H&H Classics will soon auction the Bentley S2 Continental of Inspector Clouseau.
Fans of the Inspector Clouseau’s adventurous escapades will soon be able to purchase the 1960 Bentley S2 Continental that belonged to their favorite actor, the British Peter Sellers. This car will be a star in the auction presented by H&H Classics at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, England, on March 13th.
A true exceptional model reserved for the elites, this Bentley was one of the most expensive cars in the world at the time. It was available starting at £8,246, which was enough to buy 16 Minis or a Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina berlinetta AND a Jaguar Mark 2 sedan with a 3.8L engine.
When Peter Sellers bought this imposing convertible in November 1961 (with approximately 12,875 km on the odometer), he clearly wanted to display his celebrity status. He also wanted to enjoy the prestige associated with this convertible due to the fame of other famous buyers, including King Hassan II of Morocco and Prince Moulay Abdullah, his brother, as well as the Russo-American actor Yul Brynner, who bought one after filming “The Magnificent Seven”!
Of course, these Bentleys are not easy to come by. Between 1959 and 1962, the Crewe manufacturer delivered 388 S2 chassis to various coachbuilders who turned them into two-door models—coupes and convertibles. Of these, 125 became Drophead Coupes, the sophisticated designation used by British manufacturers to refer to convertibles. Peter Seller’s S2 Continental is one of the 60 cars built with right-hand drive and was bodied by Park Ward, a company affiliated with Rolls-Royce.
As the second owner of this car, Sellers kept it until July 1966. During this period, he entrusted its maintenance to the London dealer Jack Barclay Ltd, one of the oldest dealerships of the brand. It is believed that some modifications were made to the car there.
For example, the front fenders were redesigned, and the single spotlight headlights were replaced with double headlights, giving the car the look of a Park Ward S3 Continental, the model that succeeded the S2 Continental in 1962. There is also a presence of a smoked glass rearview mirror with a longer arm that allows the sun visor to be fully deployed.
Sellers often changed cars, according to Damian Jones, a senior specialist at the automotive department of H&H Classics. His friend and co-host of the radio comedy show “The Goon Show,” Spike Milligan, even said that for him, cars were like “metal underwear”! However, the fact that Sellers kept this Bentley for so long suggests that he cherished it more than his other cars, according to the specialist.
Jones acknowledges that this S2 Continental “needs love” today. It has never undergone major restoration, and its condition has remained largely original, as evidenced by the patina of its leather upholstery. “The car needs a recommissioning or a full restoration,” says Mr. Jones.
This assessment is likely also true for its engine. Its 6.2L overhead valve V8, paired with a Rolls-Royce 4-speed automatic transmission, would allow this 2-ton Bentley to reach a top speed of 185 km/h.
None of this prevents the auctioneer from believing that Peter Sellers’ celebrity status and the likelihood that this car has likely transported many celebrities of the time will generate great interest from buyers (Sellers regularly associated with Orson Welles, Frank Sinatra, Sophia Loren, Peter O’Toole, Stanley Kubrick, not to mention Britt Ekland, his second wife). This explains why it has been given a value of £120,000 to £150,000 (approximately $200,000 to $250,000).
The car is being offered at this auction by the owners of one of the world’s largest collections of Bentley S3 Continentals and Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud IIIs. In addition to the car, the lot includes a comprehensive historical file, including repair invoices related to the car’s presence on the set of the movie “The Wrong Arm of the Law,” a 1963 feature film directed by Cliff Owen in which Peter Sellers starred. An original promotional poster for this film is also part of the lot, as well as a 12-inch long-play record of the best episodes of the 1960 series “The Goon Show,” and an autographed photo of Inspector Clouseau by Peter Sellers, an essential piece for fans.
Photos: H&H Classics
