• Beautiful top-spec Bentley Continental T
• 420bhp V8
• All receipts including original bill of sale
• All the manuals and tools   
• New tyres all round

The 1991 Bentley Continental R was the first unique-bodied Bentley under Rolls-Royce ownership and was the absolute epitome of the luxury GT theme. 

Substantial but elegant, it was a striking, hand-built car that was the most expensive model on sale throughout most of the 1990s.

In 1996, the R was complemented by the Bentley Mulsanne Continental T, which was facelifted in 1998 to become simply the Continental T. And that’s what we have here – quite possible the most extreme craftsman-built Bentley ever made, powered by the venerable Rolls-Royce OHV 6.75 litre V8 and producing an astonishing 420bhp – enough for 0-60mph in 6.0 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. Quite an impressive set of figures for a car weighing nearly 2½ tonnes.  

Around 300 Continental Ts were made but most were exported, making this UK-spec original version extremely desirable indeed.

Supplied new in 1998 to the CEO of a company in Kent (it still carries his personalised number plate), the Bentley has had five owners since, the most recent of whom acquired it five years ago as a more modern addition to a collection of classic British luxury cars.

He has kept it in regular but occasional use, covering only a few hundred miles a year and keeping the mileage low at just over 46,000. 

The car has been meticulously cared for throughout its life, with all work carried out in accordance with the service schedule and repairs as and when required, with all of its owners showing a level of care in accordance with the car’s pedigree through well-known specialists. 

There is a huge box file of paperwork supplied with this car, right back to the original bill of sale in which it was supplied for £222,500 to its first owner - £28,000 of which was spent on optional extras including the walnut dash, sat nav, the massive Pioneer sound system (at a cost of £2385 in 1998) and the original Motorola Car telephone, which apparently could still work with a SIM card, down to such marvellous details as a Bentley golf umbrella mounted in its own special holder in the boot.  

The service book is then stamped all the way to 44,452 miles in 2018, and since then it has been maintained by a very well-known specialist in Cambridgeshire, with receipts to back up its no-expense-spared maintenance record.  All the owners’ manuals are available including the Continental T supplement and that for the Pioneer sound system.

The most recent bill is for four new tyres supplied last month, after the car passed its MOT but with advisories for tyre wear. The vendor spent over £1,200 on new rubber, electing for the factory specification Pirelli P-Zero tyres. That’s the level of diligence that has been applied to this car’s maintenance – it has wanted for nothing. 

The most striking thing about this Bentley is its colour – Black Emerald Green Metallic. It’s a really unusual hue that’s so dark it’s almost black, but shimmers with green when it catches the light. It’s both captivating and discreet – much like the car itself. 

It’s in fine order – the body is beautifully preserved and original with just the odd minor stone chip in the usual places.  Even the wheels are perfect having just been refurbished, while all of the chrome, trim and glass is exceptionally well-presented.  

You’ll struggle to find an example as nice, while an inspection on the vendor’s ramp confirms that the underside is remarkably solid and rot free. It’s a strong, clean and beautifully presented car.

And there’s more of the same inside, with dark green leather dash, console and arm rest trim complementing the dark sandstone leather seats, all of which show minimal signs of wear. 

Thick woollen over rugs protect the carpets, all of the dials and gauges work as they should and the walnut dashboard and door cappings are superb. It’s a fine, gentrified and luxuriant place to be, and absolutely gorgeous throughout. 

The Continental T saw the last hurrah for the 6,750cc OHV V8, which had been a Rolls-Royce and Bentley stalwart for almost four decades by the time the model appeared. 

It was fitted with an over-sized turbo taking the power output to 420bhp – the second highest power output ever seen from the unit and giving it astonishing performance and torque. 

With this car’s impeccable maintenance record, it comes as no surprise to find that it’s in fine order, holding a steady temperature and good oil pressure. The transmission operates smoothly in both forward and reverse gears and the vendor says it is an absolute delight to drive, with no known problems.

The Continental T is one of the last Bentleys to be built before BMW took ownership of the Company and mass production took over and it is a beautiful, handcrafted car with exquisite attention to detail. 

It’s also a real beast, with supercar performance hiding beneath that huge but elegant body. 

This must be one of the absolute best examples on the market, with a proven low mileage and an astonishing maintenance record, coming from an owner who is fastidious in the manner in which he looks after his incredible car collection. 

We very much doubt you’ll find better – it’s a rare chance to own one of the most opulent cars ever made, and at one time the most expensive production car on the market. 

It’s a truly gorgeous thing.