Story and History

1965 Bentley S3 Continetal by James Young
Factory air-conditioning
1 of 18 made

These James Young bodied 'S' series continentals really are the most beautiful carriages of their time. Their elegance and grace is matched only by their rarity; only 20 S3 James Youngs were commissioned, 18 of which were RHD four doors.

Our car still retains all of her original build sheets and the invoice, including extras, from Jack Barclays for her first sale on the 22nd January 1965, to a M J.B. Upton.

Listed in the build sheets and invoice is her terrific specification including factory air-conditioning, refrigerator to the boot, rear picnic tables, electric windows & sun dym glass.

Of course in those days you bought the chassis before it was sent to the coachmakers to handcraft the body, hence the sale was completed 6 months before she was first registered.

There is also all the correspondence between Bentley Motors and James Young from when she was in production, rather funny is a Young's internal memo instructing the team that the car would need extra care as the customer was so demanding and “worse than Mr Weinstock”.

Clearly a man who ensured his cars were cared for properly, she went back to Jack Barclays for her 1000 mile check on the 9th June 1965, where she would be looked after for much of her early life.

She is now showing a modest 6 previous owners with MoT's dating back to 1991. Our most recent owner has kept her in his garaged collection since early 2017, along with many other contemporaries of equal splendor.

Over the last 20 years she has been to only Bentley and Rolls-Royce specialists for her maintenance the most recent of which the fine Royce Engineering where in 2017, after our most recent owner bought her, she was treated to a full overhaul of the suspension, brakes, gearbox, engine, exhaust, recommissioned factory air conditioning, as well as a new fuel tank, badge bar, heater matrix & boot carpets.

Since then she has been serviced by them too.

Presented in the lovely Caribbean blue over a magnolia hide and tinted glass, her condition is exemplary for a car of her age and testament to the extra care taken by the masters at James Young in pursuit of meeting their own high standards and those of first owner Mr J.B. Upton.