1956 BENTLEY S-1 HOOPER LIMOUSINE

Details

No British coachbuilder has a more illustrious or longer history than Hooper. Begun in 1807, it received its first Royal Warrant from the future King William IV. Its royal patronage was succeeded by his niece, Queen Victoria, by her son, King Edward VII, and continues to the present queen. After World War II, Hooper embarked on its most adventurous phase with a series of Osmond Rivers-designed bodies. Their flamboyantly curved front fenders and beltline swept down to the rear, where they merged

into the rear fenders. Known as the 'Empire Line,' where earlier Hooper coachwork had been restrained, the 'Empire Line' was daring. Hooper proudly featured a pair of 'Empire Line' bodied cars at the 1956 London Motor Show, a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S1, a significant event that is mirrored in this pair of Hooper-bodied cars, a 1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and 1956 Bentley S1, both proudly bearing Hooper's distinctive 'Empress' 4-door saloon coachwork, Style 8435. Both are two-toned, the Cloud in black over silver with tan leather; the S in maroon over silver with gray leather. Together they are a statement of elegance, style, purpose and quality, yet each is intrinsically individual. This is an opportunity to acquire a pair of automobiles of the highest quality that combine the work of Britain's most prestigious coachbuilder with its pre-eminent marques that re-create Hooper's 1956 London Motor show display. Right-hand drive. **SOLD AS A PAIR WITH LOT 1061**