2006 Bentley Continental GT

This Conti GT was first registered in April 2006 by Jack Barclay Bentley - the world’s largest and oldest Bentley dealership - from their branch in South West London.

In 2013, it found its second owner in Devon and then its third, from Norfolk, just under a year ago. As is typical with such a car, each owner has had personal plates fitted - and who can blame them for wanting everyone to know that this super car is theirs.

The latest owner, our vendor, bought the car through The Market and has since had a good deal of work done on the car by Bentley Continental specialists STR Service Centre of Norwich.

He loves the car and says that it drives like a dream, but having just taken delivery of a company car, and with limited storage space, he’s reluctantly letting it go.

The exterior of this GT is painted in LK7S - referred to as either Silver Storm or Silver Tempest Metallic. There are a few light, brush-past scratches on the nearside door and front wheel arch, and a small blemish on the offside rear bumper, but otherwise the exterior finish is very good - including the bright work.

The side profile of the Conti GT is ageless and dropping the windows all round shows off its beautiful pillarless design to best effect.

The Conti GT sits on its original 19-inch seven-spoke alloy wheels, which are a little scuffed around the rims - more so on the front nearside where it has found a few kerbs. Something that a new owner can get sorted fairly easily.

All rims were fitted with new Pirelli PZero Rosso tyres in June 2022, since when the car has been driven fewer than 1,000 miles.

Although the Continental GT is a great car to sit and admire from the outside, it is the interior where you’ll hopefully spend most of your time with it. Happily the inside of the cabin doesn’t disappoint, being mostly clad in a rich tan or saddle coloured leather, combined with a less reflective chocolate brown on the upper surfaces and burr walnut veneer dash and centre console panels.

The upholstery appears unmarked and damage-free, with just a few light wrinkles and creases from use. The Conti GT is a 2+2, although full-sized rear occupants might struggle for anything more than a short journey. Consequently, the rear seats appear barely used.

Being a Bentley - known for sporting luxury - the cabin is a very pleasant place to be and has pretty much all the equipment you need for your comfort and convenience - such as front and rear parking sensors, multi-function steering wheel, dual zone climate control, electronically adjustable front seats, keyless entry, heated front seats, navigation, air suspension, and 6 CD changer to name a few. There’s also an aftermarket two-camera dash cam fitted for added peace of mind.

The carpets are clean and in good order and the headlining appears intact and undamaged.

Under the bonnet, there’s very little to see besides the large silvered intakes and black plastic covers hiding a power plant that all but fills the engine bay. What is on show appears clean, tidy and undamaged with just a little paint wear on the slam panel. The bonnet itself presents in very good condition too, with no rust evident on the underside or around the hinges or latch. One of the downsides of an engine bay this rammed is that even relatively minor maintenance involves removing the engine assembly - more of this in History Highlights.

The undersides of the car are covered by protective undertrays at the front and rear, which appear intact, and in the centre are flat floor pans. Other than a bit of road grime, which you’d expect on any car, there’s nothing untoward underneath. The largely stainless steel exhaust system looks in good order with no apparent damage.

Befitting a grand tourer for crossing continents, the boot space is cavernous and is lined with grey carpeting, which is clean and tidy. Behind a panel in the nearside wing is the battery and fuse board, along with a CTEK smart charger. A warning triangle is stowed under the bootlid. Again, there are no signs of rust around the lid, hinges or latch. The car comes with a cover.

The Bentley has a current MOT, valid until July 2023. A minor defect of a windscreen crack was reported but it appears that this has now been replaced.

The owner’s book pack is present, including the Service Handbook which contains the following service entry stamps:

Apr 2006 - 15 miles (PDI) - Jack Barclay, London

May 2006 - 437 - a/a

Jul 2007 - 1,846 - a/a

Jun 2009 - 4,020 - a/a

Jun 2010 - 6,292 - a/a

Sep 2011 - 9,532 - a/a

Sep 2012 - 12,673 - a/a

Aug 2013 - 14,560 - Marlow Cars

May 2014 - 16,686 - Pottery Road Garage (Unipart), Devon

Jul 2017 - 20,777 - a/a

Mar 2018? - 24,922 - Specialist Cars, Exeter

Oct 2018 - 27,635 - Pottery Road Garage (Unipart), Devon

May 2021 - 29,937 - Specialist Cars, Exeter

Apr 2022 - 31,251 - a/a

Dec 2022 - 32,237 - STR Bentley Specialists, Norwich

In the months prior to the last service at STR - they also carried out c£8.5k of work following a full diagnostic report: this included engine out, vacuum pipes and sensors, coolant, air con re-gas, four wheel alignment plus investigation of engine management warning lights. There is however, still an amber check engine light on whilst in our possession, but the Vendor believes having checked with Bentley Cambridge, that is is most likely due to the battery going low on charge, which is not an uncommon cause.

Documentation for this work and various other servicing and maintenance is included in the history file.

For some years now, petrolheads across the land have ruminated on the relatively low residual prices for these gorgeous Bentley bruisers, but most stop short of swallowing a “brave pill” for fear of eye-watering costs for repair or maintenance. As with any performance car, finding one with a history of generous maintenance by main dealers and marque specialists reduces the risk of losing your shirt.

Happily this one has a full service history and has had a big chunk of change (not far short of 5 figures) spent on it in the last six months to sort out all the issues such as the pipework behind the engine (a common cause of faults), so it should go for a while without further problems - although of course there are no guarantees.

We think this low mileage, well-maintained, handsome grand tourer will sell for between £20,000 and £25,000 - a fraction of its cost when new and still something of a head turner now that it falls into the modern classic category.

Viewing is always encouraged, 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’.