In 1986 Tom Hanks starred in a movie called The Money Pit. The plot revolved around him buying a house that looked good, but under the surface, it was a wreck that devoured more and more money. Unfortunately, cars like this Bentley T1 can be like that, and the signs for this one don’t look good. It is listed for sale here on Craigslist with a clean title and an asking price of $3,800.
The Bentley T-Series was introduced by Bentley in 1965 and remained in production until 1980. From an engineering standpoint, the T-Series was a major step forward over the S-Series that it replaced. It was the first Bentley to be built without a separate chassis. This allowed scope for the T-Series to be lighter and stronger than its predecessor but also meant that rust and corrosion are significantly more critical than the predecessor as well. In the first shot, the car looks like it shows some potential, but this shot gives me cause for concern. It looks like there’s rust staining coming from under the chrome trim along the side of the car. The spacing looks about right for where the attachment clips would be to the body panels, so that’s a bad sign.
The driver’s side of the Bentley doesn’t look much more promising than the passenger side. It’s worth remembering that a huge amount of time and effort went into panel preparation, painting and polishing of these when they were new. Any decent restoration will demand a paint finish of similar standards or the car will tend to look second-rate. Unfortunately, this Bentley looks in need of a complete paint job, and to get it to the standard of the original finish will not be cheap.
Under the hood is the 6.23 liter V8 which is backed by a 3-speed GM400 automatic transmission. The seller states that the Bentley ran when parked. Honestly, I feel that it’s probably a moot point. With the amount of corrosion evident in the engine bay coupled with some obviously badly perished rubber components means that I wouldn’t even try to start it as it stands now. As I’ve said about Bentleys in the past, they are actually not particularly difficult or expensive to run and maintain. However, some of the spare parts prices can be outrageous, and I suspect that the new owner of this one will be putting their hand into their wallet a fair bit before this Bentley moves under its own power.
The other very special area of a Bentley is the wonderful hand-stitched interior. The seller provides no photos of the interior or any indication of its current state. The pessimist in me takes this as a really bad sign as if it were in good condition then it could be a strong positive selling point for a car that seems to have so much going against it. I decided to include this photo instead as it reveals more of that corrosion that I find so worrying. I always try to search for the positives of any car that I write about, but this one really has me battling.
I’m really battling to find anything really positive to say about this Bentley as the seller has presented it for sale. If there are any positive attributes with this car then the seller has kept them well hidden. I’ve always liked the Bentley because you get all of the luxuries of a Rolls Royce, but in a slightly more understated package. That’s why it makes it hard for me to say that I honestly believe that this Bentley is destined to be a parts car.
I’d get a donor 80’s or 90’s impla / caprice. I’d gut out the drive line and put in a sbc 350 and 700r trans. I’d also install the gm rear axle. Now you could leave the 400 trans but the 700r will give you better milage. I’d then repaint it in the same colours. I can’t comment on the interior because I don’t know what’s there. Id even refit the complete gm brake system into this car. Now there are purest out there that will have the hair on the back of their necks stand up at such a thought, but in my mind he who owns the car decides it’s fate.
I think a Paisley Pattern wrap would suffice as a paint job. It would keep the rust inside, right next to the body.
The 350 sounds good.
There is nothing nicer than a horse blanket to cover the seats, regardless of what the interior is like.
Oh it’s great to be a Purist !!
I see nothing but heartache here.
These were nice vehicles but this one is a money pit you would be upside down from the start and never recover. The lack of interior photos is testament to its poor condition otherwise they would tout it as a selling point. You can buy a really nice example for 16000.00 to 23000.00 you couldn’t get this one to that condition for that money
The poor underhood pics seem to indicate someone hosed off the whole engine but didn’t let it dry completely before taking the pics. And the type of underhood corrosion makes me think this could be an underwater Houston car, which could also account for lack of interior pics as it would probably look awful if it was submerged, and scare anyone away. Yet it’s claimed to be a barn find – which might explain the corrosion and paint deterioration on roof & hood, or are those reflections of trees in the hood? So many sellers have no idea how to take good photos – it’s as tho they can’t see anything –
It’s located on the California-Arizona border, that’s a long way from Houston to haul a flooded wreck. If it’s spent much time where it’s currently sitting, that would help explain the lack of interior shots.
It really doesn’t matter where it’s from, it’s future is more than likely that of a parts car.
Steve R
Could be from a flooded barn…….
Seems like a good deal to me. If I’m reading this right, he’ll pay me $3,800 to take it away? I’m in.
How do you tell a Bentley from a Rolls?
I get those two confused all of the time. They look so much alike.
They are identical except for the grill and the badging. RR bought Bentley out in 1931. Of course, in 1998 Rolls Royce and Bentley have been owned by Volkswagen.
Rolls Royce is owned by BMW.
Bentley is owned by VW.
The left rear window is open, which in itself brings up questions, (why and how long). Unfortunately the grill surround is dented and seems to be wearing “The Spirit of Ecstasy” instead of a flying B (if that was standard). This is a nightmare and will cost an absolute fortune (and likely your marriage) to repair. Neighbors and car people will question your sanity. Better to invest in a van, down by the river.
Unfortunately, this once Grand Dame is best served as a [GASP!] parts car. Rollers/Bentleys require fastidious maintenance to keep them running in top form. That in & of itself is not for the light of wallet. After sitting idle for an extended period the rehab bill just to get them on their wheels again is mind-blowing. EVERYTHING is outrageously expensive. Restoring this one would have to be a labor of love, and I really don’t think anyone loves this gen RR/B enough to do that. It’s too bad this one fell into the wrong ownership
EEEEEklectricals and air suspensionofdisbelief leave me gasping not grasping.
She’s too expensive and ugly to restore. And even if you did, you’re left with a, I think, not particularly great Bentley in the first place. So…I’m thinking…junkyard GM truck motor, junkyard GM truck seat, zoomies out the hood. Scare the neighbor kids…and their parents.
If I had the money and means, I would have taken a different approach. If the body shell wasn’t rusted too badly, this Bentley could have been torn down, rust holes repaired, and the car could have been rebuilt … not as a standard restoration, but as a restomod.
In my case, I would have given it an Art Morrison or Roadster Shop chassis, Forgeline wheels, Bowler Performance 4L80E transmission … and a Hellephant engine from Mopar Performance.
Finally, I would have given it a custom interior made of the best materials, but carefully tailored to look stock.
Yep, that corrosion on the brake booster and the Lucas wiper motor covered with thick gunk still suggest being underwater awhile, and the messy, dirty engine hoses look like someone tried to hose it off, and it just made it look worse. It’s anybodies guess as to how bad it all is!
Thank you Adam, for the post. The car is a Pass, not realistic to restore unless you decide to keep it for the rest of your life and drive out the cost, which also doesn’t make sense. There are plenty of nice $25,000. – $50,000. cars for sale out there, a price way under what it would cost to bring this one back to life.
Strip and sell the spendy bits. Ghetto-charge a Blue Flame six and head for the 24 Hours of Lemons.
Oh, no, no, no!
A while back I stumbled upon this site; they seem to be a prominent source for Rolls/Bentley parts in the UK. What’s interesting is that they catalog the cars that come through that they deem worthy of restoration, and they are brutally honest about the rest, which are parted out. Some of the parted out cars in the “dismantled archive” look pretty nice to an untrained eye, like this Rolls, but if you read through it becomes imminently clear how much of a hopeless money pit these can be. Needless to say, this one wouldn’t make the cut.
http://www.flyingspares.com/dismantling-archive.html
If the structure is safe, media blast it, drop in the drivetrain of your choice ( maybe a Duramax / Allison ? ) paint it with bedliner , get seats, etc from a donor car, and drive it. It would be great fun to take it to a British Car event or the Concours de Lemons – just driving it around the Monterey Peninsula during car week would be a hoot !
Ditto except take the top and trunk lid off, and add a third row of seats. Then just charge people to shuttle them around!
Looks like a perfect candidate for mounting atop some kind of jacked-up 4X4 chassis with huge tires and a Cummins diesel rollin’ coal and crushing Volkswagens and Subarus in its path.
Love Bentley but they are like mini motor-coach monsters when it comes to shelling out the money.
Without any interior shots, I was not able to ascertain whether it contained a jar of Grey Poupon. So…. I’m out!
There was a company that made R.R. grilles to fit early Beetles . R.R. threatened V.W. to cease those conversions . After all these years Volkswagen owns Rolls Royce ……..
Rat Rod Bentley anyone?
No, VW owns Bentley, BMW owns Rolls Royce
I stand corrected but , does it matter these days ?