1963 BENTLEY S3 CONTINENTAL

A Bentley Continental. This is what James Bond wanted before he received the Aston Martin. That's because in James's prime, the Continental was the car to have for touring, well, the Continent.

Just a couple of things to sort out about a Bentley Continental. The first ones (1952) were made to a specification that called for (a) 2 doors and (b) more performance than the dour 4 door Bentley saloon.

Not that any of this was new to Bentley. They had a "sports" model, called the Corniche, set for launch around 1940 but we know who put a stop to that.

After the War new plans for a two door sports saloon with fastback styling were drawn up. Bodywork was only ever going to be done by a coachbuilder and, although Park Ward were part of Bentley by that time, the firm of HJ Mulliner bodied most of the 207 'R Type' Continentals made between 1952-55.

In '55 the R type gave way to the S type saloon and Continental. Coachbuilding was split close to 50:50 between Mulliner and Park Ward with a few going to James Young & Hooper (for those who wanted to be just that bit different). By the time the S2 evolved, Mulliner were bodying some of their Continentals as 4 doors and calling them Flying Spurs. This was also the time when Bentley stopped giving the Continentals a more powerful engine or higher speed gearing than the standard saloon. Performance would still be better than the saloon though, because of the coachbuilder's use of aluminium rather than steel for part of the bodywork. This had more to do with ease of panel beating than direct weight saving, but the benefit was to be had nevertheless.

In 1959 Mulliner was taken over by Bentley so their "in-house" coachbuilder became Mulliner Park Ward, but in the transition both companies designed separate two door bodies for the S3 Continental.

Eleven of the Mulliner designs were built before Bentley opted to go for a single coachbuilt body based on a design by Vilhelm Koren and Park Ward. This is the twin headlamp design of the S3 Continental shown on this page.

From the S2 onward Bentley had replaced the 4.5 straight six engine with a 6.23 litre V8. Famously no engine output figures were disclosed, but just between you and me it was 205 bhp or thereabouts. So the Continental is no rocket ship, but once on the move there is more than adequate power, as the chaps at Bentley used to like to say.

It's also so smooth - totally unlike the V8 grunt we are used to in American or Australian V8's.

The 4 speed auto gearbox is their own version of the GM Hydra-Matic transmission and works beautifully when left to its own devices. It can be flicked down to third for a bit of engine braking but the kick down requires a good size kick to drop a cog. With oodles of torque, just let it think for itself and enjoy the ride. And really enjoying the ride is what you do in a Continental. You get a little bump-thump from the suspension but the overall impression is one of serene silence.

This level of interior ambience is something that only the coachbuilders have ever had the cash to achieve. Leather everywhere, beautiful walnut on the dash and door cappings, enough nick-nacks to keep you happy for hours. And the test car has been fitted with a good air conditioner so the Australian weather extremes should not be a problem.

The driving position is imposing although the steering angle and pedal location leave something to be desired. Space in the rear is good and if you can run to a chauffeur, even part-time, then you will truly know how the other half live.

But back in the driver's seat. You might worry about drum brakes stopping 2.5 tonnes of coachbuilt limousine. Don't. The brakes do a great job and only a fool will find themselves with a problem in the stopping department. This car had an $80,000 refurbishment in 1998 so expenses should be minimal, provided the new owner looks after all the regular maintenance items.

When new, engine and gearbox oil changes were recommended every 2,500 miles, but today's oils should be able to do a lot better than that. The Dawn Blue paint work and Magnolia hide are both excellent and everything seems to work as it should.

So while there is no reason this could not be an everyday car, chances are it won't be. As a weekend cruiser it is fabulous. And the best part is that it's money in the bank. I would be amazed if this isn't a $200K car in 10 years time. Better than cash management and much more fun to boot. What more could you want? Trevor West

WHAT, WHERE, WHEN & HOW MUCH

Model: Bentley S3 Continental

Year: 1963

Dealer: Sydney Classic Cars

43 Cranbrook Street

Botany, NSW, 2019

Ph: (02) 9666 1122

Price: $139,000

0-100 kph: Say 12 seconds or so

Best point: Image & style

Worst point: Watch the supermarket trolley

Recommendation: Classic investment

Trivia: Actor Peter Sellers owned a Bentley Continental - by 1964 we think it was the 89th car he had owned. The number was well over 120 by the time he died in 1980!