2004 Bentley Continental GT

Coupe

V12 TURBO

Automatic

SCBCR63W34C021633

Clear

Gasoline

A Bentley Continental GT is a beautifully constructed car that’s available at crazy prices – from £25,000 for an early example – only because Bentley sold so many in the first place.It launched with a 6-litre W12 engine with 552bhp, enough to whisk it up to nearly 200mph via a five second 0-60 time. And to achieve these speeds and accelerative rates you have merely to plant your right foot and sit back in leather-upholstered luxury.It’s current used values represent a very large saving over the price when new of £110,000, but ten years and a lot of miles – maybe 80,000 or more – will have passed under those hefty 19in wheels once we’re at this lowest price-point. However, this is a Bentley, and a Bentley should be well able to shrug off time and travel. An early Continental GT sounds, on paper, to be a deeply tempting prospect.Should you be tempted? The Conti GT was a new kind of Bentley on its launch in late 2003, the fruit of the Volkswagen group’s takeover of the company. The Crewe factory was refitted to make a new model range to fit below the giant and dated Arnage models and recreate the past Bentley notion of a gentleman’s sporting motor car.Handily, Volkswagen had recently launched the Phaeton as VW boss Ferdinand Piëch’s piece of corporate showing-off. This fabulously and expensively over-engineered car had, in its top version, a W12 engine (effectively two narrow-angle VR6s joined to a common crankshaft) and four-wheel drive. These ingredients formed the basis of the new Continental, with a pair of turbochargers added to ensure the sort of pace that even Aston Martin’s DB9, which arrived shortly afterwards, struggled to match.Despite the VW connection, the Continental’s engineering development happened mainly at Crewe and the W12 engines are built there. Far more Bentley W12s have been built than VW or Audi ones. Rather more of these present-day Continentals have been built than any other Bentley, too, which means there are plenty of used examples on offer.The GT coupe came first, followed by the longer-wheelbase Continental Flying Spur four-door saloon in 2005 and the GTC convertible in 2006. All are mechanically practically identical, with little change until the major GT/GTC facelift at the end of 2010. It’s these pre-facelift cars that this guide covers.Special versions included the 600bhp Continental GT Speed or GTC Speed introduced in late 2007 – the first Bentley to top 200mph. And then there was the Supersports, a pared-down GT or GTC with Alcantara and carbonfibre instead of leather and wood, carbon-shelled front seats, no rear seats, 621bhp, a 3.9sec 0-62mph time and weight trimmed by 110kg. It cost £163,000 when launched late 2009. Now they’re just dropping under £90K. It’s a fabulously unlikely Bentley, stark and menacing, sparingly garnished with black chrome and extremely good fun.So, should you buy a Continental? Initial test reports were guarded in their ecstasy, citing a heavyweight, unresponsive feel to the chassis dynamics and less than perfect refinement from the oddly configured engine. These snags were whittled away over the years, so the newer the Continental, the better a drive it will be.The GT is much the most numerous, with a huge choice in the classifieds. The GTC, however, has great charm of its own with an indomitably stiff structure, seven layers of trim in its majestically powered hood and the ability to touch 190mph even with the roof down. You get to hear more of the W12’s expensive-sounding exhaust note, too.Running costs could be a worry; over two tonnes, 479lb ft on offer from just 1600rpm and all that pace potential make for a thirsty car, with 20mpg available only to the saintly. CO2 is rated at an embarrassing 410g/km, too. However, the Continental has a reputation for reliability and durability, and servicing costs are only mildly frightening. It’s not often you discover a car with zero issues, but the Conti GT really is that close to perfect.HAPPY BIDDING GUYS, WE ARE OFFERING THIS ONE WITH A NO RESERVE AUCTION!!!all my cars are sold as is and i do encourage you to stop in and look at them before you bid. all deposits are final and non refundable. please contact me with any questions before bidding on my vehicles. IF THE VEHICLE IS STILL WITHIN YEARS AND MILES OF FACTORY WARRANTY THEN IT MAY STILL HAVE FACTORY WARRANTY CHECK, CHECK THE VINTHIS IS A NO RESERVE AUCTION AND ALL BIDS ARE FINAL ALL VEHICLES ARE SOLD AS IS BUT YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME AND VIEW OR TEST DRIVE THESE CARS BEFORE BIDDINGJUST CALL ANTHONY AT 7542345886 OR 7542424041 ALL INSPECTIONS ARE TO BE DONE BEFORE YOU BID ON THE VEHICLE !!!!I CAN ALSO HELP YOU WITH SHIPPING AND A WARRANTY COMPANY IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE WARRANTY!!! JUST CALL FOR QUOTE CALL DANIEL AT 7543677860 FOR WARRANTY QUOTES MENTION MY COMPANY AND GET HUGE DISCOUNT!!!!