Bentley Brings T-Series Number One Back to Life

Bentley's bid to complete its Heritage Collection is one step closer after the first T-Series ever made has been restored to its original condition.

Having made its debut at the 1965 Paris Salon de l'Auto T-Series chassis number SBH1001 was used as an in-house testbed and for press drives. Bentley later lost track of the car, only rediscovering it 60 years on, by which time it was in a sorry state. The entire interior was missing and it had been poorly repaired after accident damage, while the engine had not turned over in 15 years.

After Bentley apprentices stripped the car and assessed the scope of work required it was handed over to specialists P&A Wood who had to source a second donor vehicle for parts. Among the most critical components to restore were the car's innovative Vibrashock subframe mounts and dual-circuit hydro-pneumatic ride height control system.

The T1 and its Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow sister car were also ground-breaking in other ways, being the first models from the Crewe carmaker to boast a monocoque chassis made from steel and aluminum. Despite being lower, shorter, and narrower than the S3 it replaced the T1 was more spacious inside. It was also fitted with a new 225-hp 6.23-liter V-8 engine, which would propel the car from rest to 62 mph in 10.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 115 mph.

Over its 15-year production life 1868 T1s were built, so to find the very first one and bringing it "home" was quite the coup.

Mike Sayer, Head of the Bentley Heritage Collection says, "The T-Series is one of the final two pieces of the puzzle to complete our rejuvenated Heritage Collection. Our Chief Communications Officer, Wayne Bruce and I quite literally found it under a tarpaulin in the back of a warehouse, and given it was the first-of-line chassis we knew we had to save it. Together with our T-Series Mulliner Coupe, this revitalized sedan completes the Bentley heritage story of the 1960s and 1970s, and is now an outstanding example of the model."