The First Bentley T-Series Undergoing Full Restoration

The Bentley T-Series was an important milestone for the storied automaker, the first monocoque construction Bentley designed by John Blatchley. The very first example was discovered after years of being tucked away in storage. The non-running car is receiving a full restoration from the ground up,, which is expected to take at least 18 months and that will return the car to its original condition, it will be added to Bentley’s expanding Heritage Collection of road-going cars that together describe all 103 years of Bentley’s history.

The oldest Bentley T-Series was completed on September, 28th 1965. Owned by Bentley Motors and destined for trials worldwide, the T-Series was finished in Shell Grey exterior paint and complemented with a Blue Leather interior. The Bentley T-Series was initially announced and displayed for the first time at the Paris Motor Show on 5 October 1965 and was significantly different from its predecessor, the S-Type. Notably, the T-Series was the first Bentley to use a unitary construction method, using a monocoque in place of every Bentley’s separate chassis and body technique before it.

The 225 bhp, 6¼-litre V8 was originally designed and introduced in 1959 in the Bentley S2. At the time the engine achieved the highest specific output by weight of any production car in the world of 2.7 lb/hp (1.2 kg/hp). The engine was considered over-engineered at the time, but its inherent strength, reliability, and development potential led to it becoming Bentley’s mainstay engine for the next 50 years. By the time the engine was retired in 2019, it was delivering more than double the amount of power and three times the original torque whilst producing 99 percent fewer emissions.

In October 2016, a group of apprentices started the rejuvenation process for T-Series VIN 001. Starting with the removal of trim and the reconditioning of the Body-in-White, the Bentley T-Series started its journey to return to active duty. After initial preparations, the work was put on hold whilst the introduction of the current product range and future electrification activities became more of a priority – but with renewed 

The T-Series had an advanced chassis with independent suspension on all four wheels with automatic height control according to loading. Pressure for the self-leveling suspension came from the triplicate hydraulic braking system which had disc brakes on all four wheels. The suspension is comprised of double wishbones and coil springs at the front and semi-trailing arms at the rear.

The Bentley T-Series was hailed as a clear example of revolutionary engineering given it was the first Bentley to move away from a separate chassis build, and its relatively lightweight construction gave impressive performance for a full-size sedan in 1965, with a maximum speed of 115 mph and 0-62 mph achieved in 10.9 seconds.

1,868 examples of the first-generation T-Series were produced, with a pre-tax list price of £5,425 and the majority being standard four-door saloons. A two-door version was created in 1966, and a year later a convertible version was launched, although production numbers were kept low at just 41 cars. A second-generation car, known as the T2, was launched in 1977 and stayed in production until 1980.

Photos Courtesy of Bentley