The Bentley S1 Continental contrasted strongly with the company’s “Standard Steel” cars of the late 1950s. Whilst the Continental shared an identical chassis and engine to the standard S1, it boasted a 2.923 rear axle, which allowed for the 4,887-cc six-cylinder engine, with its 8.0:1 compression ratio, to propel the car to sustained high-speed, long-distance cruising with incredible ease. Autocar magazine recorded an elapsed time of 18.8 seconds at 120.5 mph in the quarter-mile, which was much faster than the Standard Steel Saloon’s 19.7 seconds at 101 mph.