A CAR in which British film legend Sir Dirk Bogarde was nearly killed has been discovered and lovingly restored by two mechanics in Brentwood.
The vehicle, a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III, was involved in a near fatal accident just hours after Sir Dirk picked it up in 1964.
It eventually made its way to Chicago before ending up in a garage in Chingford – until brothers Brian and Graham Webb came along, that is.
The pair were taken aback when they pulled back the dust covers that had been the car's shroud for more than seven years to find one of the best models that Rolls-Royce has ever built.
The brakes had seized up and the vehicle was covered with mildew but, importantly, the 6.25 litre V8 engine, with only 83,000 miles on the clock, was still running smoothly.
Brian, 58, who has worked on Rolls-Royces since the age of 14, said: "It needed some work on the brakes, exhaust and, although the bodywork was OK, it was given new trim and the woodwork inside needed attention and replacing.
"Overall it was in fantastic condition.
"After we fixed it we asked the owner what he wanted to do and he suggested we just put it back.
"I said 'you can't do that'.
"'If you want to sell it just leave it to me' so I found someone in Chelmsford who collects Rolls-Royces."
The vehicle was sold to its sixth owner for "a modest" £25,000.
Sir Dirk, the star of such films as Death In Venice and A Bridge Too Far, died in 1999 aged 78.
He had bought the Rolls-Royce in October 1964 and he kept it for two years under the registration BH5.
On the day it was delivered from Jack Barclay he was almost killed when his long-term companion, Tony Forwood, nearly wrote it off as the pair drove it in the South Downs.
Brian, who lives in Willingdale, said: "The car was a pleasure to work on because it was in such good condition."
