True BARN FIND - quietly sat for some 30 years in need of full restoration
| Make: | Rolls-Royce |
| Model: | Bentley S3 |
| SubModel: | (Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III) |
| Type: | Sedan |
| Year: | 1963 |
| Mileage: | 129 |
| VIN: | B504CN |
| Color: | 2-tone black over silver |
| Engine: | 6.23 litre Rolls-Royce V8 |
| Cylinders: | 8 |
| Transmission: | Automatic |
| Drive type: | Rear wheel drive |
| Interior color: | Grey Connolly leather |
| Vehicle Title: | Clear |
| Item location: | Barrington, Illinois, United States |
1963 Rolls-Royce Bentley S3 (Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III) Additional Info:
Bentley
S3
(Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III conversion)
1963
True Barn Find - 30 years in storage ~ project car
This is a true barn find Bentley S3 right hand drive. The car was literally found in an old barn where it has sat neglected for some 30 years. Finished in Masons black over silver with red fine lines and light grey interior. The car is fitted with optional air conditioning and electric windows.
Please understand, this is a full on project car that needs plenty of work. We do not have the time to take this project on and so we are offering her for sale to like-minded enthusiasts.
Body is well below par with notable rust spots in the rear lower quarters and the paint is aged and cracked on the roof, C pillars, below the rear window and top of the front fenders.Some of the body panels like the bonnet, boot lid and doors could be cleaned up without painting (the silver is better than the black sections) but a complete new paint-job would be the correct restorationapproach. Rust repair is a must! The inside lower rocker panels are rotted and require repair whilst the rest of the underside is more scaly than rusty. All exterior fittings are there but for the original Bentley grill. I cannot be sure if the paint on the car is original. There are signs where the black paint has lifted and you can see the red oxide undercoat which is what the factory used so it could well be. The inside edges (door jams) do indeed appear to be original.
Mechanically, the car does not start nor run with first items noted being disconnected fuel lines at the carburettor. Most likely, the car will need fuel pump and carburettor work at the least to get her running. That said, one should allow a complete going over the entire mechanics of the car as we have made no effort to investigate nor start her, let alone drive her. The L78-15 wide white-wall tyres look in great condition to the extent that they must have been new when the car was parked (likely flat-spotted now though). The mileage on the car shows 00129 on a swapped out "RR" logo-ed speedometer so the true mileage is anyone's guess.
A welcomed plus, the interior presents reasonably well compared to the remainder of the car. Everything appears original with the factory Connolly hides having no tears, rips or marks and displaying a rather inviting patina. The leather remains reasonably soft. A light re-connollising is all that is needed to bring the seating to an inviting condition.Interior wood is also in surprisingly good condition not in need in refinishing for good quality driver standard. The carpets are original and are looking a bit grubby but could come up well with a clean. Gauges, instruments and fittings present in reasonably good condition but working condition of each item is unknown.
Once again, I reiterate, this is a project car from a true Barn Find situation. The car is need of restoration for which the cost is not insignificant on these cars. Prospective buyers should consider the "worst case scenario" in budgeting for restoration. That said, this is a wonderful opportunity to embark on a project to give this car your own signature touch or bring to 100% original condition.Concours condition Bentley S3s are fetching in excess of $100,000 these days with the trend being on the increase (see valuation at the end of this listing).
In final, because of the cars unrestored and aged condition, it is being sold strictly as-is without any conditions attached (as per the terms & conditions below). So please make sure you ask any and all questions before you bid. Inspections are ceratinly welcomed if not encouraged. Offers to purchase prior to auction-end are welcomed.
~~ A real "barn-find" that has not been touched in 30 years. A great find ready for someone to bring back to its former glory." ~~
Interesting Information on the Bentley S3/Silver Cloud III series.
Few do not realise that only some 1,200 of these cars were ever made. The Bentley S3 arrived in 1963. External dimensions were slightly tweaked over the previous model, the interior remodelled, the weight reduced by a little over 100kg (220lb) and improvements made to the engine which included fitting 2-inch (51mm) SU carburettors in place of the 1¾ inch units used on the S2/Series II Silver Cloud. The compression ratio was increased to 9:1, reflecting the higher octane levels of premium fuel in major markets. Rolls-Royce, as before, refused to disclose overall engine power output, but indicated that there had been an improvement of "perhaps 7%". Increased power and weight reduction boosted speed and performance slightly. The engine now included a nitride hardened crankshaft to reflect the extra power being generated and in response to reports of broken crankshafts in the earlier V8 S2/Silver Clouds. The transmission was a GM Hydramatic which Rolls-Royce used under licence.
The headlights were grouped in a four-headlamp layout subsequently continued in the later Silver Shadow. Other external changes included a slightly increased slope of the hood / bonnet to correspond with a 11⁄2 inches (3.8cm) reduction in the height of the radiator grille.
Between 1963 and 1966 there were no major changes. Stainless steel wheel trims replaced chrome-plated ones in April 1963, and an improved rear window demister was introduced in November of the same year. Wider front seats were fitted in January 1964, and five months later a revised headlamp surround now incorporated a very small RR monogram. A chrome badge reading "Silver Cloud III" in an italic font can be seen on the right bottom side of the boot of most UK and European delivered examples.
International bidders always welcome. We regularly sell world-wide.
~~ Offers to purchase prior to auction-end are welcomed ~~
For extra photos on this fine example go to the link below. The photos are of super high resolution so if you right click on any, you can zoom in and see every little detail and defect in considerable detail.
Click HERE to see more high resolution photos
Click HERE to see more high resolution photos
~~oo00oo~~
~~ **Please note: This Bentley is part of the collection of the Park-Ward Motor Museum. As a professional collector and experienced restorer and I have my own Rolls-Royce & Bentley dedicated workshop with qualified craftsmen on hand. As a passionate collector of the marque I take great pride and pleasure in passing on any of my cars to its next owner (“caretaker”). We are very capable of restoring this car should this be of interest to you so please enquire if this is direction you would like to take. Please undersatnd, however, this service is NOT part of this sale. For more information on the Park-Ward Motor Museum and their skills, please contact me thru my eBay home page where I can direct you to see some 200 Rolls-Royces restored to varying levels over the last few years. ~~
**PLEASE read auction terms and conditions below BEFORE bidding.**
~~oo00oo~~
This Bentley is part of a private collection. Although licensed and bonded, I am not a main-stream retail car dealer or broker; I am a professional car collector of some 30 years with considerable experience and knowledge of Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars. I have a long standing reputation being associated with the marque which I take seriously. I take pride in my cars and have fun in collecting and restoring them. However, auctions are not a game so when you place a bid or offer, and you are the winning bidder, please understand you have entered a binding contract. You cannot bid and win the auction and expect not to meet the terms and conditions. Bidding and/or winning does not mean you are expecting me to “hold” the car until you have the opportunity to inspect it. Any inspection contemplated should be undertaken BEFORE you bid or make an offer and I openly welcome any potential buyer to come and personally inspect the car. Once you bid or make an offer, you are doing so to buy WITHOUT conditions. Your bid can not be subject to anything. A $2000.00 deposit (non-refundable) is required within 24 hours of the close of the auction and payable by PayPal. The balance of funds are required within 7 days of the close of the auction and must be provided by cashier’s check or bank wire. I cannot accept PayPal for the balance unless you are willing to meet the cost of transfer fees. Full payment must be made (and payments cleared) before the title and/or the vehicle is released. All payments are non-refundable. Payments as described above form an important part of this purchase contract and so, if all the funds are not received as outlined above, I reserve the right to terminate the transaction without notice. If there has been any deposit or other part payments received and I elect to terminate the contract, I reserve the right to keep any such deposits or payments and resell the vehicle to another bidder or interested party or re-list the vehicle at any time. To be clear, if you change your mind for ANY reason and do not complete the transaction in the time-frame required, you will forfeit your deposit. I am happy to assist with shipping arrangements on a national and worldwide basis but the winning bidder takes full responsibility for pickup and/or shipping and at his cost.
As a collector and experienced restorer of the marque, I normally make every effort to bring my cars to a high standard. The car being offered here today is NOT one of such cars. It is entirely NOT restored and is need of plenty of work. Restoration of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars in this condition is not suited to the faint hearted so understand that it can and will be expensive. Further, given that we have done nothing more than rescue this car from its "barn home", we have done nothing to her so we may have inadvertently overlooked items and as such not mentioned them in the description. This eBay listing is offering the car STRICTLY on an AS-IS basis and for this reason it is necessary for the following condition:
The vehicle is being sold "as-is/where-is" with no warranty expressed, written or implied. Any descriptions or representations are made with reasonable judgment and all efforts are made to ensure fair assessment and accuracy but they are for descriptive and identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. The seller shall not be responsible for errors in description, authenticity, genuineness, or defects herein and makes no warranty in connection therewith. If any aspect of the description contradicts what can be seen in the photos, then the photos shall prevail as the reference point. No allowance or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness, unforeseen imperfection, defect or damage. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have satisfied himself as to the condition and value and to bid based upon that judgment solely. The seller shall and will make every reasonable effort to disclose any known defects at the buyer’s request prior to the close of the auction. Seller assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any written or oral statements about the vehicle. Being a classic car in excess of 10 years of age, in mostUSstates, the mileage may be recorded as “exempt”. In this regard the seller makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the mileage indicated or shown and accepts no responsibility for any discrepancy with independent reports.In this regard the seller makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the mileage indicated or shown. I can hold the vehicle up to 30 days while you arrange shipping but you must immediately insure it. I will not bear any responsibility for any additional costs including storage, transportation, or repair after the close of the auction. Whereas I am happy to store the car in excess of 30 days from auction end, a cost of $35 per day shall apply beyond 30 days of auction end. To be very clear, this car does not start nor drive (and most likely does not stop either!) so you will require to have it transported home.
PLEASE; IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ABIDE BY THESE TERMS, CONTACT ME BEFORE YOU CONTEMPLATE DOING SO AS, RESPECTFULLY, THERE CAN BE NO EXCEPTIONS.
I am sorry if these terms seem harsh but there seem to be some very unrealistic buyers out there - fortunately, only few of these people exist but those that do can make life difficult, so it appears EVERYTHING needs to spelled out. Very simply put, this is an old unrestored car in poor being offered for sale. So, please respect the terms and conditions when you bid.
~~oo00oo~~
VALUES:
Rolls-Royce and Bentley values vary wildly, entirely dependent on their condition. There are, of course, other aspects that add or subtract from their values – Long Wheel Base versus regular, the year which dictated certain technical changes, etc. The colour alone, for example can make a big difference. So for the benefit of new-comers to the marque please see the approximate guide to values based on a particular model below. Please remember, these are “plus-or-minus” figures:
Year: 1963-1965
Make: Bentley
Model: S3
* Source: Hagerty's
https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1964-bentley-s3
Hopefully this will provide a reference point for the Rolls-Royce being featured in this listing as it compares to the range of different condition examples.Please note, a very poor condition example that is tired and not maintained can easily demand some $30,000 in restoration to make it a "nice" example but remember, it will be no longer original. So don't be fooled by "cheap buys". For any specific questions about this unique example of a Rolls-Royce, please do not hesitate to contact me.
According to the London based investment research firm; Historic Automobile Group International, classic cars have appreciated on average, 13% per year since 1980, whilst overall stock values averaged an 11% gain over the same period. The following graph charts the value of collectible cars vs. the S&P500.
***** For the winning bidder: an original and correct Bentley S3 grill is available for the car if preferred. Please enquire at end of auction.*****
