Bentley S1 Continental Park Ward Coupe

This 1956 S1 Continental carries Park Ward coachwork and began life with an unusual specification: right-hand drive, a speedometer in kilometres and a manual gearbox. It was delivered through Belgium to a Brussels customer, a combination the dealer's research describes as rare and possibly unique for 1956.

The manual gearbox did not stay. Bentley records show the car back at the factory service depot in 1957, and the gearbox was later replaced by an automatic. It has since passed through the Blackhawk Collection and a US owner before returning to the UK, and the file includes an ownership summary and works order details.

Today it is black, repainted to the original colour, with crimson leather, matching carpets and rear-fitted seat belts. The engine is reported to have had a full rebuild along with other mechanical work. The mileage is uncertain: the speedometer now reads in miles and the page puts the true figure at around 100,000, so no odometer figure is given. The page shows the price as accepted, so the car may already be spoken for.