Photo: Silverstone Auctions
All Day And All Of The Night, You Really Got Me, and Ev’rybody’s Gonna Be Happy. Even though not everyone is into classic British rock music, chances are you might have heard one of these songs at one point. All of them were written by the architect behind The Kinks, rhythm guitarist and vocalist Ray Davies.
Similar to today’s music superstars, rock musicians of old also had a thing for fast, luxurious cars. Ray Davies made such a purchase back in 1970, following the release of the critically acclaimed Lola Versus Powerman album. The car in question is the sorry-looking 1960 Bentley S2 pictured above, but funnily enough, Davies didn’t have a driver’s license when he bought the luxobarge.
According to the man himself, “My then wife drove it on my behalf because I was unable to drive at the time.” What’s more, the blue-blooded S2 has another story interwoven with The Kinks’ frontman. “While on our holiday in Mullion in Cornwall I sat in the back seat of the Bentley and wrote a follow up to Lola called Apeman,” recollects the 72-year-old musician, “on a Spanish guitar which I carried in the back.”
In storage since 1991, Davies now wants to sell his car. Hence, he appointed Silverstone Auctions to do exactly that at The May Sale 2017, with pre-auction estimates at between £25,000 and £30,000. Sure it needs a lot of specialized tender loving care from the next owner, but bear in mind this is a proper Bentley that happens to be appraised below the value of a brand new Ford Mustang EcoBoost.
As it’s the case with every other S2, chassis number B83BR packs a 6.25-liter V8 developed in-house by Bentley and Rolls-Royce. It’s worth noting that the L Series engine lives on to this day in the form of the 6.75-liter twin-turbo behemoth propelling the Mulsanne. In the Speed model, it’s good for 530 ponies and a monstrous 811 pound-feet. The S2, however, develops 197 horsepower and something like 332 pound-feet. How times have changed, huh?
According to the man himself, “My then wife drove it on my behalf because I was unable to drive at the time.” What’s more, the blue-blooded S2 has another story interwoven with The Kinks’ frontman. “While on our holiday in Mullion in Cornwall I sat in the back seat of the Bentley and wrote a follow up to Lola called Apeman,” recollects the 72-year-old musician, “on a Spanish guitar which I carried in the back.”
In storage since 1991, Davies now wants to sell his car. Hence, he appointed Silverstone Auctions to do exactly that at The May Sale 2017, with pre-auction estimates at between £25,000 and £30,000. Sure it needs a lot of specialized tender loving care from the next owner, but bear in mind this is a proper Bentley that happens to be appraised below the value of a brand new Ford Mustang EcoBoost.
As it’s the case with every other S2, chassis number B83BR packs a 6.25-liter V8 developed in-house by Bentley and Rolls-Royce. It’s worth noting that the L Series engine lives on to this day in the form of the 6.75-liter twin-turbo behemoth propelling the Mulsanne. In the Speed model, it’s good for 530 ponies and a monstrous 811 pound-feet. The S2, however, develops 197 horsepower and something like 332 pound-feet. How times have changed, huh?
Google News