Bentleys old and new - grace Monterey Car Week

2024-08-21

Immaculately restored 1961 S2 Drophead Coupe becomes first Bentley-entered car into Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. New Continental GT Speed coupe and Convertible make US public at Monterey Car Week. Speed Six Continuation Series makes on-road debut. Bentley Environmental Foundation announces new kelp forest initiative with partner SeaTrees.

Bentley’s annual showcase at Monterey Car Week continued this year, with a trio of firsts that showcased the breadth of the marque’s automotive diversity. The new, fourth-generation Continental GT Speed made its US debut at the event, with a personalised example from Bentley’s bespoke and coachbuilding division, Mulliner, spearheading a fleet of more than 30 pre-production examples at the event. Journalists and customers were able to sample the new GT Speed on the road for the first time anywhere globally, ahead of demonstrators being made available across Bentley’s worldwide retailer network.

The Continental GT Speed was not the only Bentley Grand Tourer making a debut at Monterey Car Week. Following a two-year, bare-metal restoration, Bentley’s own 1961 S2 Drophead Coupe – one of just 15 examples created by Mulliner in the 1960s – became the first Bentley ever entered into the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance by the marque itself. Monterey Car Week was the first time the car, registration UFF 366, has been presented by Bentley after a painstaking rebuild as part of the three-year rejuvenation of Bentley’s Heritage Collection.

The S2 Drophead Coupe is a forebear of the new Continental GT Speed Convertible that also appeared in the US for the first time, in two distinct ways.

The new Continental GT Speed family utilises Bentley’s new Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain – created around an all-new V8 engine paired to an electric motor – becoming the next member of a Bentley V8 bloodline that started with the S2, which introduced a 6.23-litre V8 to replace the straight-six engine of the S1.

Meanwhile, the new GT Speed returns Bentley’s design DNA to a clean pair of large headlamps, replacing the previous use of four smaller units that have defined the face of the Continental family – and indeed every mainstream Bentley - since 1963. The S2 was the last Bentley to use this elegant design.

The latest project from Mulliner’s Classic division, the Speed Six Continuation Series, was also used on the road for the first time. An exact continuation of the Speed Six which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1930, Speed Six ‘Car Zero’ is a newly-built example crafted by hand to the original drawings, original materials and using original manufacturing techniques. The car has been driven for several thousand miles during engineering development and sign-off, ahead of the trip to Monterey to offer an authentic Speed Six experience to Mulliner customers who have ordered one of the 12 examples to be created.

Bentley’s presence at Monterey Car Week continues to be one of the most comprehensive of any brand. Nearly 90 Bentleys were brought together on the Peninsula for the week, and more than 3,000 customers and friends were hosted by Bentley across different events and evenings. The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering formalised the arrival of the new Continental GT Speed in the USA, alongside a new Bentayga S Black Edition finished in satin silver with orange accents. The Friday evening saw Bentley return to Seal Rock for its iconic Beach Dinner, in conjunction with brand partner The Macallan, at which it was announced that the Bentley Environmental Foundation will fund a US kelp forest initiative with its partner SeaTrees, restoring vital CO2-absorbing kelp forests along key coastal sites. Several hundred VIPs joined Bentley’s famous Signature Party on Saturday night, and Bentley again guests at The Bench for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday – where a small group of Bentley executives served as Honorary Judges and the 1961 S2 Drophead was showcased, while a new Continental GTC Speed appeared on the Concept Lawn. Meanwhile, a pair of Mulliner designers hosted specification sessions with clients across the events, with scores of new Bentleys imagined.

UFF 366

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.