1964 Bentley S3 Saloon

Last of the traditional separate chassis Bentleys, the S3 was built in limited numbers from 1962 until the introduction of the downsized T-Series in 1965. The standard steel saloon was largely unchanged, apart from a lower bonnet line and radiator shell plus four headlamps in place of two - visually, a forerunner of the forthcoming Silver Shadow/T-Series and capable of lighting the road more effectively than the old twin headlight arrangement. Powered by the 90-degree V8, first seen in the S2 of 1959 and essentially the same unit used in all Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars for the best part of three decades, boasted an alloy cylinder head, twin SU carburettors and a power output merely described as 'adequate'. Changes to the engine specification for the S3 included lifting the compression ratio to 9.0:1, a nitride-hardened crankshaft and new 2-inch SU HD8 carburettors. Driving through a four-speed automatic gearbox, the Bentley S3 rode superbly on coil springs along with improvements to the heating and ventilation system, better power steering and individual front seats in place of the old bench-style. In total, Bentley made 1,286 S3s plus a further 32 cars on the longer wheelbase and 312 of the desirable Continental. For many, the last of the S-Type range represents the end of an era at Bentley - although perhaps not the most technically sophisticated car on the road, the Silver Clouds and S-Types managed to convey their occupants in a manner quite unlike any other car on the road.