1965 Bentley S3

“ Registered in 1965, this is one of the very last S3's to be made. An original car with just 58k miles on the clock. The engine starts with good oil pressure. ”
Being offered as part of our curated auction in conjunction with the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club Annual Rally at Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire on the 26th – 28th June’26.

Background
The John Polwhele Blatchley designed Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud / Bentley S1 was launched in 1955 and arrived fitted with a straight-six, enlarged 4.9L version of the Silver Dawn engine. The Silver Cloud II / S2 followed along in 1959 marking the replacement of the 4.9L straight-six by a Rolls Royce developed 6.2L V8. The Silver Cloud III and S3 launched in 1962 and brought with it a raft of updates. By the time the S3 entered production, Bentley and Rolls-Royce had become closer than at any previous point in their histories, the Crewe company offering two interpretations of the same highly refined motor car: the Silver Cloud for those seeking ultimate prestige, and the Bentley for those who still preferred to take the wheel themselves.

Mechanically, the S3 featured bigger SU carburettors and an increased compression ratio resulted in the PR folk claiming a power increase of “perhaps 7%.” An interior redesign and a tweaking of the car’s dimensions had saved a useful 100 kgs in weight, too. The front end of the car now sported a purposeful looking set of quad headlamps, and the radiator grill was shortened by around 1.5 inches. The Silver Cloud III and S3 would be the last of the body on chassis cars and were available in both standard and long wheelbase configurations.

Ironically Rolls-Royce’s strategy of minimal brand differentiation, which was essentially a cost saving initiative, was slowly suffocating the esteemed Bentley marque. The company would sell 2,578 Silver Cloud IIIs between 1962 and 1965 as compared to 1,629 S3s. By the time the Silver Shadow / T-Series story had played out, the mighty flying B had almost nosedived into obscurity – over 30,000 Shadows would be built as compared to just 2,336 T-Series cars. In many ways then, the S3 marks the last hoorah of W.O.’s marque until it would be rescued in the 1980’s by a resurgent program of differentiation.

Overview
Our regal looking Bentley S3 left Crewe early in 1965 towards the end of S3 production. Its chassis number reveals it to be a penultimate H-series car being number 184 of 398 cars in that series. Only the J-series was later which consisted of just 38 cars. That places this example 249 cars from the end of S3 production. The S3 was first registered on the 23rd March 1965 in Dundee against its original registration number of KBY94C. Records suggest that the car left the factory in a different hue to that of today. We also know that the car was a home market right hand drive car from new.

By April of 1991 this S3 had joined the Rolls-Royce and Bentley focussed Alyth Collection based in Alyth in Perthshire, Scotland. Here the S3 remained for over 30-years before emerging for sale at a Kelham Hall auction on 18 March 2026, where it changed hands for £7,875 including premium. Since then, the Bentley has received a light recommissioning to get it running and moving under its own steam. This was undertaken by marque specialists at a cost of £3,141.

Please note that this superb restoration project will need trailering away as the front brakes have been decommissioned leaving only the rears operational. The cooling system also requires some additional attention with the radiator possibly requiring re-coring.

Estimate: £8,000 - £12,000

View current bid price here: https://www.themarket.co.uk/listings/bentley/s3/0d4e74bc-704d-4504-b1b9-08cd881c68cf