The First Bentley T-Series Found In Storage, Restored – Rolls-Royce Sold The Car As Silver Shadow

The world’s oldest Bentley T-Series with chassis number SBH1001 returns to Bentley Heritage Collection.

First registered on 28 September 1965 as a company ‘trials car’, the very first T-Series featured in the original press coverage.

Found under a cover after years in storage, it was brought back to life after 18 months of painstaking work at Bentley specialists.

1,868 examples of the first-gen T-Series were produced, with the majority being standard four-door saloons.

At the time it was on sale, the Bentley-badged Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, had a pre-tax list price of £5,425.

The world’s oldest Bentley T-Series with chassis number SBH1001 has returned to Crewe after 59 years and is now on display at Bentley Heritage that showcases strong collection of road- and race-cars from 1919 onwards.

First registered on 28 September 1965 as a company ‘trials car’, Bentley says that the very first T-Series featured in the original press coverage, following the model launch at the 1965 Paris Salon de l’Auto.

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The sedan’s significance as the first T-Series (a car sold by Rolls-Royce as the Silver Shadow) off the production line prompted the decision to recommission it, Bentley said in a statement.

When it was found under a cover in storage, the classic Bentley car had not run for decades and was missing several key areas – including its entire interior.

The recommissioning of the T-Series was entrusted to P&A Wood, specialists in the preservation and restoration of classic Bentleys, who brought it back to life after 18 months of painstaking work.

The engine, needing only a thorough service, burst into life after a 15-year silence. At the time of reveal, the freshly developed 225-hp, 6.23-litre V8 allows a top-speed of 115 mph and a 0-62 mph in 10.9 seconds – an impressive performance for a four-sedan in 1965.

Mike Sayer, Head of the Bentley Heritage Collection, explains:

“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 sedan 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.”

The Bentley-badged version of Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, was produced from 1965 through 1980. 1,868 examples of the first-gen T-Series were produced, with the majority being standard four-door saloons. At the time it was on sale, the T-Series had a pre-tax list price of £5,425.

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