Just in time for the 1968 Turin Motor Show, Pininfarina finished work on this Bentley T, which was to become a one-off. With its distinct sportive lines, the Two Door Fastback Saloon showed a clear distance from the four-door standard saloon from the factory. Pininfarina had preferred a more modern design than the quite attractive Mulliner Park Ward two-door saloon designed by Bill Allen (and in 1971, given an identity of its own as Bentley Corniche).
Not even the original shape of the radiator shell had been considered to meet demands exactly, so this had been subject to certain re-styling. Those familiar with Pininfarina's creations did notice that the master had copied himself regarding one detail: the striking lower roof edge with lines extending as the upper rear wing line had been a feature of a styling study based on a Ferrari 365GT exhibited at the 1967 Paris Motor Show.
Pininfarina's factory documents listed the car as a "Coupé Speciale," though sometimes the description "Berlina 2 Porte" is found. This car was a striking reflection of those special features, which had been the very essence of the Bentley Continental of the early post-war period. Here was a motor car perfectly suited for the owner-driver, a car with a powerful engine and fine road-holding capable of covering vast distances without fatigue. The bonus of the sportive design did not result in compromises regarding passenger comfort.
Not everyone does know that this Bentley T, which was listed at Archivio Pininfarina with the number PF 917, made an extraordinary impact on Rolls-Royce. The company did ask Pininfarina to design a big coupé - based on using the floorpan and engine of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, too - for the following year, 1969. The new coupé was, of course, the Rolls-Royce Camargue, and it cannot be denied that Pininfarina's Bentley T Coupé Speciale sparked off the initial idea. However, there was a tremendous delay - mainly from problems at Rolls-Royce - before this new model started in 1975.
This Bentley, which, in addition to its charm, has been a major link in the co-operation between the top Italian designer and the noble English motor car manufacturer, is a unique motor car. Over more than three decades, this Pininfarina-bodied Bentley T had been subject to but marginal modifications. Some of the original polished wheel discs covering the rim completely have been substituted by some to the pattern used on the Bentley Corniche. The original chrome bumpers are no longer fitted. Their place is occupied by those Polyurethan-edged bumpers introduced in 1976 on coachbuilt Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars to meet American safety legislation. However, the car's color still is "Velvet Green," such a dark shade of green that the car appears to be black if not exposed to direct sunshine.
Source: K.-J. Roßfeldt - www.rrab.com
Images: www.supercars.net; www.rrab.com
