BENTLEY S1 1955-1959 Photos, engines & full specs

Rolls-Royce's sister company was the Bentley, and the 1955 S1 was a re-badged Silver Cloud.

While in the Rolls-Royces the owners were chauffeured, Bentley built its cars to be driven by their owners. They were more spirited and more involving than their more luxurious siblings. But even by the 1950s standards, a two-ton car couldn't be considered a sporty one. At the same time, in the U.S., Ford had the Thunderbird, which was faster but not as luxurious as a Bentley.

At the front, the body-on-frame car featured a different front fascia than the Rolls-Royce. Instead of the Spirit of Ecstacy, it sported a B-winged badge on top of the pinned-out radiator but had the same headlights and the same chromed bumper. Wide, hand-crafted fenders flanked the long and tall engine compartment. Its steep and slightly curved windshield opened the way for the greenhouse. Its sloped-down roof was continued by a short, almost vertical rear windscreen and a trunk.

Its leather-clad interior featured a pair of seats at the front and a bench in the back. On the backside of the seatbacks of the front seats, Bentley installed retractable wood tables. There were other wood trims on the dashboard and door cards, but not from the same wood as in the Silver Cloud.

Under the hood, the carmaker installed an inline-six engine rated at 175 hp, but Bentley didn't publish an official figure in those times. In 1956, the carmaker included power steering and air-conditioning on the options list.