1969 Bentley T1 Rally – Classified of the Week

The Bentley T1, no matter what you say, has certain… connotations attached to it. Evocative of stately homes, tweed jackets and posh old men in flat caps who own shotguns and plenty of land and attend swanky galas for lack of an actual vocation. Then there are the wedding car vibes too and many a now divorced couple have been ferried from church to reception in the back of a Type 1. These associations, and our cynicism aside, however, the Bentley T1 is a fantastic car and one that represents a wonderful gateway into the classic car world. Always cutting a dash, perennially welcome at shows and effortless to waft about in, a first generation Bentley T-Series could be considered the perfect classic. With fantastic parts support and the ability to be used without breaking the bank to boot it’s an attractive proposition indeed.

But what if you want to eschew those associations we just mentioned? What if you’re split between an elegant old British luxury barge and a bit of excitement? If you wanted to satiate these two seemingly dichotomous desires the general consensus would be a necessity to dual-wield separate cars. One for cruising about in, doing the school run with a certain sense of style and picking up the shopping with a pinch of panache and then another, more lairy set of wheels for unleashing your wild side for a spot of hooning. Well, dear reader, what if we told you you could have both? We present to you, the Bentley T1 Rally.

Blurring the lines between normal, everyday driving and weekend hooliganism at the track the T1 Rally actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. With a blooming great 6.75-litre V8 under the bonnet with twin SU carbs producing over 200 horsepower and gobs of torque (340lb ft to be precise) the T1 Rally has the go to match its show. Despite the T1’s perceived wallowy nature the suspension is heavily engineered, lending itself to spirited driving. Bentley is no stranger to competition either and its legacy in the world of racing stretches all the way back to 1919 – the year of the company’s birth – going on to span decades, including its domination of Le Mans in the ’20s.

Allegedly one of only 570-odd ever made this T1 Rally is the real deal. Fitted with an uprated sway bar, full roll cage, four point harnesses, Brantz rally timing gear and all of the accoutrements you would find on any serious rally car, including towing eyes and fog lamps, it really does mean business. But that’s not to say all of this trick racing gear has been bolted on with no regard for the Bentley’s inherently opulence. No siree! The cognac interior, with its quilted leather seats and door cards is stunningly beautiful. The entire upholstery and wooden veneer panelling, juxtaposed amongst the myriad rallying apparatus is a joy to behold and the two-tone blue paint job looks almost too good to cover in mud as you slew sideways around a particularly fast left-hander.

Retaining its factory four-speed automatic column shift gearbox this Bentley T1 isn’t going to rival any modern WRC cars but it should be more than capable enough to tackle any rally you should choose to throw at it and with less than 100,000 miles under its belt it still has plenty of life left in it. Plenty of boggos T1s were made so fixing the thing if you happen to have any mishaps along the way shouldn’t be an issue either. It’s certainly a rarity in this guise, harking back to a time when Bentley ruled the racetracks and definitely a talking point at any classic car show, or petrol forecourt for that matter, so if you fancy a touch of prestige with a hefty dose of competition credibility then this could very well be the chariot for you.