A 1960 Bentley S2 Continental that was once owned by British comedy legend Peter Sellers will be auctioned in March.
Sellers was the Continental’s second keeper and ran it from November 1961 to July 1966, ensuring it was regularly maintained by Jack Barclay in London. In addition to keeping the Bentley in perfect running order the dealer was commissioned by the comedian to reprofile the front wings and add two additional headlights. Sellers also had a smoked glass rear-view mirror fitted with a longer arm that allowed the sun visor to move without restriction.
“Sellers was a man who changed his cars so often, his fellow star of The Goon Show, Spike Milligan, referred to them as ‘metal underwear’, so to have retained this Bentley for so long, shows how much he cherished it,” says Damian Jones, senior motorcar specialist, at auctioneers H&H Classics.
Sellers’ Bentley is one of only 60 right-hand-drive S2 Continentals that were elegantly dressed in Drophead Coupe bodywork by coachbuilders Park Ward. In its day it was one of the most expensive cars in the world costing £8,246 2s 6d—an equivalent of almost £160,000 in 2024. You could have bought a Ferrari 250 GT and still had enough change for a Jaguar Mk2 3.8 for the same outlay.
The Pink Panther star’s car is estimated to fetch £120,00-£150,000 when it goes to auction on 13 March at H&H Classics’ Imperial War Museum sale. It comes fresh from one of the world’s biggest collections of Continentals and is sold with an extensive history file which includes invoices showing the car being delivered to the set of the 1963 Ealing Comedy The Wrong Arm of the Law. Assorted Sellers memorabilia is also part of the package.
The Continental is unrestored and in need of recommissioning, and/or restoration, so it could be something of A Shot In The Dark with plenty more to spend on top of the final sales price.
