- Exceptional provenance: ordered new in France by the Peugeot company

- The S1 Fastback owned by the photographer Helmut Newton from 1964 to 1972

- One of 26 left-hand drive cars built

- Engine rebuilt in 2011, extensive history file

- Extremely rare, highly exclusive model

As well as being a rare, luxurious and sought-after model, this Bentley S Type Continental benefits from its prestigious provenance, its owners including the Peugeot family and the famous photographer Helmut Newton.

It is worth repeating that, following the R Type Continental from 1952, considered to be the fastest four-seater saloon in the world, the English manufacturer took advantage of the launch in 1955 of the S Type to bring its prestigious coupé up to date. More powerful and fitted with improved running gear and brakes, the S Type Continental was the ultimate version of this extremely exclusive model, which was aimed at royalty, stars and captains of industry. It was powered by a 4.9-litre six-cylinder engine and fitted with bodies made solely by specialist coachbuilders such as H.J. Mulliner, Park Ward, James Young and Hooper.

The car we are offering for sale is one of 26 H.J. Mulliner-bodied S Type Continental coupés in left-hand drive and, as the build and delivery sheets with the car confirm, it was sold through Britannic Automobiles to the ‘Société Anonyme des Automobiles Peugeot’, for M. JP Peugeot. The build sheet specifies that it was finished in Silver and Black Pearl, with beige leather upholstery, and that it had Marchal headlamps, a speedometer reading in kph, a foot-operated horn, amber reversing lights, a rear window bind and a 200 X radio. After it left the factory, it was taken to the airport at Ferryfield and transported by air to Le Touquet, to be delivered new in Paris.

After being used by the Peugeot family, it was acquired by Knud Abildgaard, who ran the Leo laboratories. It was in 1964 that Helmut Newton, who already enjoyed some fame as a photographer, fell under its spell. He described how this came about in his autobiography, published in 2002, from which we reproduce here the passage in question: “It was at the start of 1964 that I decided that I had to have a Bentley. I went to Franco-Britannic, the Parisian dealership for Rolls-Royce and Bentley, and the salesman showed me around the basement where the secondhand cars were displayed. I told him that I had 10,000 francs to spend and he showed me some well-worn R Types. But when I spotted a beautiful silver and metallic blue machine in a corner of the garage, I said to him: ‘That’s the one I want.’ He looked at me with pity and replied, ‘Sir, you don’t have enough money. That’s Mme Peugeot’s car, which she used to go to the golf course with. It’s for sale at 23,000 francs.’ A month later, one Saturday morning, a cheque came in from the advertising agency Scholz & Partners for a job I’d done for them. The amount exactly matched the price of the car. I rushed off to Neuilly and gave the cheque to the salesman, telling him: “Give me this car, and make it quick!’ He took me for a lunatic, but when I drove the car home, I was in a state of utter euphoria.”

Born in Berlin in 1920 as Helmut Neustädter, he followed his parents to Australia when they fled Nazi Germany. After the war, he became a British citizen and took the name Helmut Newton. In 1946, he set up a studio in Melbourne and began to publish fashion photographs, which brought him into contact with Vogue magazine in England, where he moved in 1957, and then to Paris with his wife, the actress June Browne. Newton owed his fame to his fashion photos and shots of stars published by magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, not to mention the nudes brought together in his series ‘Big Nudes’. His influence in the field of photography was considerable and international in its scope.

To return to his “darling Bentley”, as he called it, he had to part with the car after suffering a heart attack in 1970. As he related in his autobiography, the trip to Geneva and back by road to have the car maintained (he was not satisfied with the service he received in France) was becoming too tiring.

The car was sold in 1972 to an enthusiast in Paris, who kept the car until 1978, when it was bought by a famous French auctioneer. In 1981/82, it was restored by David Scott-Moncrieff & Son Ltd and in 2002, it left for Belgium and the collector who owns it today. In 2011, the engine was completely rebuilt by English Automotive Services Ltd, at a cost of more than £35,000 (including the fitting of power-assisted steering, rear air-conditioning and electronic ignition).

During the time it was owned by Helmut Newton, the Bentley appeared in the 1967 film The Collector, directed by Éric Rohmer, who was a friend of the photographer. Newton himself photographed the car and it can be seen in his autobiography and on the cover of the book Bentley, Toute l'Histoire, published by EPA in 1983.

The Bentley comes with a history file containing a wealth of documents, including numerous bills for maintenance and service work from specialists such as Franco-Britannic Automobiles, British Motors and Sauzeau Automobiles. The file also includes copies of the build and delivery sheets, old registration documents, a copy of Newton’s autobiography and his book SUMO, a limited-edition large-format work weighing 34kg and supplied with a stand designed by Philippe Starck.

This Bentley S Type Continental is not only remarkably well preserved thanks to its meticulous keepers, it also has the advantage of an exceptional history, in the hands of a leading French car maker and then one of the most famous photographers in the world. It therefore cannot fail to attract the attention of the most demanding collectors, who are keen to find the best possible example of the model they covet.

Photos © Sian Loyson