1965 Bentley S3

Registered on the 1st February 1965 and cared for by just four keepers in that time, one of which owned the Bentley for 40 years. It was during that ownership the car was resprayed from the original colour of green to the more appealing Midnight Blue over Georgian Silver with a red pin-stripe, which gives the S3 an elegant look, and this was thought to have taken place around 1998.

The car was purchased by the vendor in 2019, along with three other cars from the same seller. Since then, the car has remained in dry storage, and now, with a change in plans, it has been decided that the Bentley is ready for a new home.

Finished in the wonderful Midnight Blue over Georgian Silver with a red pin-stripe, the Bentley’s paintwork presents well. There are some blemishes here and there and a couple of blisters that have become visible over the years.

Starting at the front of this luxurious classic, the chrome bumper is in good condition with just a minor amount of tarnishing, and the quad headlights are in excellent condition. The spotlights on either side have some signs of discolouration to the internal reflectors, but they are relatively easy to replace. The grille is in excellent condition with no damage to the bars and no signs of tarnishing; this is finished with the iconic Flying B Mascot. The bonnet aligns well, but only the left-hand side opens; the right side appears to be jammed.

Looking down the long flanks of the S3, the panels have a nice fit and finish with an equal gap. The chromework for the door handles, door trim and around the windows has a bright, tarnish-free finish, and the windows appear in good order with no noticeable scratches. There is a small ding in the passenger door near the back edge, but this hasn't broken through the paint. There are some blisters at the bottom of the rear quarter panels, with the driver’s side being the worst.

The long flowing lines narrow slightly as they come to form the rear end of the S3. The rear window follows the line of the boot lid, which has an equal gap on all sides. It is complete with the S3 badge, chrome handle and registration plate light, and these are in good condition. The rear light lenses are free from any splits or cracks, and the bumper is tarnish-free and has the winged Bentley badge in place.

All four wheels are in excellent condition, with matching Rolls Royce hub caps finished in Midnight Blue with a red pinstripe to match the body. The tyres are two different makes but have a good amount of tread remaining.

Open the door, and immediately you will sense the luxurious quality offered by Bentley when they produced the S3. High-quality leather and burr walnut woodwork gave an elegant, luxurious feel to the Bentley.

The seats inside the S3 have been re-connollised while in the ownership of a previous keeper. They are showing some signs of patina, but this just makes them nicely worn in, like your favourite armchair. The door cards have a few scuffs here and there, but these may be reduced with a deep clean. Signs of age are present on the bottom edge of the rear passenger side door card, where some of the leather has split. The walnut door cappings all appear to be in excellent condition, and these were part of a £3,000 walnut restoration inside the S3.

Matching the door cappings, the dashboard is also burr walnut and generally, this is in very good condition. There are a couple of small marks by the glove box, and on the driver’s side, the bottom edge has delaminated slightly to the right of the instruments, but no doubt this could be reattached with some contact adhesive. The instruments appear in good condition and are said to be working correctly, and the odometer shows a reading of just 50,880 miles. The switchgear looks to be in good order, and the lettering is legible with no real signs of excessive wear. There is an issue with the electric windows where only the rear drive’s side operates as it should, but the fault has not been investigated.

Cream carpets match the colour of the leather and are in quite good condition, although there are a couple of holes in the driver’s side, and there is a light amount of wear to the heel pad in keeping with the Bentley’s mileage. The headlining sits tightly with no damage; there is some light staining, which could possibly be removed with a deep clean.

Inside, the boot is clean and tidy, the rubber/carpet flooring is in good condition, and the spare wheel is present. 

Fitted with the tried and tested 6.2-litre V8, aka the "six and a quarter," this engine was also used in earlier models, such as the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II, the Phantom, and the Bentley S2, and continued to be used in the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Phantom VI, and the Bentley T-series.

The engine is a little reluctant to start and does have a misfire and backfire until it’s reached full operating temperature. The car was running smoothly a few months ago, so it’s thought maybe a service and tune-up could rectify this issue. Once up to temperature, the car runs smoothly and is said to pull well through the gears which have a smooth change.

Bringing the 1,918kg Bentley to a stop, the brakes have had no issues reported and work as they should. Power steering makes handling the car around town a pleasurable experience, and the suspension soaks up any uneven roads with ease.

Looking at the underside of the S3, there is some surface corrosion to some of the suspension components and sections of the floor area where the underseal has come away over the years.

The MoT history of the car shows it was taken for a test regularly until 2017, which was the last MoT at 50,764 miles, and there are some previous certificates that date back to 2003. There is also the original Bentley ‘S’ handbook, but unfortunately, this has seen better days and some of the pages are stuck together.

Approximately two years ago, while in the vendor's ownership, the car received a full service, which included fluids and spark plugs. Since then, the car has had very little use and has spent most of its time in storage.

If you're looking for something British, luxurious, well-engineered, and built to the highest standards possible in 1965, then this Bentley S3 is the car for you!

Used regularly until 2017 and covering just 116 miles since then, the Bentley has been tucked away from the elements in dry storage. In its day, this was probably one of the finest vehicles money could buy; now it’s your turn to experience a spot of luxurious motoring.

We estimate this luxurious British classic to bring in the region of £22,000 - £25000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.