Described by the auctioneer as ‘the finest barn find’ he’d encountered, the 1935 classic car was used as a farm vehicle in Dorset until 1968.
A classic Bentley which has been gathering dust in an old cart shed for over 50 years is tipped to sell for $120,000.
The vintage 1935 car was bought new by Philip Bushell, a wealthy Australian tea merchant.
He shipped it over to Australia where it spent two decades before it returned to Britain in 1954.
The Bentley went up for sale at a garage in Shaftesbury, Dorset, where local farmer James Young paid $1,792 for it, the equivalent to $55,000 today.
He repainted it in black and used it as a farm vehicle until it failed its MOT in 1968.
The Bentley was stored away in the cart shed, while its winged B radiator cap was taken into the farmhouse for safekeeping.
The car was pushed out of the shed for attempted repairs in 1971 but has remained tucked away inside since.
The Young family, who have owned the farm since 1919, have decided they will never get around to restoring the Bentley, a project which would cost over $170,000.
They are now selling the car, which still has its original tool kit in the boot, with Charterhouse Auctioneers, of Sherborne, Dorset.
The car’s owners, Mr Young’s grandson Roger and his wife Linda Young, said storms earlier this year damaged the barn’s roof, so they needed to act quickly before the Bentley’s condition deteriorated.
Mrs Young, a farmer’s wife in her 60s, said the car holds “a lot of happy memories” for the family.
But they believe now is the right time to let it go to someone who will bring it back to its former glory.
Mrs Young said: “The roof of the barn was damaged in the storms earlier this year and we don’t want to risk the Bentley getting water damage.
“At the moment there is very little rust and the leather is just at it was.
“We’ve been told we did the right thing by keeping the car’s roof on as this has protected it.
“It’s a beautiful car which holds a lot of memories for the family so we are sad to let it go, but it would be nice if someone can get her back up and running and care for her.”
Richard Bromell, Charterhouse auctioneer, described the Bentley as a “fabulous discovery” and the finest barn find he had encountered.
He said: “Growing up as a child I thought every farm had old buildings hiding away classic and vintage cars.
“Although I have seen and sold many barn finds over the decades, this one certainly trumps all other previous discoveries.
“Since the family has owned the farm since 1919 they have not had to move it.
“They have come to the point where they realise they will not restore it and whoever does it will cost them six figures.
“The farmer, the vendor’s grandfather, painted the Bentley black as I think he thought its original yellow colour was a bit garish.
“I’ve contacted the Bentley Owners Club and they didn’t have any record of this Bentley.
“It’s a fabulous discovery.”
The sale takes place on October 12.
