convertibles of its type.

Freshly completed, the S1 Continental reappeared at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, achieving 2nd in the hotly contested Postwar British Luxury class. It went on to be awarded at the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club meeting in England in 2024. The S1 has since remained in the same good hands that have now cared for it, within one loving family both before and after an exquisite restoration, for the last 47 years. Accompanying the car is an impressive history and restoration book, detailing its past as well as the authenticity involved in its restoration in exhaustive detail. The S1 is further offered with its original owner’s manual books.

Offered ready for continued show appearances on either side of the Atlantic, chassis BC33BG is an utterly superb example of a truly classic design, representing one of the finest works on the S1 Continental—among the best grand tourers of its own or any age.

Please note this lot has entered the UK on a temporary import bond, which must be cancelled either by exporting the lot outside of the UK on an approved Bill of Lading with supporting customs documentation or by paying the applicable VAT and import duties to have the lot remain in the UK.

To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/lf26/.