1963 Bentley S3 Continental H J Mulliner Chinese Eye Drophead Coupe BC66XA

Description

Following a comprehensive, 1,200hour body restoration and a superb, top-quality re-paint, this is an extremely smart example of a sought after and desirable car. Beautifully finished coachwork, complemented by excellent chrome work, lovely refurbished interior, supple leather, and newly re-finished wood. New, fully lined hood also fitted, and the car looks wonderful in its tasteful colour scheme. The work is documented with invoices and a 15minute video of stages of the restoration taking place. Drives very nicely indeed and all-in-all is as good as you could hope to find! In fact, perhaps unusually, the car looks even better 'in the metal' than maybe it comes across in the photos. Comes with a large history file, which includes, amongst many other things, a 1960s green logbook and the car is offered newly MoT tested.

Chassis No. BC66XA Reg No. 519 EGK

Snippets: G. E. M. S. Nobel

George Ernest Michael Sinclair Noble was a secret agent, a journalist & a sculptor! Born in Durham in 1919 he joined up in 1939 and after Dunkirk he became an officer in the VIII army in Libya before he was posted to Italy. His task was to assist post-war relationships between Italy and Great Britian and alongside the writers Afeltra, Fini & Buzzati he founded the Gionale Lombardo. This in turn led him to meet Ida Borletti the daughter of the industrialist and politician Senator Borletti who owned the Corriere Della Sera newspaper. Ida was some 20 years older than Noble and sadly he felt that ""one wife was not always enough"" which led him to drink. Michael & Ida would attend the San Giacomo Hospital for his daily de-toxification meeting arriving, but of course, in their Rolls-Royce! As a consequence of this Michael volunteered at the Psychiatric Hospital in Verona alongside the sculptor Castagna which was where he met & encouraged the patient Carlo Zinelli whose talent in turn led to the formation of a gallery for the ""in-patients"" to display and sell their art in. It is not known if BC66XA spent much, if any time, in Italy as by 1967 the car was with Noreen, the Countess Raben whose parents were Colonel Sir Abe Bailey & his 2nd wife Hon. Mary Westenra both of South African descent. The Countess's mother Mary Bailey was an Anglo-Irish aviator (she was the daughter of 5th Baron Rossmore) who during WWI volunteered as an aviation mechanic and in 1927 she gained her pilot's licence. She became the 1st woman to fly across the Irish Sea and in 1927 she set a world height record in here de Havilland with her passenger being Louise de Havilland. Mary continued to set flying records & was one of the first people to use aerial photography in combination with archaeological surveys including the Kharga Oasis in Egypt.

Previously Registered Overseas; Safety Belt Pretensioners

About us:
The Real Car Company was established in 1987 by Ray Arnold & Ian Johnstone. It was a hobby that 'Got out of hand'. Our interest in cars of the type that we now sell goes back to our childhoods, and ownership back to the 1970's. Gradually more cars started passing through our hands, and by 1986 we had decided to make a full time occupation of buying and selling the cars that we love.

We started with a single car (all we could afford) which we sold quickly, and before we knew it we had 4 or 5 on our hands! This was alongside another business that we were involved in at the time. In the Spring of 1988 we gave up the other business, (exhaust systems), rented part of the premises that we still operate from now, and went full time.

We had a good start in the boom years of the late eighties, which set us up well enough for us to ride the storm of recession in the years that followed. As the years went on the number of cars going through our hands increased gradually, we built up a workforce, and we now carry a stock of around 40 to 50 vehicles and there are nine of us here. In 1999 we were awarded 'International Classic Car Dealer of the Year' by Classic Cars Magazine. The market for 'our' kind of cars is nicely stable, generally prices are creeping upwards all the time, and we feel that investing in a car - or cars - of the type that we sell is generally a great place to put your money. Don't do it just for investment, but you can get a great deal of pleasure from these vehicles, prices are - in our opinion - unlikely to drop, and you can't drive a share certificate! Some prices in the last three or four years have moved up considerably, and these cases have shown a tremendous return on investment.

Over the last fifteen years or so we have brought home several hundred cars from the USA, and we are always looking for more. If you know of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley anywhere in the world, in absolutely any condition, please let us know. Distance no object, commissions happily paid. We always particularly enjoy the 'barn finds'.



Opening Hours:
Mo: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Tu: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
We: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Th: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Fr: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Sa: Closed
Su: Closed

Why buy from us?
* Classic Cars
* Over 30 years in business
* Cars are physically at our premises
* Lovely roads to test drive on
* Our reputation

Ad ID: 1480342894

Exact specification may vary from the details on this page. Please contact the seller to reconfirm any details before purchasing. See Terms & Conditions for further information.