Jay Kay Drove This 1958 Bentley S1 Continental Drophead for Only 7,000 Miles in 20 Years

The S1 Continental was part of a high-performance series, introduced half a year after the S1 in standard guise was revealed. Only 94 such S1 Drophead Coupes have ever been made. And only 55 units were built to rear-wheel drive specifications. And this one right here is one of those.

Chassis number BC40EL, the S1 Continental Drophead Coupe with Park Ward Coachwork was registered ELM 9, for the first time, to Mather & Crowther Ltd., located in London, just next to the Waterloo Bridge. Everything about it was as E.L. Mather had required. One of the requirements specified was the Tudor Grey paintwork over the Green interior with a plan green convertible. He got the car delivered on May 28, 1958.

This automobile, even though a Bentley, was supposedly the muse for an ad that featured a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud that read: "At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock." The S1 Continental Drophead was derived from Rolls-Royce's redesigned Silver Cloud, after World War II. The Bentley did not have the RR statue. But it had the "Flying B" badge up on the hood, right above the vertically designed radiator grille.

Not much is known about the S1 Continental afterward. What is for sure is that in May 1990, it was imported back into the UK to P.J. Fisher, a famous London-based Bentley specialist, and it still had the ELM9 registration number.

Private collector Alan Price bought the car in 1991 and sent it straight to a team of Rolls-Royce and Bentley experts at Auto Trade Restoration of Kensal Green, London. The body was repainted in dark blue, the power top became dark blue as well, and the interior got fully retrimmed in grey leather.

Both engine and transmission were rebuilt. Restoration finished in October 1992. The owner made efforts to return it to its original ELM9, but it was impossible. So he had to resort to GVS854.

Jamiroquai's frontman, Jay Kay, one of the best-selling British artists of the decade back then, right behind Spice Girls and Oasis, was looking to buy a Bentley. But he was torn between getting a new one or this one right here. He tried them both, and the decision was easy afterward. He purchased chassis BC40EL in January 2001. Little did he know back then that he was actually starting a collection of classic and modern cars, with this Bentley being one of the longest lasting in his garage.

The automobile is exceptionally well-preserved. The odometer shows under 40,000 miles (64,374 kilometers). And they are believed to be real. Around 2,000 (3,219 kilometers) of them were added by Jay Kay in the first year of ownership out of the total 7,000 (11,265 kilometers) that it traveled under his ownership. In 2002, the Bentley starred in the Love Foolosophy music video, Jamiroquai's third single from A Funk Odyssey album.

The four-seat two-door coupe was shipped to Marbella, in Spain, for the shooting with Heidi Klum in the rear seat, Kay Jay driving, and an Afghan Hound riding shotgun next to the artist. Since that video, the car has covered less than 5,000 miles (8,047 kilometers). It traveled less than 16,000 miles (25,750 kilometers) since its restoration in the early 1990s.

Am RM Sotheby’s Private Sales team member took the car for a ride in June 2023. It never failed. It starts from the first turn of the ignition and operates perfectly at speed as well as in stop-start driving on a hot summer's day. "It was incredibly difficult to fault," was the conclusion.

That engine that started without a single hesitation is a six-cylinder 4.9-liter petrol unit, carried over from Rolls-Royce. It developed 155 horsepower and was mated to a four-speed automatic GM Hydra Matic that came standard. And that was 1958, remember?

It could do the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) run in 12.9 seconds. Not quite a ballerina, tipping the scales at 4,145 pounds (1,880 kilograms), it could still hit a top speed of 119 mph (192 kph).

It measured 210 inches (5,334 millimeters) in length, 71.5 inches (1,816 millimeters) in width, and 58 inches (1,473 millimeters) in height, sporting a wheelbase of 123 inches (3,124 millimeters). That would be very close to the proportions of the Bentayga SUV, the company's most popular model right now. The Bentayga is 209 inches (5,305 millimeters) long and comes with a 125-inch (3,175 millimeters) wheelbase.

Because he does not want this Bentley S1 Continental Drophead Coupe to turn this car into a garage queen, but keep its wheels on the road for the rest of its life, Jay Kay is now selling his car, and price is available upon request. But you know what they say about those who need to ask about it.