1963 Bentley S3 Saloon

Description

For many pundits, the S3 represents the end of an era and was the last of the traditional Crewe-built Bentleys before the downsized T-Series arrived in 1965. Still largely hand-made, on a separate chassis and in limited numbers, the S3 is today the most sought after of the S-Type family that began with the first six-cylinder model of 1955. In 1959 Rolls-Royce and Bentley adopted a new alloy 6.2-litre V8 engine for the S2. The graceful standard steel coachwork, styled by the talented John Blatchley, was largely unchanged from the S2 apart from a lower bonnet line and radiator shell. The most noticeable change on the S3 was the adoption of four headlamps, capable of lighting the road more effectively than the old twin headlight arrangement and visually, a forerunner of the forthcoming Silver Shadow/T-Series. Powered by the 90-degree V8, essentially the same unit used in all Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars for the best part of three decades, the S3's engine featured an alloy cylinder head, twin SU carburettors and an output merely described as 'adequate'. Improvements to the engine specification for the S3 included raising the compression ratio to 9.0:1, a nitride-hardened crankshaft and 2-inch SU HD8 carburettors. Driving through a GM-sourced 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 exclusive 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.