Any experience with 1946-1962 Bentleys

Next time try smokin' a little wacky tobacky, then maybe an amphicar will appeal to you.

Have a buddy who had one, he was miserable with it. When it broke he waited for ever, and when he drove it, it broke. If you want the number of the guy so you can be talked out of it, let me know.

Now he's drivin' old Mini's instead. go figure.

Dave

 

I would stick with your earlier plan and find a nice upper 80's Turbo R. They are one hell of a car for 25k. Don't know much about the early ones but I would bet they would be a PITA to own and find parts for. I could be wrong but the Turbo R would be more fun to actually use.

 

in my opinion, if your looking for a car in that era, you might want to go with a rolls. it's a little bit easier to find parts for, not by much though. but then again, you can find a newer one for much cheaper as well, the turbo r is a great car

 

Eric

What do you want to know?

S2's / Clouds are fantastic cars, run a mile from most Mk 6's as they tended to be pretty unloved in the past and at least in the UK tend to be rotten! (Although I did have a fun race a few years ago in a pair of Mk 6's)

If it were my money being dropped into a black hole I'd go for a late Cloud with the V8 motor..........junk the old motor and drop in the blower motor from a Turbo S or Flying Spur (not the POS that VW have just launched but a proper Crewe Rolls Royce......Henry Royce would be silently spinning in his grave if he could see what's happened to Rolls Royce Motors) add a Harvey Bailey kit and enjoy the finest car in the world (Ok at least it was when it was new)

Please join the BDC or the RR enthusiasts club, both very helpful and at least in the UK very sociable

 

Only the grill, a few Mk 6's in the uk had the Royce grill added later in life to improve resale!

 

Yeah the Chinese eye cars are an aquired taste , although I really would go for something else over a MK 6 (even the latter big bore cars) they really are Royce/Bentley light............if your wife likes the 6 shape how about a nice pre war Derby Bentley....a proper car or a later Silver Wraith my personal fave would be a nice Rolls Royce Mulliner Coupe (early Corniche coupe) again updated with the later running gear which of course pretty much drops straight in.

 

Just a matter of personal taste I prefer the looks of the older cars with the improved go of the newer ones......although any of the V8 cars will be reasonably quick for it's size, a decent S2 is a great car that actually works in modern traffic

 

i don't know much about the availability of parts, but i do know that cost of ownership is still somewhat steep, which is what stopped me from buying an 84 silver spur

 

Yes the V8 cars do have better parts supply as the motor is essentially still in production, drawing parallels with Ferraris is a fairly sensible idea, if you know where to look you can get some parts fantastically cheaply if you don't.....hellloooo second mortgage a good example is Silver Shadow brake pads, Royce price £140........knowing what they are price £35 personaly I'd say a S2 is about the same to run as a 308

the best part is these cars are very very DIY friendly, Royce was pretty risk averse by the end of the second world war and most cars built afterwards are pretty easy to work on once you understand the various nuances…..the worst mechanic I know is a rolls specialist!....which should give you some idea of how idiot proof these cars are (once you know what your doing!)

 

I have a 1961 Silver Cloud II drop head coupe (Convertible) It has been a very reliable car. Like any car it must be driven frequently and kept in very dry storage. the motor and transmission have proven to be very strong. They were rebuilt once about 15 years ago during the restoration and haven't missed a beat since. The power top works well and the aftermarket A/C is as strong as any new car. There are many good sources for parts and service. Richard Gorman at Vantage Motorworks here in Miami is the man to speak to about any purchases or restoration work. The guy is a virtual encyclopedia on post war bentley and Rolls.

 

Well, FWIW: I spent years trying to find an S3 Flying Spur; finally got to drive one and was very much unimpressed. They don't go, and they don't stop. They ARE beautiful-looking cars, no doubt about that, but way behind the comparables when it comes to just driving it around. I've driven other Cloud III series cars, and I thought they were better, but they all feel really dated and old when you are behind the wheel.

So I drove two later model Bentleys- a 96 and a 93, I think. They are better- smoother engines, more power, but numb handling- you sort of aim the car- and terrible brakes, totally nonlinear with essentially an on-off brake pedal. And these were good cars, low miles, well-maintained. It's just a feel I don't like. Kind of disconnected from the road...

As a reality check, after I drove the Bentleys, I drove my 71 300/6.3 Benz for a week. No comparison- the 6.3 is way faster, handles like it's on rails, has amazing brakes, and is solid and all one piece. The only thing that it give up to the RR/B cars is that it is not nearly as quiet. Well, and no Flying Lady out front, either.

Ideal car? Maybe the Flying Spur III body, with the 6.3 drivetrain transplanted in, and a lot of chassis tuning. Oh, and the brakes from the Mercedes, too....I have a spare 6.3 drivetrain sitting around, I'll have to think about this...

The story has a happy ending, in that while I was driving the Bentley, I found out that they had a Mercedes 3.5 cabriolet, which I bought. Rarer and better than a Corniche, and drives and handles a lot better as well. I think you either like the Rolls/Bentley driving feel or you don't. It's not for everyone.