Bentley Continental GT

BODY

• Check that big bulky body for damage, especially the colour-keyed bumpers and the flanks. Light damage can be addressed by a smart repair specialist, but anything major needs dealer repairs – and they don’t come cheap with this calibre of car.
• Similarly, look for stone chip damage at the front, broken grilles, and cracked headlamps – all of which are horrendously expensive to replace. Chipped windscreens shouldn’t be dismissed lightly, either.

An auto only, but suits car. Console houses damper controls – work in all modes on test drive to check for more than 550bhp, the Coupé was priced comfortably under the prices of the traditional Bentleys at £120,000 and such was the demand that production was soon cranked up to 11,000 a year at Crewe where the car was co-developed and the W12 engines hand built. 2005 A drophead badged the GTC is added, broadly similar to the Coupé along with an often overlooked longer wheel-based Flying Spur saloon.

2007 As if the car isn’t bespoke enough, special versions were introduced, such as the ‘Speed’ models where its 600bhp and 553lbft of muscle made mincemeat out of established supercars. The Speed was the first Bentley to beat the 200mph barrier but for some this wasn’t enough…

2009 And so a lightened two-seater Speedsports was produced.

By shaving 110kg from the Continental’s considerable weight and upping the ante to 621bhp, 0-60mph took less than four seconds which made even the ‘Bentley Boys’ traditionalists sit up and take notice!

GENERAL

• Given its young age and status, you wouldn’t expect to find a ratty looking Conti, but they exist all to well. The question is whether a cheaper buy will work out dearer in the long run to put right. And the answer is yes. Contact the owners club for advice –www. bdcl.org (Bentley Drivers’ Club).
• A service history is paramount and preferably one with main dealer stamps as it’s a complex car to keep. Any missing stamps probably point to skipped services rather than deliberate penny pinching. Don’t buy without one or you’ll have the devil’s own job reselling the car at any price plus it raises the possibility of expensive repairs later on.
• The Continetal originally ran on 19-inch rims as standard but many cars have the larger, sexier 20-inch alloys. Optional chrome-plated wheels look great but require regular cleaning and are much harder to repair when kerbed.
• The wheels take a pounding on the GT, so look for kerb damage. The 20 inchers cost the thick end of a grand each, so negotiate the price down if there’s any scuffing. A kerbed car also shows careless ownership, so there may be more trouble lurking in the suspension and steering geometry.
• Check what you’re getting. At this level the customer is king and in 2005 Bentley introduced the Mulliner pack which enabled the most popular extras to be added as one. The most obvious upgrade is the 20-inch two-piece, seven-spoke alloy sports wheels with bespoke 275/35 R20 tyres.
• Talking of tyres, the GT comes with clever tyre pressure sensors which are battery powered (lasting around four years). Sounds minor but to replace these at almost £150 per wheel and have the tyres and rims re-balanced a frightening four figure bill may be the end result for a trivial fault…

slingshot to drive ridiculously fast or possess such all round usability and driving ease than this Continental.

Even the most enthusiastic of enthusiasts can’t fail to be impressed by the GT’s all round ability either. 0-60mph in under five seconds and a 198mph top speed is fast by anybody’s standards and the Speed is even quicker! Discerning drivers may feel that, like the Mulsanne Turbo, the sheer size, bulk and weight of this two tonne GT means it’s not exceptionally agile but it’s a minor point for the majority of enthusiasts and the GTC, despite being a convertible, feels just like the stiffer Coupé to drive. Volkswagen left it to Bentley to deal with the details, so the cabin is pure old-school British craftsmanship.

You can’t fault the build, ambience and comfort. It’s roomier than the old Continental, too and more economical although you’d be lucky to regularly touch 20mpg unless you simply want one to waft around in – and there’s nothing wrong in that.

The press liked the car but with one common reservation, chiefly due to the GT’s size and weight. “This isn’t the car you’d take to a track day… Even on a fast road, the Bentley isn’t as exciting as perhaps it could be,” cited one road test although it praised the impressive grip that “only outright clumsiness will unstuck either end” and recommended that the standard and comfort settings on the adjustable dampers “are all you need for most conditions”.

What Car? magazine commented that, “It might be fast, but the GT is by no means a raw sports car”, because the car is almost “library quiet”.

Engine

• The engine and running gear are reliable if serviced to schedule and no major issues have been reported, although maintenance is time consuming (the spark plugs (£160’s worth) are a nightmare to replace) and complex and so expensive. Happily, there’s no cambelts to replace but woebetide if a head gasket goes as it’s a sealed engine and a replacement costs £16,000!
• Lumpy idle and poor running has been reported, which is usually down to the individual coil packs playing up. This is an old VW/Audi foible across their ranges and while its relatively easy to diagnose and – in Bentley terms – not dear at £350 a set.
• Turbos are durable although only top quality lubricants must be used and is dear to service.

ELECTRICS

• As with most modern cars, the electrics can have the occasional wobble but on a GT it can work out expensive. Check that everything works as it should. Flat batteries (and the GT relies upon a pair of them) are very common due to all the motors and things used as well as the key sensor left too near the vicinity of the car overnight!
• The electronic parking brake module has been known to fail so check that the fault has been cleared up.
• With all those sensors and relays, fault finding is complex and specialist so don’t dismiss any fault as trivial. A defective starter motor, for instance, requires the engine to be removed to gain access!
• The automatic transmission and all wheel drive system is very robust. Faults are mainly electrical caused by duff connections and relays etc, both at the transmission and the engine’s ECU, but have it checked out by a Bentley specialist to be sure.
RUNNING GEAR
• L/H footwell is where a multitude of electronics and relays reside and water ingress is common – you know the rest! This can require a complete rewire which even a specialist will ask around £15,000 to do!
• Service item costs such as brake discs and pads are heinous and they do get through these due to the performance and weight (especially the fronts) then you won’t see change from five grand.
• Adjustable dampers don’t appear to cause any problems although check the individual settings on a test drive. It’s hefty but spring sag shouldn’t be a worry but like on all moderns, watch for broken ones.
• An annoying knocking on the move is usually nothing more serious than tired anti roll bar bushes and in particular the drop links. This is a common ailment on many moderns and the Continental is no different, although happily it’s one of the cheapest repairs you’ll find at around £50 a go.