• One of only 79 right-hand drive two-door coupés made
• Forerunner of the Corniche
• Present ownership since 1999

Outwardly distinguishable from the Silver Shadow only by virtue of its different radiator and winged 'B' mascot, the T-Series Bentley was introduced alongside its Rolls-Royce sibling in 1965. Mechanically identical, the duo represented a complete break with tradition, being the first of the Crewe factory's models to employ unitary construction of the chassis/body. The adoption of unitary construction necessitated the reorganisation of Rolls-Royce's in-house coachbuilder H J Mulliner, Park Ward Ltd to enable it to produce new designs on the Shadow floorpan. Recalling the firm's glamorous Grandes Routières of pre-war days such as the Phantom II Continental, these final coachbuilt models were limited to just two: a two-door coupé or similar convertible, the former arriving in March 1966 and the latter in September the following year. Some of the frontal panels were shared with the standard four-door saloon, but otherwise the new bodyshells were unique. Construction involved shuttling the bodyshells between the Crewe factory and MPW's Willesden plant, a necessarily lengthy process that took all of 20 weeks for the coupé and slightly longer for the more complex convertible.

These exclusive cars were hand built in the best traditions of British coachbuilding using only materials of the finest quality including Wilton carpeting, Connolly hide and burr walnut veneers, resulting in a price some 50% higher than that of the standard Silver Shadow saloon. Nevertheless, demand for these more glamorous alternatives to the much more numerous four-door model was strong right from the start, a state of affairs that resulted in them being given their own model name - 'Corniche' - in March 1971.

During the early (T1) Bentley's time in production the marque was almost totally eclipsed by Rolls-Royce, with the result that a mere 1,712 were made compared to nearly 20,000 of the equivalent Silver Shadow! Of the coachbuilt variants there were only 129, of which 79 were right-hand drive two-door coupés like this example. Today this rare model is considered by many to be more desirable than the much more numerous Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow sister car.

This Bentley T-Series coupé was first delivered new in April 1969 by Loxhams Garages Limited of Preston. It was acquired for the collection at a UK auction in 1999. The collection staff have fitted a new battery to the car, however, further recommissioning may be required following a lengthy period of static display. Accompanying documentation includes the original 1969 and 1999 auction purchase invoices; photographs of mechanical work carried out; old MOT Certificates; and a 1998 maintenance invoice from Thompson Garages totalling £2,219.47.

Please note that this vehicle is from outside the UK. Our customs agents, CARS UK, will manage all post sale customs administration. A fee of £350+VAT will be charged on the buyer's invoice to administer both import or export customs movements. If the buyer also chooses to ship with CARS UK, this will be quoted separately. If this vehicle is to remain in the UK, it will be subject to Import VAT at the reduced rate of 5% on the hammer price. This vehicle will not be available for immediate collection after the sale and will only be released on completion of customs clearance formalities. If you have any questions regarding customs clearance, please contact the Bonhams Motorcar Department.