Please note the current private reg plate "B18 RJX" is not included in the sale

Highlights

Bentley Continental GT in Diamond Black Pearl
Cherished plate not included in sale
Comprehensive service history
Excellent order throughout

The Background

Introduced at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show, the Continental GT was the first Bentley to be developed entirely by VW Group and away from Rolls-Royce also very quickly became its fastest-ever seller, due in no small part to it being mass produced in the company’s Crewe factory as opposed to being hand-built like its predecessors.

It also had a lot of parts commonality with other VW Group cars – the four-wheel-drive platform was derived from that of the VW Phaeton luxury saloon, while under the bonnet it got the German firm’s innovative 6.0-litre W12 engine, which in the GT came with twin turbochargers giving it 552 bhp and a top speed of 196 mph.

It was a hugely impactful car, both due to its imposing size and also its astonishing performance, while it was also as opulent as Bentley owners were used to. Its appeal went beyond the traditional, too, bringing Bentley ownership to a newer and more youthful customer base, helped in no small part by David and Victoria Beckham becoming one of the first customers.

In time, a convertible appeared, along with a series of ever more expensive special editions, but this example is the GT as first intended – a large, imposing and powerful GT with an incredible soundtrack. It was a very, very expensive car when new – over £130,000.

The History

Supplied new by Bentley Manchester in June 2004 and originally registered as PM04 HGK to an owner in Cheshire, the Bentley has always been maintained by either main dealers or marque specialists.

After that it has had five further owners and two separate cherished plates, but the history stacks up thanks to a combination of main dealer and specialist maintenance in Cheshire, Manchester, Lancashire, London and Middlesex – it’s well-travelled but also well-loved car.

The Paperwork

The Bentley comes with a new MOT valid until March 2023, along with a UK V5C in the name of the vendor. It also has a selection of bills with it, but the most critical thing is the service history, which reads like this:

29/06/04 - 44 miles – Bentley Manchester
19/08/04 – 1,622 miles – Bentley Manchester
02/09/05 – 9,607 miles – Bentley Blackburn
24/12/09 – 29,670 miles – Academy Bentley Specialists, Lancaster
29/03/11 – 32,819 miles – Auto Capital London
21/07/12 – 38,779 miles – Auto Capital London
12/01/13 – 46,211 miles – Rolls-Royce and Bentley Specialists London
26/09/14 – 67,033 miles – Curtis Johnston Bentley Specialist, Leicester
20/07/20 – 80,444 miles – NWD Ltd Lancashire
22/02/22 – 85,001 miles – International Wheels, Herts (Kahn alloys fitted)

It has just been given a major service by the vendor – a performance car specialist – ready for its new owner.

The Exterior

The Bentley looks incredible in Diamond Black Pearl – a colour that has a very slight hint of brown in it when it catches the light and really sets off the Continental GT’s elegant curves and strong rear shoulder line.

The body is very good and the paint is still largely excellent. It has a few small stonechips to the front end, and the headlamp lenses would benefit from a cut and polish, but otherwise it’s in great order and sits proudly on gloss black 20-inch alloys, offset by red painted brake callipers.

The Interior

It’s the cabin of this car that’s its piece-de-resistance, as the Chestnut leather is absolutely striking, featuring on the seats, dash, door cards and armrests and complemented by matching carpets and over-mats.

The vendor has just had the car’s roof retrimmed at a cost of almost £1,000 as the lining had dropped, which is a common Continental GT fault, as well as a couple of repairs to the seats while it was at the trimmers, so it wears its age extremely well. The radio, sat nav and trip computer all work as they should and the original carpet mats are still in great order.

Some of the switches exhibit some wear, notably the Stop/Start button next to the gear selector. Overall, though, it’s a marvellous and really quite grand place to sit.

The Mechanics

Make no mistake, the twin-turbo W12 is a very specialist powerplant and will require the attentions of a marque expert to maintain it properly, but the good news with this example is that it a pretty comprehensive history and has just had a major service.

It sounds absolutely wonderful and a quick test drive confirmed that it holds temperature and registers good oil pressure. Similarly, we were able to determine that the brakes, suspension and steering all feel as they ought to, with no knocks or rattles apparent at the time of our photoshoot.

There are a couple of minor electrical niggles that will need attention – a warning alarm about the seat backrest not being locked in position when it is, and a tyre pressure sensor warning.

The driving experience is wonderful – it feels vast, commanding and stupidly comfortable as well as being pretty quick. And that sound….

The Appeal

No Bentley will be cheap to own – a 6.0-litre 12-cylinder engine and the need for specialist maintenance will see to that – but you can offset a lot of that cost by buying one today, when depreciation will be minimal and the value for money on offer utterly stupendous.

This is a great example – it has been regularly maintained, has a wicked interior, offset by a stealthy dark exterior. Whoever buys it will be making a statement, but doing it subtly.

The Continental GT is a historically important car, too. In time, that means it’s probably a pretty shrewd investment, as well as something that’s thoroughly enjoyable to own right now.

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