1977 Bentley T2

This delightful Bentley T2 left Crewe during October 1977. Its chassis number prefix of SBH confirms it as a factory right hand drive model. The car was first registered in November of 1977 making it a very early example of the revised T2 model. The car was supplied by dealers Heron to the Northern Optical Company of Houghton-le-Spring. Heron went on to service the car for its first three years or so and 24,000 miles, suggesting that Northern Optical retained it until then.

The second owner acquired the T2 in 1981 and retained it for a full 16 years. He parted with the Bentley in 1997 at which point it had covered around 49,000 miles. A further four keepers came and went before the current owner, Ken, acquired the car in 2019. Ken bought the T2 from classic car specialists Graeme Hunt in London. By now the Bentley had covered around 86,500 miles.

Since then, Ken has only used the Bentley on “sunny summer days” with it being kept in a centrally heated garage for the rest of the time. As a result, the T2 is currently showing 89,068 miles on its Jaeger odometer. Graeme Hunt undertook a complete overhaul of the car in March of 2024. Everything that required doing was undertaken at the time putting the Bentley in an optimum condition.

We note that Aviva logged a Category C write off against the Bentley in December of 2001. A category C is classified as “serious damage that is repairable but the cost of doing so is more than the car is worth. Can be repaired for road use.” Clearly the T2 has been professionally repaired resulting in a pristine and fine-looking example, today. 
 

Blatchley’s inspired design managed to retain plenty of Bentley DNA whilst moving the design by a quantum leap into the future. Our example looks sublime in its less common Scots Pine livery. It’s a hue which helps to accentuate the clarity of Blatchley’s vision and the resulting design aesthetic. That paintwork appears to be surprisingly blemish free considering the car’s age and a high level of metallic flake content is noted. The bodywork looks equally well presented with no note-worthy dents, dings or deformations in evidence. All panel gaps look appropriately tight and symmetrical, too.

The front of the car is a particular highlight of Blatchley’s design, with only the shorter and curvier Bentley grill differentiating the T2 from the significantly more ubiquitous Silver Shadow. The smaller dimensions of the Bentley version conspires to lower the T2’s bonnet line lending it a more urgent persona. Of course, this is topped with the Flying B mascot which first appeared on the Cricklewood era Bentleys and based on a design by artist F. Gordon Crosby.

This imposing visual mix if perfectly rounded off by the 15-inch steel wheels disguised behind the chromed and body colour painted hub caps complete with a double gold painted coach line and central “B” embossing. These are shod with a matching set of Avon Turbosteel 70 tyres in the correct 235/70 configuration and featuring a subtle, thin whitewall detail.

Overall the car presents admirably, but we did not some apparent repaint to the near side bottom half of the front wing and the trim on the off-side of the rear bumper becoming slightly adrift. 
 

The interior of our car appears to be in a predominantly original condition and, as such, exhibits a charming level of use related patina and character. In 2019 the interior was refreshed with the dash panels being refinished in green leather and a full 17 trim panels in tan leather.

The front seats, particularly, exhibit a charming level of use and enjoyment related patina. These exhibit a pair of Rolls Royce stitched headrests which have been recoloured to approximate the tan upholstery.  The rear bench has been considerably less frequented, seemingly, given the condition. The independently lit rear vanity mirrors are a long-standing Bentley signature.

To accompany the obligatory Connolly leather there is copious amounts of varnished walnut veneer in evidence. This adorns the bluff dashboard and the door caps as well as other well-chosen areas of the cabin. This looks to be in excellent condition throughout. The tan Wilton carpets are edge bound in leather and appear to be original and present very well, as does the light coloured, fabric headlining. The rear passengers benefit from the inclusion of the carpeted wedge-shaped footrests. 

The dashboard is populated with white on black Jaeger gauges and chromed switches and buttons. The former cheekily feature “RR” logos as do the pedal rubbers. The original, large but slender two spoke steering wheel is present. A period Blaupunkt medium, long and VHF wave radio is fitted as is a separate, contemporary DVD / SD player.

The large boot is trimmed with matching tan Wilton carpet. This is also home to the recently acquired car cover.
 

Initially the T Series carried forward the L410 6.2L V8 engine from the S Series. By 1970, however, the capacity was increased to 6,750cc and this was mated to the three speed, widely used THM (Turbo Hydra Matic) gearbox. For some reason an ugly rumour initially emerged that the engine was constructed under licence to an American design. This was unfounded with the unit being fully developed by Rolls Royce and Bentley engineers. The company at the time went to some lengths to dispel the rumour, citing features like the firing order and deeply skirted crankshaft as being decidedly un-American. 

The under-bonnet presentation of the T2 appears highly original and in good overall order Like many a big capacity engine of the period, the L410 looks as if William Heath Robinson was involved in its design. Plenty of recent looking pipework and components are evident and even the highly specified and the well-stuffed, ribbed under bonnet insulation is present. As is the fully stocked, original tool kit. The underside of the car looks admirably straight, leak free and well presented with no obvious areas of corrosion noted. 

On brief test drive the car performed well, with the only noteworthy observation being that the air conditioning compressor is very noisy. 
 

There is a very chunky file of paperwork associated with the T2. The current V5 registration document is on hand and classifies the T2 as an Historic Vehicle. This renders the Bentley as MoT exempt and zero rated for road tax in the UK. Despite this, the Bentley holds a current, advisory free MoT valid until March 2025. Numerous earlier MoTs in hard copy are also present.

The original book pack is included together with the service booklet. This documents a mammoth 31 services covering mileages from 2,902 to 86,845 miles. These include main dealers and independent specialists. The remainder of the archive is predominantly made up of reams of invoices from all periods of the Bentley’s history. The fact that our document photographic archive contains 100 images can only underscore the tremendously well-tended history of this example.

When represented in stark numbers, the differential between Silver Shadow and T Series production figures are highly surprising. For every Bentley T2 built a full 15 Silver Shadows left Crewe. For this reason alone, the Bentley iteration of Blatchley’s penultimate design has always been sought out, especially by those preferring to take the path less trodden. 

This example takes that scarcity value and doubles down with a sublime, less common Scots Pine livery. Then there’s the condition that comprehensively belies the car’s age both inside and outside. Finally there is the car’s maintenance history. When the service stamps spill out of the allotted spaces and onto the blank pages, you can be sure you are onto something special. With this condition and provenance this is a Bentley that should warrant your attention and your bids.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £25,000 - £30,000.

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