1958 Bentley S1 RHD saloon

Description

I bought this car two years ago, here in the USA,with plans to restore it and ship it back to the UK on retirement. However, I no longer plan to retire to the UK andasI already have several other cars to keep me busy in my retirement, I will now sell this project.It would be ideal for the car to return to the UK, not only because it is a right-hand drive model brought over from there some years ago, but also because it is still listed there by the DVLA (UK equivalent of DMV) as a British registered car. Maybe some enthusiast from the UK will buy it and if that happens I will be more than happy to do everything possible to help ship the car back to its home country (mine too) including possibly sharing the shipping costs if I can pack some other belongings into the container. But, in case it sells to an American enthusiast, the car has its US documents and North Carolina title, etc.

As the photos show, there is some restoration work to be done, especially to the interior. The leather of the seats has dried, but is probably restorable with thefantastic products now available on the market. Someseat panels havelost their stiches (relatively easy to repair) but the driver's seat leather is torn and some panels will need to be replaced. The roof liningis sound and serviceable, though of course showing the normal signs of age. The woodtrim- on dashboard, doors, rear picnic tables, etc. - is all thereand generally sound, but in need ofnew varnish, polish, etc.The new owner would probably wish to have a full re-spray, but as there is little damage to the body by dents (only acouple ofvery small minor dings) and rust (many exterior body panels are aluminium, so they do not rust at all), the car could possibly be used as-is while other mechanical and interior work is performed and the repaint left for later.The imitation wire-wheel trim whichmay be seenon some wheels but not on others is all here, just temporarily removed, as is the front left-hand-side bumper (fender)over-rider Most of the lights and other electrics are in working order. I cannot say much about the heating and ventilating systems as I have not been using the car for any trips.

Due to much internationalwork the last two years,I have done little restoration so far, other than getting the car running and checking whether it drives and stops. It does all that, but I have only tested it arounda parkinglot at the place I store it, so cannot vouch for highway performance, etc. From the documentation, it seems that the previous owner did not use the car for some years before I bought it, so a full and general checkshould be performed on all systems.Also, the front radiator shell is a bit damaged, like the car was allowed to roll into some obstacle. I have obtained a used Bentley S1 radiator shell in much better condition (see the photos), which will be included in the sale.

The car is in Syracuse, New York, where it can be inspectedbefore the end of the auction. To arrange a visit, or to ask anyquestions, you can contact me as is normal viaeBay, or better still via my university email address (as I work at Syracuse University and am online via the university's serverboth day and night - and may not check my eBay account that regularly). Myelectronic name at the university is ajromisz and the university server's name is syr.edu (after the "at" symbol). I can also be contacted at any time by calling 315 8029220 which is mypersonal mobile number here in Syracuse. I should add thatI am advertising the carboth here locally and also in Europe, so I reserve the right to end the auction early if bidding is slow and I get an acceptable offer elsewhere. However,I ammaking this a "no reserve" auction as I feel confident that the bidding will reach my expectations - which are quite modest, to reflect the general condition of the car.

I would of course expect payment to be made by cash on collection of the car, or if the car is to be shipped or collectedsome timeafter the end of the auction, we can discuss the payment details personally by phone or email contactas described above.Thanks for your interest.