There is a certain rhythm to the morning of Salon Privé. The sound of gravel crunching underfoot. The faint smell of cut grass drifting over from the far side of Blenheim Palace’s sweeping lawns. The quiet, measured hum of voices from owners, judges and spectators, all united by a reverence for motoring’s past.
It is into this rarefied atmosphere that Bentley is sending two of its own treasures. Not tucked away in a roped-off display, but into the full glare of concours judging, where every curve, every stitch, every gleam of chrome is subject to the scrutiny of an exacting panel. This year’s event marks the first time the concours has opened its gates to direct manufacturer entries, and Bentley has chosen to rise to the challenge with a pairing that neatly straddles eras: the 1953 R Type Continental, chassis JAS 949, and the 1961 S2 Drophead Coupe, UFF 366.
The R Type Continental was born in a Britain still dusting itself off after the war. Petrol was rationed until 1950, the motorway network was still a sketch on a civil servant’s desk, and most saloons were designed for stately rather than swift progress. Into this world stepped Bentley’s Chief Projects Engineer, Ivan Evernden, and Chief Stylist, John Blatchley, with an idea for a new kind of car: a four-seat saloon that could travel at sustained high speeds across Europe without strain.
Their prototype, nicknamed “Olga”, proved the point, lapping the high, banked track at Montlhèry just shy of 120mph. The production cars wore streamlined aluminium bodywork by HJ Mulliner, their flowing rooflines and tapering tails hinting at speed even when at rest. JAS 949 was ordered in December 1953 by Dr Rowland Guenin of Switzerland in an understated ivory with a red interior, and with the manual gearbox that keen drivers preferred. Today, Bentley’s heritage team has kept it as much as possible in that original form, the paint carries the soft lustre of age, the leather seats the creases of use. It feels lived-in, not lacquered into sterility.
By contrast, the S2 Drophead Coupe arrived in a different Britain. It was the dawn of the 1960s. The Beatles had not yet released their first single, but optimism was in the air. Bentley’s S2 saloon, launched in 1959, was modern in both style and substance, with a brand-new aluminium V8 engine replacing the old straight-six design that had its roots in the 1920s. The Drophead Coupe by Mulliner was the rarest expression of the model, built in a run of just fifteen. It combined the solidity of a Bentley saloon with the breezy glamour of open-top motoring.
UFF 366 was never a car to blend quietly into the background. Acquired from France in 2022 in a rather sorry state, it underwent an intensive two-year restoration. Stripped to bare metal, reconfigured to its original right-hand drive, and painted in a rich Ming Blue that shifts tone in the changing light, it now looks every inch the grande dame returned to society after a long absence. Inside, the fawn leather catches the summer sun, and the air carries the faint scent of fresh hide mixed with polish – the signature aroma of a car recently brought back to life.
The judging at Salon Privé is as exacting as it is ceremonial. Panels pore over details invisible to the casual observer: the crispness of a body panel’s shut line, the accuracy of the stitching on a seat bolster, the authenticity of period fittings. It is an exercise not simply in aesthetics, but in historical fidelity. How faithfully does this car represent what it was when new? How much of its story has been preserved rather than rewritten?
In that sense, Bentley’s entries are well chosen. The R Type Continental is as much about the romance of long-distance travel as it is about mechanical achievement. It speaks to an era when crossing Europe by road was an adventure, and when a fast car was not a tool for show, but a passport to freedom. The S2 Drophead Coupe, on the other hand, represents the changing mood of the early 1960s, a confidence in style, a willingness to embrace the pleasures of motoring as much as its practicalities.
As the day unfolds and the sun moves across the palace façade, these two Bentleys will sit side by side on the manicured lawn, each reflecting its own moment in history. Visitors will linger, cameras will click, and conversations will drift between memories, mechanical details and design flourishes. The concours is as much about these exchanges as it is about the eventual awards.
When the judges make their final rounds, there will be no hiding place. But perhaps that is the point. In a world where many historic cars spend their lives behind velvet ropes, it is refreshing to see two grande dames step out onto the lawn and let their stories speak for themselves.
