A Bentley, such as this 1969 T1 is one of the most exalted and admired British luxury cars of all time. I have always appreciated them more than the corresponding Rolls Royce, in spite of their similarity. Regardless, no one is going to pull up to this sedan and ask, “Pardon me but do you have any grey poupon”? Nope, this just-pulled-from-twenty-five-years-of- storage sedan is more than likely to get an inquiry of, “Where’s the chicken shack at”? It’s rough, but, maybe salvageable; let’s take a closer look. Calling Los Angeles, California home, this at-one-time prestigious Bentley is available, here on craigslist for $7,999.
The listing isn’t thorough or particularly well written but the one statement made is, “not many buyers for BENTLEY IN THE LATE 60’S NOT THE COOL CARE THEn“. I’m not sure that “cool” would be the adjective that I would use to reference a Bentley, but basically, he’s right, they weren’t big sellers. In spite of sixteen years of production (’65-’80), total sales fell short of 2,500 copies. Body styles included two and four-door sedans and a convertible but the four-door sedan (a saloon as it was officially known) was far and in the way, the most common.
It’s hard to describe the exterior of this Bentley as it looks like it has been scraped and then coated using a roller and house paint. There is some surface rust bleed-through but the body panels show as being straight without any rot having settled in. The bumpers and grille seem pretty fair but the car’s surface condition is just one big detraction from what is, in my estimation, one of Bentley’s finest designs – though, as stated earlier, there’s a lot of visual Rolls-Royce evident. Fortunately, hard-to-source parts like the stainless trim and wheel covers, are all still present.
A 200 HP, 6.2 liter V8 engine, spinning a GM Turbo-Hydramatic 400, three-speed automatic transmission comprises the powertrain. The seller states, “Mechanical condition unknown just pulled out from 25-year-old storage“. So, I guess this one’s a flip; you know, pay your money and take your chances…
The leather-clad interior isn’t as sad as the exterior but it isn’t showing its best side either. That said, the upholstery can probably be rejuvenated and things like the walnut dash overlay refinished. It’s mostly a situation of being worn, but not worn out. The largest concern is likely what still works and what doesn’t, i.e. gauges, wiring, A/C (it has a Frigidaire A-6 compressor), lights, etc. The seller mentions a mileage of 2988 but clearly, the odometer is showing 75,038.
This is an unusual and notable find. It’s true, as has been said, that the sporting element of a Bentley was gone by the time the T series made Job 1, but the Bentley name still carried a cachet. My thought is that there are too many unknowns here, especially understanding that these are expensive automobiles under the best circumstances. But, just as we want to see old ’50s & ’60s domestics saved, I believe this Bentley T is deserving too. I’m curious, has anyone in our readership ever owned a Bentley? If so, how was the experience?
Reminds me of the Rolls Royce in the film, The Gumball Rally.
The better idea would be to take your $8,000, put it into a pile, and douse it with lighter fluid, then flick your cigar at it.
Or take the money to a casino, you would at least have a chance of getting something back for your effort.
Or just buy lottery tickets.
Wow! The Bentley has been up for serveral minutes and still nobody has suggested a LS swap! Isn’t that great?
It would be cool to put a modern Bentley drivetrain in one of these. Not this one-something less neglected.
Mats,
Changing the engine to a different type is extremely difficult. The primary reason is the brake system. Now about that brake system:
I ran an independent Rolls-Royce & Bentley repair & restoration shop for over 20 years, and in addition to working on them, I’ve owned several Shadow and T-1 sedans like this one.
Unless you are VERY familiar with these cars and have the full selection of repair manuals [the manuals, when stacked flat, are about 8″ tall!], you need to be very careful trying to repair the brake system, because one seemingly innocent omission can cause problems in excess of $5k or worse.
If you are going to have an experienced shop that knows how to work on these cars, and can show proof of their abilities, the brake system and hydraulic system total overhaul will likely cost in excess of $10,000. If the engine is not started by someone familiar with this engine, failure to do the correct procedures can result in $20k in damages.
Spending $8,000 is probably a big risk, considering the unknowns. Spare parts are generally only available from the factory or Rolls-Royce/Bentley specialists. The BIGGEST THING this has going for it is the USA Left Hand Drive specification, as few were sold new in America. Plus, because the car is a 1969, this means the car has the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission, not the old 4-speed Hydramatic. It also means it does NOT have the troublesome 4 wheel suspension hydraulic leveling system, they stopped that for 1969, only leveling the rear suspension.
Even doing all the work* yourself and not figuring you own time costs, it’s easy to spend 3 times what the car is worth when finished.
*”All the work” includes paint & body work, wood dash & door cappings re-done to a high “French Polish” level, re-finished leather, new and correct carpets, all the mechanical repairs, Chrome plating, and much more.
And don’t forget, any work you do cheaply to save money [like vinyl interior, or using parts not designed for use in Rolls-Royce or Bentley cars] will typically cost twice or 3 times as much to make it right. I used to get non-profit organizations contacting me after someone donated a Rolls-Royce or Bentley to them, often because the former owner didn’t have the work done correctly, and found the car impossible to sell, so they donated it for the tax write-off.
I see this as a Hemi candidate, particularly since a similar Rolls-Royce was fitted with a supercharged 572 Hemi some years ago.
I can’t even remember just how many Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars I’ve bought over the years that were project cars, abandoned after the owner/rodder discovered just how difficult it really is to combine original parts with American parts to create a nice looking and driving vehicle. I ended up buying the cars for spare parts to keep other customer’s cars going.
When I hear of someone’s plans to stuff a bigger V8 in a Shadow or T series Bentley, I usually advise them to do some serious research into what they’ve got and the challenges involved.
“pulled from 25 year storage” the unsaid part is “with a wet dirt floor”
I have a S3 Bentley. Bought it in 1980. With regular service it has stood up with no major problems. Mine has the same engine trans as this one. Without knowing the condition of the engine I would pass for that price. Cheers
The most expensive Bentley to fix is always the cheapest to buy.
I think what bugs me the most is that someone would allow a car like this to fall into this much disrepair. Why would someone allow this to sit in a musty storage area for 25 years?
Where is Sherlock Holmes when you need him??
I have never had the opportunity to work on a Bently Because I like to Tinker on engines I would like to mess with it and see if I can get it running and driving but I’m not willing to drop $8k on it
I found Bentley engines on eBay but they cost as much as this car. No bueno.
Now there’s something you don’t see every day, a Bentley with patina!
Unfortunatly I get to work on one ,she is a nightmare . Brakes are similar to Citroen SM , wiring semantics are only a suggestion ,vary car to car , more fuses than Ive ever seen , parts price’s are obsine ( $140 for 4 front wheel seals ) so you best ask befor ordering . AN fittings at carb ( only looks like std SU ) and then puch on ( no barb ) from fuel pump ??????
$2,000 Parts car. Not worth the cost to restore.
Short answer, No.
Just one word, “Whitworth”
The British car industry switched to SAE in the mid 50s. That probably led to 20 years of cussing by British mechanics.
Except for the battery terminal nuts and bolts. They were 1/4 Whit until the’80s when they got 8mm, don’t know why.
No hardware on this car is of Whitworth Specification.
I’d love to have this and give it the “Derelict” treatment. See Jay Leno’s Garage if you don’t get the reference. Modern Hemi, suspension, brakes, tires. Go and bait some Camaros.
Probably easier and cheaper than trying to fix the powertrain. You can probably recover some cost by selling the engine.
From the ad: “bring your best logical offer”. In this context, possibly the best written line in any automotive ad I have come across.
There’s nothing redeeming about this car. Nice examples are around for a bit more than twice the ask, and you will not be able to get this car into shape for that.
Rat Rolls
Would be interesting to see if it starts and runs. That’s half the battle. The engines I’ve seen for sale are for 4-5 k and are NOT rebuilt.
GM transmission don’t see why a Pontiac,Chevy or Cadillac engine can be put in..
Best use of this style of Rolls Im yet to see.
*Bentley*
I see this as more of a restomod project as opposed to a standard restoration.