2005 Bentley Continental GT

Finished in the rarely-seen but desirable shade of Cypress Green over a sumptuous black leather interior, this 2005 (54) registered Continental GT was supplied new by Jack Barclay Bentley dealers, and lived the majority of its life from new until 2017 in London, kept securely locked away in an underground car park not far from Harrods.

The current owner - only the second registered keeper - has used this wonderful Continental GT as their main mode of transportation, and has kept it garaged throughout their ownership, which began in 2017.

Whilst in the care of the current owner, this ‘Conti’ has enjoyed regular servicing irrespective of cost. The servicing of this example is also worth mentioning, as it has been maintained for a number of years by Bradshaw’s Bentley Services, an independent specialist, though the owner is ex-Bentley main dealer and has serviced / known the car since new.

Wonderfully original throughout with no aftermarket upgrades or modifications fitted, this is an excellent example of a very important car in Bentley’s history.

Unmistakeable in its appearance and still looking fantastic over 15 years after the model was launched, the first-generation Continental GT has aged like a fine wine, and this example is no exception.

The bodywork is wonderfully straight throughout with no signs of any major dents, dings or impacts that we could see during our inspection, nor any mis-aligned panels. There is, however, a minor pin dent on the offside front edge of the bonnet, though this was the only indentation we noted.

The Cypress Green paintwork adds another element of style to this high-specification GT, and presents in very, very good condition throughout. Up close, there are a few notable marks to the front end, offside corner, around the edges of the doors, on the mirror caps and a large mark on the nearside of the rear numberplate recess, but this is all in keeping with a car that has spent the majority of its life in London.

Elsewhere, there is a few signs of wear visible in the join between the front door and rear quarter windows, though this is minimal.

All four wheels are in excellent condition with virtually no wear visible, and are wrapped in matching Pirelli tyres - always a good sign of a careful and fastidious owner.

As with the outside, the luxuriously appointed cabin of this Continental GT is in fantastic shape for its age, and has evidently been cherished by its two registered keepers.

The front seats are both in excellent condition with only light usage wear visible to the bases and outer bolsters, whilst in the rear both seats look to have been rarely, if ever used. The centre console shows very little in the way of wear-and-tear, with all of the wooden veneer still having a strong gloss finish and displaying no damage.

Up above, the headliner is beginning to sag towards the rear, which is the only real issue we noticed inside this Continental GT. According to the vendor, this is a common issue with models of this age, and shouldn’t be too tricky for a specialist to rectify.

Elsewhere, the inner edges of the doors are in good condition, whilst on the passenger side there is some more notable wear to the ‘Bentley’ inner sill plates, which looks to have been caused by stilettos or high heeled shoes.

As far as we could tell, all systems are working as they should, including the in-built Brietling clock on the dashboard.

In the engine bay, the now-legendary 6.0-litre W12 engine presents in good order, though there isn’t much to be seen, on account of the various ‘dress up’ plastics and covers fitted to enhance the appearance of the block and ancillaries. From what we could see, however, there doesn’t appear to be any cause for concern, and there were no tell-tale signs of oil or fluid leaks.

Out on the road, the W12 pulls healthily and idles glass-smooth as a Bentley should, whilst the automatic gearbox provides near-imperceptible shifts. We noticed no untoward noises whilst driving the car a short distance to-and-from our shoot location, nor any unusual behaviour from the engine, though we would suggest the air-conditioning system is in need of a re-gas.

Underneath the car, the chassis is in good order and gives no indication of any untoward issues, whilst the most recent MOT test - dated 21 October 2021 - resulted in a clean pass with no advisory items.

Contained in a smart Bentley-branded briefcase, the history of this car is certainly impressive, with one-and-a-half service books filled up with stamps and recorded service history from new.

The most recent service took place in August 2020 at Bradshaw Bentley, at 59,924 miles including replacement discs and pads all round and a new additional engine earth cable, the invoice for which is in the extensive gallery below, along with the rest of the documentation that comes with the vehicle.

In addition to routine servicing, a new starter battery was fitted in April 2020, and a new drive belt in February 2018.

Alongside the service record, there are also a plethora of navigation CDs, OE Bentley manuals, old MOT certificates, and the V5 showing only one former keeper from new.

Offered with low mileage and only two owners from new, this is a fantastic example of an early Bentley Continental GT that has been cherished and maintained throughout its life, with an impressive servicing record and recent clean bill of health from the MOT tester.

In very good condition throughout and requiring only some minor interior TLC for the sagging headliner, we estimate this excellent long-distance, luxury GT car to fetch in the region of £17,000 to £22,000 when the hammer drops.

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’.