1965 Bentley Series 3 Convertible

This car was first registered on 6th August 1965, having been delivered new to its first owner, Lady Bird.

Lady Bird was an heiress to the fortunes of the eponymous custard empire and later in life lived at Horton Manor, where she gained quite a reputation locally for being endearingly eccentric – not least because she drove a pink Rolls-Royce.

The car we have here for you today is every bit as rare and eccentric as that pink Rolls-Royce.

Why?

Because it started out in life as a Bentley S3 Saloon and is now, as you have no doubt discerned, a four-door drophead.

We don’t know when or by whom the saloon-to-drophead conversion work was carried out but we can attest that it was evidently done to a high standard by people who knew what they were doing.

When new, the car was ‘Astral Blue’ over ‘Shell Grey’. Today, it is ‘Caribbean Blue’ over ‘Georgian Silver’, with hand-painted coachlines along the flanks and around the hub caps.

There’s no doubt about it - this is a striking and very handsome car. 

Somehow, the underlying chassis and the car’s dimensions have conspired to ensure that the drophead aesthetic really does work.

And the useful and highly unusual feature of ‘B’ pillars that can be removed when the hood is down gives the car the rakish and open appearance of a pillarless coupé.

The bodywork is largely straight and true, and the car’s panel gaps and shut-lines are mostly consistent.

But the car has been around since the year Doctor Zhivago hit the silver screen, so it won’t surprise you to learn that there are some largely cosmetic issues to contend with here and there.

The bonnet might benefit from some expert wrangling to help it fit a little better and close up some of the gap between it and the front grille.  The seller explains: "The car had a Rolls-Royce grill on when I purchased it, and came with a Bentley grill in the boot, which I had fitted. Not sure why it has a gap in the bonnet, but my best guess is that its a S1/ S2 grill".

There is some blistering and the odd bubble of rust in a few places, namely: near the door on the n/s/f wing; in the sill beneath the n/s/f door; near the indicator on the o/s/f wing; on the front valance; and some spots on the front bumper.

There’s some scuffing and marks to the o/s/f door and the wing adjacent to it, no doubt caused by the two touching; some cracked paint on the o/s/r wing near the bumper; some cracked paint on the n/s/r wheel arch and wing, plus what looks like sunlight damage to an adjacent tail light; cracks to the front bumper brackets; and some holes left by a missing badge on the boot lid.

Other than that, we observed that the bonnet is stiff to open on the offside, and that the o/s/f wheel rubs against the wheel arch when the steering is on full lock.

The wheels are in decent condition and the blue fabric hood goes up and down as it should. There are a couple of small holes in the hood on the nearside ‘C’ pillar section.

The chrome-work is good in most places, although there is some foxing and a few small spots of rust on both the front and rear bumpers.

The interior has all the wood, leather and gentleman’s club-feel you could wish to find in a Bentley of this vintage.

The arcane crafts of the saddler and French polisher are well represented in the spacious confines of this grand old vehicle. 

The blue seats have been re-coloured as well as re-Connolised, and some brush strokes on the upholstery and door cards testify to the work carried out.

Aside from a few deep creases and some light cracking, the leather is fairly decent and has held up pretty well over the course of its long life.

The driver’s seat recline/incline mechanism needs a little attention as the seat is currently set at a less than optimal angle. 

The turquoise carpets, being relatively new, look to be in good order, as does the re-polished woodwork, which has steadfastly resisted the temptation to crack or shed its lacquer. 

The hood lining is a little ragged in places.

All dials, instruments, levers and controls look good to us and, as far as we’re aware, everything does what it’s supposed to do.

There is a small split in the steering wheel rim and the driver’s sun visor doesn’t clip into place.

The boot is decent, save for a little rust to the metal structure supporting the upper platform.  

The windows work, but not from the switches on the driver’s side. 

The engine bay as a whole is clean, dry and tidy and features the car’s original 6,230cc engine. 

Everything appears to be present, correct, clean, dry and orderly.

There is some rust in evidence on the car’s undersides and you’ll no doubt want to see for yourself and reach your own conclusion.

The car comes with little by way of service or maintenance history, but being a relatively simple, analogue machine, it’s reasonable to assume that what you see is what you get.

We know that the car starts, runs, goes, handles and stops with plenty of competence and capability.

It comes with a recent, clear HPI report, a V5C, plenty of old MoT certificates, an S3 manual and its original buff logbook. 

For many people, the Bentley S3 is a rather classier and less ostentatious design than its Silver Cloud III sibling from the Rolls-Royce stable.

This particular car captures all of the former’s class and grace and adds the inestimable bonus of a bespoke drophead conversion.

What sort of person buys a Bentley S3 with a drophead conversion of unknown provenance?

Well, Jools Holland for one, and his two-door iteration was priced some way north of £110,000 in 2019.

Whatever the winning bid may be, the winning bidder will have won a very rare, very special and truly unique piece of automotive history.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.