1956 Bentley S1 Woody Ute Was Born A Luxury Saloon – Then Went To Australia

Bentley entered the SUV segment three years ago with the Bentayga, but surely it won’t make a pickup truck, right?

Car enthusiasts certainly hope that won’t be the case, but the automotive industry has proven to be quite unpredictable in recent years. The mere thought of a Bentley pickup might be revolting for car nuts, but how many know that such a vehicle was built in the past?

Also read: Bentley Pickup Truck Study Is Of The “Hell No” Variety

Say hello to the 1956 Bentley S1 Pickup, a coachbuilt creation from Australia that will soon go under the hammer at Silverstone Auctions’ “The Sale of British Marques 2019.” It started life as a Bentley S1 Saloon that was purchased new in London by Charles Lloyd-Jones.

The car was later sold to the Right Honourable 6th Earl of Stradbroke, Keith Rous, who took the Bentley with him to Australia. It was Down Under that the unthinkable happened and the luxurious saloon was converted into a woody pickup.

The conversion was done by coachbuilder George Williams of Camperdown, New South Wales, who did a pretty good job as the photos can attest. He positioned a “Woody-style” bespoke timber load bed where the rear passenger compartment would normally be and painted the rest of the body a vibrant Banana Yellow.

Why the owner of the car decided to turn the Bentley S1 into a pickup is beyond us but we assume it was done for practical reasons. As you can see, the car is currently wearing the logo of a previous owner, “Mount Fyans Black Angus Herd,” which used it as a promotional vehicle.

In 2012, the Bentley Ute was bought by a UK collector who kept it ever since. Now they have decided to part ways with the unusual vehicle which is not registered in the UK but comes with all taxes paid. Silverstone Auctions estimates the classic luxury ute will fetch between £25,000 and £30,000 ($32,600-$39,100) at the May 11 auction.