2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur

As with all Bentleys, the sage advice is to go for one where someone else has done all the heavy lifting and you are not going to be the unlucky recipient of any whopping great bills for work you weren’t expecting.

The condition and provenance of this splendid example should give you all the peace of mind you need.

Finished in Moonbeam Silver with Nautic Blue hide throughout, this is a very handsome car and one that’s in excellent condition even for its very low mileage, let alone its age.

The vendor owns an independent Bentley and Rolls-Royce workshop and, we need hardly add, he knows his stuff about these cars.

This particular vehicle was handed over to him by the owner with a remit to fix anything that need fixing and get it properly sorted and fettled.

The then owner had the car for a couple of years and used it mainly for carrying him and his racket to and from Wimbledon, where he would play tennis with a friend. Aside from that regular outing, it really didn’t get used much.

The specification of this Flying Spur is exceptional. It comes with all the standard features for a Continental Flying Spur plus additional cost options including: alloy fuel filler cap, electric glass solar panel sunroof, sports gear lever, ‘Coming Home’ controls (garage/electric gate opener), TV tuner and ‘infotainment’ system, valet and limited key access, 20” seven spoke alloy wheels with painted finish, climate control front and rear, heated and cooled seats front and rear, electric memory air-conditioned seats.

You’ll see from the specifications lists in the documents section that the solar sunroof isn’t mentioned but a ‘wood and hide steering wheel’ is. Well, as you’ll discover, the solar sunroof is very much present, but the ‘wood and hide steering wheel’ is not. We can only attribute this to an uncharacteristic admin mistake at Crewe.

The condition of the car, inside and outside, aesthetically and mechanically, is quite exceptional.

Yes, if you look very closely, you can tell it’s been used. But only just.

The Moonbeam Silver paintwork is in fine order, with a deep, rich shine and lustre worthy of the marque.

The panels are uniformly free of any dents, dinks, creases, scuffs, warps, buckles, ripples, nicks, chips or other unsightly marks. The shut lines and door gaps are crisp, even and consistent.

Even the usual stone chips and road rash found beneath sills and on valances is barely in evidence, although there are a few scuffs on the strip of rear valance beneath the tailpipes.

All exterior trim appears to be equally untroubled by the ravages of time or use, as are the light clusters, glass, bumpers, badges and grilles.

There are very few nicks or marks to speak of on the alloy wheels and the Pirelli P-Zero Rosso tyres have plenty of life left in them.

Also, the keen-eyed among you will have noticed that the tyres are the right size - 275/40 ZR19 - and for this we must thank the vendor, who saw that the car was shod with the wrong sized rubber when the owner brought it to him and promptly rectified the mistake.

We haven’t seen any signs of rust anywhere on the bodywork.

In general, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this car had spent most of its life lying on a chaise longue with its feet up.

Acres of hide, veneer, carpet and brushed aluminum. All beautifully crafted. All in exceptional condition. This is a place that makes you feel more than a bit special.

The interior of a Bentley is seldom less than sumptuous and you can see the bloodline of quality and hand-built craftsmanship running through the interior of this car.

The door cappings, centre console and gear lever surround feature a lighter hued veneer that contrasts well with the darker wood of the dashboard and complements the blue upholstery and carpets beautifully. All in all, it’s a very fine place to spend some time and you can rest assured that every time you take a seat you’ll get to enjoy that special ‘sense of occasion’ that should be the hallmark of any Bentley experience.

As far as we can tell, everything works just as the fine engineers and craftspeople of Crewe intended, including the wonderfully comfortable and supportive seats - which are air-conditioned, heated, cooled, and can move in every direction you can think of - and probably a few you can’t.

The blue leather upholstery is in very good condition all round. Yes, the front seats have a little light creasing around the bolsters but, frankly, don’t we all?

The door cards and headlining are pristine and even the kick plates have clearly never been kicked in anger. All dials and instruments are in fine condition both aesthetically and functionally, and all knobs and levers retain the expensively engineered haptics that make them so rewardingly tactile and a delight to use.

The big ticket cost option on show here is the ‘Electric Glass Solar-Panel Sunroof’. This very clever (and expensive) bit of kit means that when you’ve parked up outside your favourite bar, restaurant or casino on a hot summer’s day, turned the engine off, locked the doors and walked away, the roof is harvesting enough photo-voltaic energy to power ventilation fans, evacuate hot air and ensure that you return to a pleasantly cool car.

The absolutely cavernous boot (don’t worry about fitting two golf bags in here – you could get most of a golf buggy into it) is immaculate. Lifting up the carpets here or anywhere else on this car reveals…no rust whatsoever.

Yes, it has an underneath. No doubt about it. Not much to say really, as most of it is covered by trays and protectors - which seem to have done a sterling job of, er, protecting it. There is no rust, save the standard superficial bloom of rust dust, visible anywhere. Everything is in its right and proper place and appears unchallenged by time, mileage or mishap.

It’s a similar story in the very clean and tidy engine bay where, we’re confident, something hugely complicated and powerful is hiding under those plastic cowls and covers. 

This Bentley benefits from a service history from Jack Barclay and Bentley Surrey until 2018 and then from the vendor, Phantom Motor Cars, who are Bentley specialists. 

The vendor assures us that any gaps in the service history are attributable to periods when the car was not being used very much.

As you can see, there’s a sizeable wad of bills and invoices with the car, plus the (not entirely accurate) specification sheet.

It has recently had a full service and, in the last year, it’s had well over £10k spent on it. Highlights in that expenditure include:

New AC compressor - £892

2 new air springs - £995 each

Main system battery - £256

4 new Pirelli P-Zero tyres - £1079

‘Infotainment’ screen repair - £1550

The car has an MoT certificate, with no advisories, valid until 20.1.22.

We include an online HPI report run at the auction start which shows no finance outstanding and no insurance markers for theft or damage.

This is a vehicle that combines ultimate luxury and style with mind-bending capability and performance in an exquisitely crafted, and classily understated, package.

The car has two personalities, and you can get to swap between them as and when you like. Depending on the mood, and who’s driving, this magnificent Bentley Continental Flying Spur can be as suave as Cary Grant or as bonkers as Keith Moon.

You decide.

Either way, you’ll struggle to find a better example of the model than this properly maintained and cared-for low-mileage beauty which we estimate to fetch between £20,000 - £28,000 in auction.

Wonderful.

What’s not to like?

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.