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Bentley T1 - FSD 842

Chassis: SBH8778

It isn't every day that one Rolls-Royce leaves and six classics arrive to take its place.

Not long ago, our rather rare Mulliner Park Ward 2-Door Saloon found a new home. In return came something altogether less glamorous, but arguably far more exciting: a transporter loaded with six Rolls-Royce and Bentley classics making the journey across the Irish Sea from the Emerald Isle.

It was quite the sight. A Bentley Mulsanne Turbo, two Bentley S1s, a Bentley S2, a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and a Bentley T1, all spanning decades of Crewe engineering and all perched on one lorry. They arrived looking tired, weathered and carrying the sort of honest scars you'd expect from cars that have spent years waiting for somebody to make a decision about them. Some will inevitably donate their parts to keep others alive. One or two, however, might just have another chapter left in them. That's exactly what we'll be finding out over the coming weeks.

At first, we weren't entirely sure what colour this Bentley T1 was supposed to be.

It appears to be blue.

Mostly.

Years of weathering have transformed the once dark navy paint into several different shades at once. The panels have faded so dramatically they almost convince you the car left Crewe as a two-tone example, despite every indication that nature simply got there first.

It's actually rather attractive in an entirely accidental sort of way.

Unfortunately, the rest of the car has been rather less kind to itself.

Previous repair work appears to have started with good intentions before quietly running out of momentum. Sections of bodywork have already been cut away, presumably in preparation for welding, but the new panels never arrived. Rust has continued where the repairs stopped, leaving holes scattered across the body.

If a panel isn't blue, it's usually green with moss or brown with corrosion.

Inside, there's very little to report. The cabin is packed almost to the roof with assorted parts and decades' worth of miscellaneous treasures, making it difficult to appreciate what remains of the blue interior beneath it all. Not that it'll change this car's future.

This Bentley has arrived with dismantling in mind.

Which is a shame.

The Bentley T1 has become an increasingly uncommon sight, and it's not difficult to imagine this being a rather handsome example many years ago. Sadly, time, corrosion and unfinished repairs have all conspired against it.

Its days as a complete motor car may be over.

Fortunately, its useful life isn't.

Before long, pieces of this T1 will be helping other Bentleys continue the journey it no longer can.