Bentley’s first T-Series has been restored after decades of hiding

Bentley Completed An eight-year restoration of its first T-Series, a car that had been hidden away for decades.

The T-Series was introduced in 1965 as a sister model to the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. At the time, Rolls-Royce owned Bentley, and the T-Series and Silver Shadow looked almost identical, save for the brand’s distinctive grille and bonnet ornament.

Both models represented their respective brands’ shift toward unibody construction, and in the case of the T Series, it helped keep Bentley alive during its 15 years of production.

The first T-Series, chassis number SBH1001, was originally a press car and was parked in storage decades ago. When Bentley found it, the car was no longer drivable and its entire interior was missing.

Restoration work began in late 2016, when a group of Bentley apprentices began removing the trim and restoring the body. Work was paused for a while, but resumed a few years ago with the assistance of specialist Bentley restorers P&A Wood.

According to Bentley, the 6.2-liter V8 is in good condition and only requires a full service to run. The transmission (a GM-designed Hydramatic unit) also requires some minor repairs.

The hydraulic self-leveling suspension, which uses technology licensed from Citroën, required more work, but Bentley says the system has been completely overhauled and all hydraulic hoses replaced.

Since many of the parts needed for the car were not readily available, especially the missing interior, the team found another scrapped T-Series. Every detail was carefully examined, even down to the use of seatbelt buckles bearing the Rolls-Royce logo.

The car will now form part of Bentley Motors’ classic collection at its headquarters in Crewe, England.

A total of 1,868 first-generation T-series cars were built, most of which were sedans. A coupe was introduced in 1966, and a convertible a year later, but only 41 of these two body styles were built. The second generation model, the T2, was introduced in 1977 and was produced until 1980.

High-resolution gallery: 1965 Bentley T-Series bearing chassis number SBH1001

This article was originally published by ClassicCars.com’s editorial partner Motor Authority