Beschreibung:

Rolls-Royce's adoption of unitary construction for its new Silver Shadow and T-Series Bentley necessitated the reorganisation of in-house coachbuilder H J Mulliner, Park Ward to meet the challenge of producing new designs on the Shadow floorpan. The variety of body styles offered was limited to just two - a two-door saloon or similar drophead coupé - 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, featuring a distinctive dipping upper wing line with parallel crease and a revised, more rounded posterior. Despite a price some 50% greater than the standard saloons, demand was strong right from the start; a state of affairs that resulted in the introduction of the outwardly similar Corniche in 1971. At this time, the Bentley marque's image suffered from not being sufficiently differentiated from that of Rolls-Royce; a situation that would not be remedied until the introduction of the Mulsanne Turbo in the 1980s. The result was greatly reduced sales, making a Bentley of this period a much rarer car than the equivalent Rolls-Royce. For example; between 1967 and 1971, 504 Mulliner, Park Ward-bodied Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow two-door convertibles were manufactured compared to a mere 41 of the Bentley version! Today, however, the revival of the Bentley marque has seen a commensurate upsurge in demand for these rare T-Series models. This rare Bentley two door coupé, one of only 99 cars built according to the Bird & Hallows book 'The Roll-Royce Motor Car', has been subject to a complete repaint in dark green after any bodywork that required attention was repaired, including replacing the sill panels. This car has the original black leather interior, black carpets, a new headlining and is fitted with the more desirable three speed gearbox. While under the current 25 year ownership, this Bentley has had very little use having covered less than 1,000 miles a year and has been properly maintained with Rolls-Royce specialists; recent work carried out include bills of over £2,000 on the braking and hydraulic systems. The car is supplied with a V5C registration document, an MoT test certificate which expires in July 2012, an original handbook and old MoT's which confirm the mileage. In addition to the Bentley 'B' mascot on the radiator grill, this car has an Asprey racing horse and rider mounted to the scuttle in front of the windscreen to display the owner's racing colours.