1968 Bentley T MPW Two-Door Saloon

• Built in 1968 with coachwork by H.J. Mulliner Park Ward Ltd, London
• One of just 98 T-Series Coupes, far rarer than the Rolls-Royce Corniche Coupe
• Beautifully restored and finished in black with beige leather
• The odometer currently reads 88,500 miles (atoc). Last MOT'd in 2014
• This car has formed part of a large collection with little or no use. An element of recommissioning is to be expected to return it to the road once again

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 coupe - 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 revised, more rounded posterior.

Despite a price some 50% greater than the standard saloon's, 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 its 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, 571 Mulliner, Park Ward-bodied Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow two-door saloons were manufactured compared to a mere 98 of the Bentley version! Today, however, the revival of the Bentley marque has seen a commensurate upsurge in demand for these rare and exclusive T-Series models.

Much rarer and arguably far more handsome than the Rolls-Royce version, this beautiful Bentley 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 odometer read 88,500 miles, at the time of cataloguing, and it was last MOT'd in 2014. The car was purchased in 2014 and has formed a part of a large collection which included some historically significant Bentley R-Type Continentals and S-series Drophead-Coupes. Although stored correctly and continuing to present very well, the car hasn't had much in the way of maintenance or servicing and consequently is being sold as a