One of just 98 examples of the T Series coupe produced, with coachwork by H.J. Mulliner Park Ward.

The Bentley T Series

The adoption of unitary construction for the new T Series in 1965 was a step change in how Bentleys were produced. No longer was a chassis and powertrain assembled and then handed to a coachbuilder for a body – now, Bentleys came with a ‘standard’ body. While smaller overall than its predecessors, the ‘T’ had more passenger room, particularly in the rear compartment, and more luggage space. It also featured independent suspension on all four wheels with automatic height control according to loading. Other major improvements included disc brakes on all wheels, new and lighter power steering, an improved automatic transmission, eight-way adjustable electric front seats, and a larger fuel tank. The 6¾ litre V8 engine received a redesigned cylinder head that allowed a speed increase to 118 miles per hour (190 km/h). In October 1966, the T saloon's pretax 'list price' of £5425 was £50 less than the equivalent Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. 2,336 examples of the T Series were built across three body styles.

The T-Series Coupe

The change to unitary construction necessitated the reorganisation of in-house coachbuilder H J Mulliner Park Ward to meet the challenge of producing new designs on the T Series floorpan. Just two new body styles were offered - a two-door saloon and a drophead coupe - the former arriving in March 1966 and the latter in September 1967. Some of the frontal panels were shared with the standard four-door saloon, but otherwise, the new bodyshells were unique. Despite a price some 50% greater than the standard saloon's, demand was strong right from the start. However, the majority of the cars built were badged as the Rolls Royce Corniche, with more than 500 examples built versus just 98 T Series two-door saloons, making the latter now much rarer.

WLO 266G

Bentley’s own T-series two-door saloon was registered on the 15th November 1968 to the first of five former keepers. It was treated to a colour change in 2003 from maroon to a more traditional black. The car joined Bentley’s Heritage Collection in 2023, filling a design evolution gap between our 1965 T Series saloon and the 1984 Continental Drophead.