Bentley T-series: the first unitary Bentley

The Bentley T-series was a luxury car made by Bentley Motors from 1965 to 1980. Announced at the Paris Motor Show on 5 October 1965 as a Bentley-badged version of the totally redesigned Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, it was the first Bentley with a unitary body and was totally different from its S-series predecessor.

Bentley T-series at a glance

This page is based on English Wikipedia only, so the facts were not cross-checked against a second source.

History of the Bentley T-series

The idea of a smaller unitary Rolls-Royce had been discussed since the early 1960s, when Rolls-Royce entered a venture with BMC to produce smaller luxury saloons to replace the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S1. The project passed through the Rolls-Royce/Bentley Java, based on the Princess 3-litre and using a 3,909 cc FB60 six, and other studies before all work was scrapped in 1964 and development was streamlined into one programme known as SY. That car emerged as the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and the Bentley T-series.

The T-series was the first unitary Bentley. It had a new steel and aluminium monocoque body with subframes to mount the engine and suspension. Although smaller overall, it had more passenger room, particularly in the rear, and more luggage space, being 18 cm shorter, 13 cm lower, 9 cm narrower and 68 kg lighter than the S. Its only material styling difference from the Silver Shadow was the traditional round-shouldered Bentley front grille, which also made the bonnet line a little lower. The range included a four-door saloon and a long-wheelbase four-door saloon, a small number of two-door saloons by James Young and Mulliner Park Ward, and a two-door convertible by Mulliner Park Ward introduced in September 1967.

Engineering

The T-series had independent suspension on all four wheels with automatic height control according to load, disc brakes on all wheels with a triplicate hydraulic system patented from Citroën that also supplied pressure for the self-levelling suspension, new and lighter power steering, an improved automatic transmission, eight-way adjustable electric front seats and a larger fuel tank. The engine received a redesigned cylinder head that allowed a speed increase to 118 mph. In October 1966 the T saloon’s pre-tax list price of £5,425 was £50 less than the Silver Shadow. The formerly sporting image of Bentley had long gone by then, and the two cars were effectively indistinguishable.

The T2

The T was upgraded to the T2 in 1977, with rack-and-pinion steering, improved air conditioning, rubber-faced bumpers, a new fascia and, for non-federalised cars, a front air dam. Bosch CIS fuel injection came in for late 1979 and 1980 models for the United States and other markets, as on the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II. The T2 was discontinued in 1980, when the Mulsanne took over. A total of 2,336 T-series cars were produced; 15 of the two-door saloons were bodied by James Young and the rest by Mulliner Park Ward.

Design and features

• Unitary construction: the first Bentley with a monocoque body, smaller and lighter than the S series.
• Self-levelling suspension: independent all round with automatic height control and Citroën-derived hydraulics.
• Disc brakes: all four wheels with a triplicate hydraulic system.
• T2 updates: rack-and-pinion steering, rubber bumpers and fuel injection at the end of the run.

Bentley T-series versions

• T1 saloon (1965–1977): the standard four-door.
• Long-wheelbase saloon: the stretched four-door.
• Two-door saloon: a small number by James Young and Mulliner Park Ward.
• Convertible (from 1967): the two-door open car by Mulliner Park Ward.
• T2 (1977–1980): the updated model with rack-and-pinion steering.

The T-series replaced the S3 Continental and was itself replaced by the Mulsanne. More cars are in the Bentley collection.

Sources

• Bentley T-series, English Wikipedia: design, engineering, T2, production