1960 - 1969

A decade of intensive development and a dramatically redesigned production line at Crewe in 1965 produced the Bentley T Series along with its Rolls-Royce sibling, the Silver Shadow.

With all-round independent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes and air-conditioning, it was the first Bentley built with a monocoque chassis and bodyshell.

As gracious as it was in design and as smooth as it was in performance, the T Series was seen by Bentley enthusiasts as the final betrayal of the marque’s sporting heritage. The guardians of the Bentley flame were no longer to be found in the factory. That duty had been taken up by the thousands of Bentley owners who kept their hopes and dreams alive in the fellowship of the BDC, the Bentley Drivers Club. 

Their loyalty to the winged B was vital. As sales of the new cars continued to decline, the performance credentials that Bentley had fought so hard to win on the racetrack were now a distant and fading memory among luxury car buyers around the world. Bentley sales were in decline, and but for the ambition of the new owners to enter the U.S. market with a car that had broader market appeal, and the evident loyalty of the BDC, there would inevitably have been more than one occasion when Rolls-Royce considered stopping Bentley production altogether.