Restored and running: the classic Bentley that sat in a garage near Bridgnorth for 50 years
A 73-year-old luxury car that sat unused in a garage for half a century has returned to the road thanks to a Shropshire businessman.
Peter Hoare, who lives near Bridgnorth, had never restored a car before but when he was told two years ago that in Alveley there was an old Bentley for sale, he couldn't resist taking a look.
Mr Hoare, who runs a set of industrial units in Muckley, said the 1950 Bentley Mark VI had belonged to a classic car collector in the area who had recently died.
The 4.2 litre Bentley had sat untouched in the collector's garage since 1972 and was handed to the owner's mechanic who had put the old luxury marque up for sale.
Mr Hoare said he was put on to the find by motoring pal Tony Prince, who runs Prince Autos in the town.
"I went up to Alveley with Tony to take a look. It was in this garage and had been there since 1972. It still had its 1972 tax disc in the window," said Mr Hoare.
"I remember opening the garage door and seeing this old Bentley chrome bumper but my biggest concern was that it wouldn't run."
However, the businessman struck a deal with the mechanic who was selling the car and offered £7,500 if he could get it running.
"He did get it working but there was lots to do. The vermin had been in and nibbled some of the wiring. There is a lot of wood in the interiors of these Bentleys so I had to learn how to do French polishing, which was a challenge."
Mr Hoare added that with the help of friend Lee Smith, of Bridgnorth body shop Premier Autobody, he spent the last two years restoring the Bentley.
While the car was originally black, Mr Hoare said his wife Lesley came up with a better colour scheme.
"It is now two-tone, with dark blue and silver thanks to my wife. It is a lovely colour scheme and much better than the black."
While "mint" Bentley Mark VI's can fetch close to £100,000, Mr Hoare said his intention was to restore the car so that it was "usable".
"It is not a concourse car as we wanted a car that was usable," he said.
"There are still a few jobs to do but my wife and I have visited a classic car show in it already.
His Bentley also recently impressed the president of the Rotary Club of Bridgnorth after it appeared at the fundraising group's annual car run in the town on Wednesday.
Amanda Johnson of the Rotary Club named it the car of the day.
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.