1998 Bentley Continental GT

California Edition Coupe

Turbo 400 c.i. with 420 hp/649 lbs feet torque

Automatic

SCBZB14C3WCX63037

Clear

Gasoline

+Extremely minor wear (dye should fix it) on steering wheel and tiny chips here and  there.  You would be hard pressed to find the chips :-) Close to perfect. If you don't know a lot about these cars here  is a good place to start: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley_Continental_R or en.wikipedia.org and go to wiki/Bentley_Continental_R  (email me if you need the link). Or just Google Bentley Continental R California Edition --  you will find this exact car featured all over.  In fact it is the only modern Bentley  that is  consistently singled out for special mention when writing about  these  cars.   This is the #6 (of 6) California Edition and very  special due to the "upgrades" and every toy available to buy -- the original owner (I am #2) had everything!   1998 was the last year of the British Bentley.  After a  prolonged legal battle VW ended up being the owner of Bentley and BMW got  Rolls  Royce.  For a few years the older cars were still made, but not  really the same.  Particularly the interiors used inferior leather and  were much less hand made – they were more “Germanic" ... of course it is subjective but look in my car and then any German VW Bentley.   The Germans also made a lot of "special editions" which were  generally cosmetic changes and not all that rare or special. During the  British and German years about 1300 Continental R cars were built over 12 years. Most are German.  It is  hard to find how many had both the 420 engine and the wide body.  There were 38  Continental R420 cars made that fit the bill. Some of the Millennium  Editions and Le Mans “may” have had both, although the ones I have seen for  sale seem to have only the wide body. The 23 Mulliner Editions did  not have the wide body (although there is some evidence a few were  ordered with a wide body as an upgrade).  So there is some overlap but I  would guess less than 60 cars have both – and that is spread over a  dozen years of production. ONLY ONE British car had the 420 engine and wide body.  This one.   Bentley prior to this model was merely a badge-engineered Rolls  Royce. This car is unique from body to engine to suspension settings, and  pure Bentley, focusing far more on performance than the RR. This is the best  of the lot. Some of the German cars had the same performance but were never  as nice.   Bentley did not really have "options" --- they had "upgrades."   If a customer wanted pink polka-dot velour upholstery it would be done as an  upgrade (yech!).   This car had a tremendous amount of upgrades.  It has chrome  wheels, the complete instruments of the Continental T including starter button, it  has no side marker lights (badges instead), and no black molding down  the side. It looks much more modern and is a prettier car.  The R420s look a lot the same on the outside, using fake grills instead of  badges on  the side to replace the old fashioned lights, and they, too,  don't have the black molding and in many ways looks similar.  It is the  interior that sets my car apart. The R420 is dull inside compared to the two- toned interior with ruched leather of the California Edition.  And my exhaust pipes are ... unique ... usually they offer two small ones on one or two sides, or one large one.  My car has two large one on the same side.   The California Edition was a series of six wide body cars (there  is reportedly one other 1998 wide body).  Many people (on purpose I  think) "confuse" or “mistake” "wide flares" with "wide body."  Many cars  came with wider flares for wider tires (and the invoice will say wide  flares, not wide body).  A true wide body has huge fenders and a wider  track --  exactly the same as it's relative the Continental T.  From the rear of the  car all you can see is fenders -- cannot even see the door handles.   They had to shape the huge fenders into the body with feathered metal  work that if flat would hold a soda can.  From the top, it looks like someone grabbed the car at the doors and pinched real hard.   The tire size is a dead give away. These tires are larger than  the tires on a new Corvette!  To be picky, a Vette has different sizes front  and rear and these fall in between.  They are much larger than the tires on cars with wide flares and even larger than the standard tires.  Use the zoom feature to see where the fenders meet the side of the body.  Also notice in the rear that the fender is not a flat-sided fender ... it has two  "steps" in it, which provides more width. I believe the wider track is due  to a different offset on the wheels (as the Supersports does now).   So the owner got exactly what he wanted -- essentially a  Continental T set of mechanics in a Continental R (e.g. real rear seats) with the stunning California Edition  interior.  This includes the extra gauges, starter button, sport modes, suspension tuning, you name it. This was not cheap – the engine  upgrade alone was almost 50k!  The MSRP was $415k – maybe the most  expensive Bentley ever (can'’t prove it, I have just never seen one that  had a higher sticker and I have watched these cars for over a decade).   So he got the best of three things -- the R, the T, and a  special edition The invoice labels the engine upgrade as “HPW” and at the bottom  it says “420.”   The owner was not satisfied, so he got a letter from Bentley certifying that his car was built to Continental T specs. The original sticker and letter are included with the car.   For anyone interested I have pictures or links to cars  advertised as wide body cars that most certainly are not.  Ditto the 420.  Mine has  the California Edition #6 of 6 plates, the Mulliner plates, and the  420 engine plates. But many of these cars are often improperly listed and  do dilute the pricing one looks up on the Internet  because they show as wide  bodies or 420s or Mulliners … when they are not.  The real thing is rare,  and that is what I have, the documented real thing.  Note that another "mistake"” on many listings is to call them Mulliner Editions.  There was such a thing under the Germans – a standard body with the 420 engine  and some nicer interior appointments.  It leaned to luxury versus  performance despite the 420 engine.  But ALL Bentley bodies were Mulliner bodies and  have a Mulliner tag on them someplace (usually several).  That does not make them a Mulliner edition.   I would like to point out a few things to consider on the price.   If you look at 1998 Continental R cars, the price seems high for my  car.  On the other hand, if you look for Continental R cars with both the  wide body and the 420 engine, the price is actually very low for my car.  One has  to then consider – is it worth less due to it’s age (only 3 years older  than the R420), or is it worth more as the ONLY British built Continental  R with this combination?  And worth more as the first of the highest  performing modern British Bentleys. Now add that it is #6 of 6 of a special  edition.  One of the nicest things about the California Edition is the unique  interior. Instead of mono-colored seats with hard leather, it has two  colors – the cream main color and inserts in the doors and seats of a darker  brown.  The darker leather is “ruched” leather (It is soft and crinkled rather  than hard and smooth -- glove leather is what it looks like.  It is a nicer environment to live in – and worth more  accordingly).   And a T has horrid metal in place of the nice perfect wood in my  car.  My car performs like a T but is a much nicer car and a real four  seater.  So considering the true wide body and 420 engine, and adding for  it’s true uniqueness and the likelihood that it is the most expensive  Bentley ever made I think the price is more than fair.   A wide body performs better as compared to a Mulliner edition or  a car with the wide flares because the rear tires gain more traction and  hence can use the power earlier.   For some reason the car is prettier in person than in pictures. It is hard to capture all the curves of the wide body is best appreciated in person.   The result is that my car is the only Bentley with these  features and performs closer to a Continental T than a  Continental R.  It  weighs 200 lbs more.  In return you get rear seats  you can use for humans with  legs.  In addition, the T models had what  is (in my opinion) a very ugly  interior – the wood replaced by machined metal.  It looks horrid.  Mine has not  only the elegant interior of the R model (with perfect beautiful wood),  but the added beauty of the California Edition.  It is truly stunning inside.  And a "T" is not particularly rare.   I am the second owner.  The original owner wanted the  performance of the Continental T and the luxury and looks of the Continental R. The  T always had a more powerful engine (different years were different) than  the R. This car got the Continental T mechanicals with 420 hp and 649 lbs/feet torque engine.   The torque figure is still a record for a passenger production car  in the  USA.  With fairly aggressive acceleration the front end will  literally lift two inches.  There is one thing different that I can tell  from the T, that is the speed limiter (they were limited to 168) --  this car will do at least 175 (I ran out of road -- had to do it once).   It may be because Crewe sent an engineer to Phoenix, AZ to program  the fuel injection and other control computers as the fit is not exactly  the same as the T and this was the first and apparently needed some  work after arriving (to stop a rough idle).  So maybe he "forgot" the speed limiter.  This car is mechanically the same as the Continental T  (which was much the same basic chassis except 6 inches shorter).  This  means you can actually sit in the back seat of my car comfortably. And it is much prettier :-) For an almost 6000 lbs car the weight makes little performance difference.  The car also has the T's suspension settings which  were rebuilt as need about four years ago (rear only).  It is not clear to me  if Bentley adjusted the suspension for the extra length or not. But it was more than just shoving the engine !  About  60% brakes left.   The car is absurdly complete which you never find. It has the jack, tools, gloves, sampler CD and cassette, remote control for stereo, and is unmodified except three invisible  things:   1) a speaker blew so I replaced them with Boston Acoustics (much  better) 2) the lever for the passenger seat movement -- one of the few  plastic things on the car! -- has had the interior portion replaced with  metal which is superior. 3) Hose clamp replacements   The Brits are odd.  They warn in the manual not to go over 115  mph in low gear, no speed limiter.  All other gears supposedly have a  limiter!  They warn that if you leave the seat warmers on the battery will die  as they are not keyed.  To move the seats the key must be in the on (not  even accessory) position.   Why not key the warmers and not the  seat!?   The upgrades the owner had done were staggering.  The engine was  listed as "HPW" as the option code -- $50,000 alone.  It also says 420 on  the invoice and has the badge on the engine.  If you know the cars  well you can also tell by the air-to-water (rather than air-to-air)  charge cooler and the turbo.  He had the wheels chromed -- usually not  offered on the R but Crewe did it for him (they did chrome Arnage wheels so  I think it was no big deal, just more money).  He did not like the  ugly (IMO) side marker lights and had them replaced with the red  flying Bentley badges.  They look great.  It has the matrix grill  ($5,000!!!!) but black (any others I have seen are natural steel -- actually the  black is a pain as it chips and I do touch it up occasionally). He hated the black cheap plastic molding strip on the side of  these cars (notice the Germans took this off the R420 as well).   The car went out the door at a staggering $415,000.00 (and sales tax and accessories) -- perhaps the most expensive  Bentley ever.  The owner was not happy with "HPW" as an option code  proving it was a true 420 car, so he got a letter from Bentley stating that  the car is indeed upgraded to the same specs as the Continental T  (on their letterhead).  The sticker and letter are included with the car.  Also notice the dual large exhaust -- I have seen dual small exhaust  and single large and small on each side and ... never dual large  exhaust on the one side.   One thing of interest is that the German special edition (R420  which was special enough to have a lot more than 6 of them!) is almost  exactly like this except for the nice interior.  They used the real wide  body, got rid of  the lights (and used fake grills, my badges are prettier), chrome wheels on some of them, etc.  I suspect this  car inspired a lot of the German special editions as it is the  prettiest modern Bentley from Crewe you will ever see.  And no,  there is no such thing as a "Continental R420 Mulliner" despite what Wikipedia says -- all of the Rs were made by Mulliner, some were Mulliner Editions, some were R420 editions, some were Millennial  Editions, etc.  None were R420 Mulliner Editions.  So don't believe  everything you read on line.   It is common to claim a wide body or Mulliner ... because they  think it adds to the price or they are just mistaken ... you decide. In any  case my car is a true wide body, the first with a 420 engine (and the only  one under the Brits), was made by Mulliner (not a Mulliner edition) -- it is  the genuine article and probably the most expensive ever (when made) and is  the most collectible of all the modern Bentleys.   The original owner also purchased just about every dealer add on  you could get.  A battery charger.  Lambs wool floor mats (I don't use  them, they are in the trunk and oddly worn a little on the bottom (where you  can’t see it) - over $2,000 alone!) as well as the standard mats.  A car cover  (I never opened the box as it is always in the garage).  It has no  provision for a front license plate as it has always been an AZ car and we don't  do front plates.  A drill will fix that :-) -- makes me shudder! All of these extras come  with the car.   Many people think it is a good idea to get the lowest number of miles possible on a car.  This is simply not true with a  Bentley or RR.  Everything is hydraulic.  Hence, if it sits, the seals dry,  and everything leaks.  This costs 20-50,000 to fix!  Assuming you  did not  burn the pump(s) out.  Both the previous owner and I followed  the same  regimen.  We drove the car weekly about 20-30 miles and made  occasional trips of a few hundred miles.  This car drips nothing.  Very  very very few Bentley owners can park their car on clean cement and  leave it an hour, and come back without engine oil drips.  Often the main  seal between the engine and transmission leaks due to dis-use.  Many  of these cars were owned by people that drove them 5k miles at  home, then put them in a summer house, and now are selling them.  And you  think their 5k miles is better than my 26k miles.  You could not be  more wrong. The tires also develop flat spots if left parked more than a few  weeks. In the winter, even one week takes 3-5 miles to smooth them out. A car lightly and regularly adult driven is far better.  For a  1998 26k miles is about perfect.  The tires are fairly new on my car and have no flat spots.  In AZ due to heat and sun, you should replace tires before the tread runs out, especially if you try that 175 mph run!   It has just received it's 25k service.  Every fluid, every  everything is done.  I do a lot myself according to the instructions of the  original owner, while it is on the rack.  I put heavy silicone on all the cables  (for the trunk, parking brake, etc) keeping those perfect.  The massively  complex hydraulics have every hose clamp checked, and tightened or  replaced as needed.  It has always used Mobil 1 15-50 oil (interestingly one  of two approved oils, their own and Mobil 1, in the glove box manual --  but the service manual in the rear has a lot more options).  Be careful  about zinc and phosphorous content in your oil choices -- these are  flat tappet engines and need high ZDDP.  Mobil 1 15-50 is still  perfect (but not all Mobil 1).  The car has rarely (if ever) been washed with  soap and water. If really dirty I hose it with ionized water.  And then quick  detail is used.  Hand waxed as needed, no machines.   In the pictures you may notice funny colors on mats, door sills,  etc.  These are not flaws.  They are tape to protect what is underneath.  I  will remove most of it before shipping.  But, for example, the steel door  sills are perfect because they have always been covered in packing tape  and nobody's shoes have ever scratched them.  Might have some fun getting the  glue off! I have not used the plastic on the floor mats for a while so  they are a little dirty.  Also note, some pictures were taken under  florescent lights so the colors look “off” compared to some of the other pictures in natural sun light.   The car reminds me the most of my 1976 Aston Martin Vantage  coupe.  Except this is faster, has ABS, traction control (I turned it off once  by mistake and it shreds tires), air bags, etc.  It is a truly modern car.  A modern muscle car! And much nicer inside.   The cell phone is wired into the stereo.  There is the same  model stereo available (that fits) now with navigation if you like.  The cell  phone is analog and would seem useless except a phone installer told me  he could open it and replace the insides with a Bluetooth, and it would  look stock and be wired into the stereo for hands free operation and  muting of stereo sound. I chose to keep it all stock due to it’s unique  collector status.  In it's day it was faster than everything including the  Italians and Aston Martins and Germans.  It is still respectably  fast and safe today (for example 100-0 in 4 seconds -- it has two sets of brake calipers, no warping or shaking there!).   I have a LOT more pictures and can take more. Anything you need.   Please no low ball offers --  I don't have to sell.  These cars, this particular car, will appreciate.  It is the ONLY modern  Bentley that is singled out in books, magazines, Web pages, etc. --  because it is so special.   Sales tax is up to you as are all registration fees.  I have  full clear title available immediately.  I can keep it safe for you if it is a Christmas present.   This is probably the BEST British Bentley of the modern (post  RR) era.  It has the unique interior, the first 420 in the R, and  one of the few true wide body cars.  It is not a badge engineered  Rolls. Combined with the fact that you will not find one more complete  (as mine is missing nothing), and are unlikely to find one anywhere close  to as nice as this one cosmetically, nor as mechanically sound (I have  had zero problems, 100% reliable, zero leaks) -- and the fact that  each year the value is climbing (according to my insurance company)  -- makes this a fun reliable modern investment.  I promise you, you  cannot do better on a British Bentley than this car, except price.  And  you get what you pay for.  A lower price is often more expensive in the  end, and a “normal” Continental R – especially German ones – will not  appreciate like this car will.   My car is also featured in a  Bentley  book – where they call the body “ample form” rather than “wide  body.”   I got a kick out of that!  Here is a direct link to all the pictures:  s12.photobucket.com/user/Eric_Eberhard/library/?sort=3&page=1 Bentleys are fast -- no need to put all the pictures here, just click above and you get a LOT of them.  If you want more or something specific, let me know. Thanks!  Eric