As a general rule, people who buy Rolls-Royces and Bentleys are rarely shy, retiring types who can’t stand the thought of attracting attention.

But whereas buyers of the former may want observers to notice them , Bentley owners usually prefer any admiring glances to be directed at the car.

This sublime S2 Continental Flying Spur illustrates that subtle but important point of differentiation as well as any Bentley we’ve ever seen.

It oozes understated class and refinement from every highly polished pore on its delightfully sculpted flanks.

If it were any more elegant and debonair it would be wearing Cary Grant’s monogrammed silk pyjamas and enjoying a cocktail with David Niven.

The car was previously auctioned by Bonhams at the 2016 Goodwood Members’ Meeting, when the listing noted that the car - then as now finished in Regal Red with a beige leather interior – had ‘benefited from a high-quality re-spray and high-quality interior re-trim, carried out circa[Email].’ Not content with...