1958 Bentley S1 Continental Once Owned By Alfred Hitchcock Is Up For Auction

The mid-century Bentley S1 Continental in any form is a very rare piece of automotive history as it is. Finding one for sale takes patience and a large bank account, so imagine what kind of attention one such car previously owned by Alfred Hitchcock (apparently some guy who directed a bunch of movies people like to watch) draws when it hit popular auction site Bring A Trailer. As of this writing, you have less than five hours to beat the current bid, which to be honest, is quite low for this wonderful specimen.


Perusing online automotive auction sites can be a fun little rabbit hole, with Bring A Trailer probably one of the most addictive and fun of them all. One offering that has popped up is a gorgeous 1958  Bentley S1 Continental that could easily fetch $900,000 (some have sold for as much as $2 million). What makes this sample extra special is that it was custom-built for and driven by the master of suspense himself— Alfred Hitchcock—at around the height of his popularity.

The Bentley S1 "Six-Light Saloon" Continental has its underpinning (chassis and powertrain) made by Rolls-Royce (it owned Bentley at the time), with various coachbuilders assigned to produce the bodywork. Officially, a total of 3,538 S1s were built between 1955 to 1959.


What eventually became part of Hitchcock's own collection was one built by H.J. Mulliner to the "six-light" Flying Spur design, unique for its full rear quarter windows. When this car was made, Hitchcock was already well settled in Hollywood. Thus, the car was made for California roads with upgraded air conditioning, power steering, miles-per-hour speedometer, and is one of the 16 left-hand drive models in existence.


The car being sold at Bring A Trailer is in immaculate condition and has been restored by the second of its three owners. It comes in a unique velvet green on that fantastic aluminum bodywork. Powering it all is a 4.9-liter inline six going to the rear wheels. According to the current owner, there are a small oil leaks here and there, which is a must for most British cars anyway, but is otherwise mechanically clean complete with a lovely light tan interior.

The bid currently sits at $200,000, which, so far is still less than what it sold for to the current owner.

Photo credits: Bring A Trailer