Bentley S2 Drophead Coupe
The Bentley S2, which succeeded the first-generation S-Type, was hailed as one of the most luxurious and innovative saloons in the world at its launch in 1959. On this platform, Mulliner created the rarest version - the S2 Drophead Coupe, of which only 15 examples were built.
Bentley's S2 Drophead Coupe was acquired from a French owner in 2022, as part of the work to rebuild the in-house Heritage Collection. However, the car was in poor condition, and needed two years of restoration work with Bentley Heritage partners P&A Wood to bring it to Concours condition.
UFF366 was originally delivered in 1961, finished in Regal Red with a tan interior and a gold fine line. While originally being built as right-hand drive, at some time in its life the car was converted to left-hand operation and repainted in dark blue.
During the restoration, the body was taken back to bare metal and previous poor-quality repairs were cut out and rebuilt correctly. Meanwhile, the engine, gearbox and rear axle were completely stripped, worn parts replaced and the systems rebuilt. The wiring was rebuilt from scratch, using the original drawings and even using identically-coloured wires as per the original specification.
The wood set was restored by specialists, while the interior was retrimmed in Connolly Vaumol leather to match the original light tan using a shade called Fawn. The decision was taken to keep the car blue, but to repaint it in an original 1960s Bentley colour - the lustrous Ming Blue. The original gold fine line was then reapplied by hand, along with blue and gold trims to the hub caps.
