Bentley's oldest surviving T-Series has rolled back into Crewe after nearly six decades of dormancy. The Shell Grey saloon, lovingly recommissioned after being found in storage, is now part of Bentley’s prestigious Heritage Collection. And this is no ordinary T-Series – this is chassis number SBH1001, the first of its kind, which once strutted its stuff at the 1965 Paris Salon de l’Auto.
This old beauty, after spending its golden years collecting dust, came out of hiding missing a few essentials – like its entire interior, for example. Yet, its historical significance as the very first T-Series to roll off Bentley's production line made the decision to revive it a no-brainer for the team at Crewe. And despite decades of inactivity, the car proved surprisingly resilient. The engine roared back to life after a 15-year snooze, with only a bit of gentle coaxing and a solid tune-up. The gearbox just needed a little tweak, and the rear axle simply called for a fresh set of seals. Turns out, this old-timer had been ageing like fine wine.
Gallery: Bentley T-Series
However, the road to restoration wasn’t entirely smooth. The car's interior was essentially a ghost town – no dashboard, no trim, no wiring diagram to speak of. Then there was the rust, the sketchy crash repairs, and the general wear-and-tear of a car that had lived through more decades than some of its restorers. Luckily, the team at Bentley has a way with miracles. They scrounged up a donor vehicle, also a T-Series, because – of course – you can't just slap any old parts into a car this special.
The details of the restoration were handled with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. Even the seatbelt buckles had to sport the correct Rolls-Royce logo (no knockoffs allowed here), and the car was restored without wing mirrors, just as it was originally designed. And those famously smooth Bentley rides? That’s thanks to some painstaking attention given to its 1960s-era suspension tech, which includes the strangely named but effective "Vibrashock mounts" and ride height control.
More from Bentley's history:
The bodywork was also treated with reverence. A corroded rear wing was replaced, panels were aligned with care, and after layer upon layer of primer, the whole car was sanded to silky perfection. Modern paint techniques were used, but not without a respectful nod to the old-school Crewe way of doing things.
Now, with its old registration number 1900 TU proudly restored, this T-Series joins 45 other cars in Bentley’s Heritage Collection. Permanently displayed at the company’s Crewe headquarters, the car will remain road legal – because who doesn’t want to take a nearly 60-year-old Bentley for a spin every now and then?
“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 revitalised saloon completes the Bentley heritage story of the 1960s and 1970s, and is now an outstanding example of the model, which was the first Bentley to use a unitary monocoque construction,” Mike Sayer, Head of the Bentley Heritage Collection, commented.
Source: Bentley