ROCKER’S CLASSIC UP FOR AUCTION
The Kinks’ Ray Davies’ Bentley S2 goes under the hammer
Ever wanted a classic Bentley owned by a rock star, even though he’s never actually driven it? Well, this could be your big chance. The Kinks lead singer, Ray Davies, has owned this 1960 Bentley S2 since 1970, and now Silverstone Auctions is offering it at its next Silverstone sale (with an estimate of £25,000£30,000) on 13 May. Davies says: ‘After the success of
Lola, I was persuaded by my family to invest in a big car, which was unusual for me because I didn’t drive.
‘However, I succumbed to the pressure and bought a secondhand Bentley from Hadleigh Green Garage in Barnet. I was told that the car had belonged to George Greenfield, who was Enid Blyton’s agent. My (then) wife drove it on my behalf.’
Most famously, The Kinks used the Bentley in a photoshoot for the
Preservation album and black and white footage of the band posing as gangsters with it outside London’s KONK studios still exists.
Davies adds: ‘ When I moved to Surrey in the 1970s, the car came down with me. I still could not drive and I was actually 44 before I tried for my licence. It was occasionally taken out for special events such as weddings and family outings.
‘The Kinks took it on the road in England but the fans started writing on the car with lipstick and our (then) manager Ken Jones promptly decided to retire my car to the garage.’
The car has been in storage since 1991 and is in need of restoration.