Lot Ended
Description
Current
owner 10 years; well-maintained and in regular use until recently; factory build
sheets; 18 service stamps; a cossetted S3 from an impressive private
collection
Nothing conjures up the glamour of Sixties high society
quite like a Bentley S3. Magnificent machines on so many levels, they were
vastly expensive when new and the high compression 6.2 V8 gave them sportscar
performance, sprinting to 60mph in under 11 seconds even with the mandatory
Hydramatic four-speed automatic gearbox.
Only 1,286 were made on the
standard chassis (plus another 32 long-wheelbase versions) and it is remarkable
how affordable they have become today.
Copies of the factory build
sheets show that this majestic Bentley S3 left the factory finished in Masons
Black with a grey leather interior. It was sold new via Mann Egerton to a Mr RD
Carter of Suffolk in May 1963. The service record shows 18 services between
October 1963 and April 1989 by which time the car had covered 103,735 miles, the
five digit odometer now showing 39,294 miles so this S3 has covered only 36,000
miles in the last 36 years.
The V5C records six former keepers, the last
owner enjoying the car from 2006 – 2015 and keeping a detailed log of all work
carried out during his ownership.
Stand-out items include a gearbox out
refresh with new seals in August 2006, and in 2007 the Bentley was treated to a
cosmetic makeover including repainting everything on the car apart from the
roof, bonnet, boot lid and rear apron, this work being carried out by JG Motors
of Essex.
In January 2008 new carpets were fitted, in March 2012 a full
underbody waxoyl took place courtesy of Classic Car Care of Liverpool and in
June 2013 a new brake master cylinder was fitted.
Our vendor acquired the
car in 2015 to join his interesting collection of classic cars and used it
frequently as a stylish daily driver up until 2021, covering some 5,000 miles
over this period. He then opted for a rather smaller everyday car in the form of
a Jaguar E-Type V12 Roadster and the Bentley has seen little use since, being
mainly kept in dry storage with the occasional blast to the top of his lane to
keep everything working smoothly.
In our vendor’s 10-year ownership,
seven MOTs have taken place, six of them recording no advisories, while an
invoice shows that the only time an advisory was recorded in 2016 this was
swiftly attended to (a new power steering line was fitted and the rear brakes
were freed off), demonstrating the reassuring reliability of this S3. Last taken
in for an MOT in January 2021 when it again passed with no advisories, it has
only covered some 84 miles since.
Starting promptly and running
beautifully as we have moved it around on site, this imperious Bentley is now
crying out for an enthusiastic new owner who can give it the more regular
exercise it deserves.
Contact:
Quintin.hayward@brightwells.com