Highlights
- Only 40,800 miles from new
- £20,000 restoration over last 24 months
- Fully-length factory sunroof restored at cost of £6,000
- Original St. James red leather in very good condition
- Sparing used but regularly maintained
- Stylish Tudor Grey and Shell metallic colour scheme
The Appeal
Bentleys are revered for their craftsmanship, their flowing style and their sumptuous cabins. And this car is why. The S3 and its closely related forebears were the high watermark of a particular type of hand-built Bentley, cars quite unlike anything else on the road that wasn’t built in the same factory.
Just 1,286 S3s were built and this was one of the last. It is a 1964 factory built ‘Standard Saloon’ now finished in fetching Shell over Tudor Grey metallic. The resplendent condition is a mark of the £20,000 restoration undertaken over the two years since 2022. With its St James red leather interior and rare folding Webasto factory sunroof - recently reinstated and restored at a cost of £6,000 - this car’s specification is a big part of its appeal.
The displayed mileage of 40,800 miles is believed to be genuine - certainly MOT records support that view - and is accompanied by an extensive history file of ongoing maintenance. Recent work includes body repairs, new tyres, replacements belts, plugs, battery and hoses and a radio conversion.
The V8 powered S3 is surprisingly easy to drive and well suited to modern motoring. We can’t think of a more serene way to tackle the A to B.
History and Paperwork
- First registered 6th May 1964
- Seven registered keepers
- Large history file showing regular maintenance
- Regularly maintained by the same independent specialist
- £20,000 renovation including sills and roof-down respray since 2022
- Originally fitted with a Webasto sunroof which has been restored at cost of £6,000
- 2 sets of keys
- Invoices through the years showing ongoing and significant investment
- Regularly MOT’d through its life to verify the mileage with records back to 1996
- Historic Vehicle which is MOT, tax and ULEZ exempt
- Vendor states that the displayed mileage of 40,800 miles is correct
The Condition
- £20,000 restoration 2022 to 2024 including respray - £12,000 of which spent in the last 6 months
- Restoration included replacing the sills
- Resprayed from roof down in two-tone Tudor Grey and Shell metallic with red coachline
- Paintwork is in very good order due to recent work and sparing use
- Like the paint work, the engine bay also is in excellent condition
- Bodywork presents well with flush panel lines and consistent panel gaps
- Vendor reports that there are no visible scratches, marks or damage
- Chromework is said to be original and is very well presented with bright finish
- Factory fitted with a full length sunroof
- This was restored by a previous keeper using a Webasto unit costing £6,000
- Vendor reports that there are no leaks, it opens easily and there is a new headliner
- Underside in very good order with no structural advisories on recent MOT
- St. James red leather interior in very good condition with no damage or tears
- Interior leather, wood capping, and dashboard all in original condition
- Barely used Avon whitewall tyres with matching spare
- Fitted with its original radio and factory fitted electric windows
- Currently being stored in a state of the art private storage facility in Gloucestershire
The Mechanics
- 6,230cc V8 engine running or carburettors
- 4spd automatic gearbox with column shift
- Reported 40,800 miles from new
- Good history file showing regular maintenance
- Belts, plugs, battery and hoses replaced alongside other work in 2023
- Various invoices shown in photographs recording recent work
- Engine bay in clean restored condition
- Vendor tells us that it drives very well and starts on the button
- No reported running or driving issues
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