2004 Bentley Continental GT

The Bentley Continental GT is one of the most important modern Bentleys produced, and immediately received a good deal of critical acclaim on its launch. It soon became the go-to status symbol for footballers, Hollywood wives and Rap stars – and who can blame them?

These are seriously impressive vehicles, combining gentleman’s club interiors with the ability to pull like an F15. You can either waft loftily past lesser cars, progressing in a stately manner courtesy of the Bentley’s quiet and unassuming automatic gearbox.

Or you can switch the car into Sports mode and ride a tidal wave or torque that will hurtle you towards the horizon faster than your eyeballs can compute.

This one is in very nice condition inside and out. It has good history, and is a well documented car in good condition for an early Continental GT. And it’s only done 105,000 miles, which for a piece of engineering like this, is really no big deal at all.

The owner reports that it starts and drives well, with no warning lights showing on the dash. In fact he used the Bentley to commute between his native Denmark and the UK.

The dark blue paintwork on this car is in fine fettle, with the only blemish we spotted being a parking scuff on the nearside rear bumper. It’s a slippery and imposing shape, and one that exudes heft and cool without really trying.

The nearside front Bentley alloy wheel shows some very light kerb damage here and there, but isn’t too bad and the other three look fine. Have a look at the pictures, but we think a few localized repairs could improve the lightly scuffed one no end.

The large sloping nose, with its iconic grille, looks blemish free, with no signs of paintwork blemishes that we could spot, apart from some tiny marks underneath the grille. All the light lenses are clear and free of damage, although the Bentley badge has degraded slightly.

Other than that there’s nothing to report. Everything looks straight and true, with no signs we could see of any panel damage or previous repairs having been carried out.

Bentley did a great job with the leather in these cars. Modern leather is so processed and refined it sometimes manages to almost look synthetic, but this is leather like it used to be – thick, luscious and sumptuous. Just as it should be in a Bentley, obviously. 

The driver’s seat shows some signs of use, particularly on the bolster, and we think a deep clean and some hide food would be a great step, but generally speaking the interior is in beautiful condition, and a fine place to sit and gaze down the long bonnet, as it disappears from view and slopes away.

There are a few dirty marks on some of the floor mats, but again, a decent detailer should be able to get rid of these.

The dash and facias all look just as they should, with the original Bentley audio system still in place. The standard satellite navigation system is still fitted, and no faults are reported by the owner, other than the tyre pressure monitoring system being non functional.

Inside the boot the factory fitted space saver spare wheel is present, inflated and correct, and it’s complimented by the original tool kit and folding warning triangle. The trickle charger is also present.

Powered by a then all-new 6-litre twin-turbo W12 engine, the Continental produces a mighty 560bhp and 479lbft of torque – enough to shove the 2.5 ton car to 60mph in a simply brutal 4.3 seconds. You may be wondering what a W12 engine is, as it doesn’t really look like a W when you open the bonnet. But then VW’s VR6 engine doesn’t look like a V6 either, as one cylinder head sits over both banks of a very narrow Vee.

VW made the W12 by mating two narrow-angle 15° VR6 engines at an inclined angle of 72°. The narrow angle of each set of cylinders allows just two overhead camshafts to drive each pair of banks, so the W12 engine has the same number of cams as a more conventional quad-cam V12. However, the W12 is much more compact – the overall size of the 6-litre powerhouse is smaller than Volkswagen's contemporary 4.2-litre V8. Clever stuff.

As you can tell from the video (although the aural experience is better in the flesh) the engine starts and runs beautifully, and, while subdued as you’d expect on a car of this class, the exhaust note has a deep resonance that hints at the staggering power on hand.

Of course, power is nothing without control, and the Continental employs a six speed auto 'box and all-wheel drive to transmit this phenomenal amount of grunt on to the tarmac. The Pirelli PZero tyres have good tread remaining.

Under the bonnet 12 huge alloy inlet tracts sprout from two plenums to feed the W12. Thanks goodness for a lack of plastic covers – who wouldn’t want to see this? W.O. Bentley would approve, we reckon.

Aside from some every light surface blemishing on some of the alloy parts, everything looks excellent under here, although we don’t imagine this is an engine bay that will need much attention other than regular servicing.

The car’s underside looks sound and undamaged, with nothing we could see to worry about whatsoever.

The Bentley’s V5 states the car was first registered in the UK in 2004, and lists seven former keepers. There’s a current MoT certificate that runs until October 11 this year, with no advisories on it.

There’s also a large pile of invoices for servicing and maintenance work by Bentley specialists, going back many years. The current Danish owner bought the car in 2017 and commuted between his homeland and the UK regularly in it. He says:

‘In 2007 I rented a BMW in Genoa. Going north to Milan on the Auto Pista at about a 140 km/h I was overtaken by a Continental GT, and the roar was magnificent.

'Ten years later my dream came true and I bought my own GT. In 2024, sadly, I have to sell it. I’m returning to live in Denmark. 

‘I have seriously considered to taking the GT with me but they all drive in the wrong side of the road! And getting it on Danish plates doesn’t make any sense – the taxes would be 50 to 100K.

‘I have been back and forth from Denmark to the UK summer and winter, and it is just such a great way of traveling. Fast, comfortable and safe. I am going to miss the GT. But hope that the buyer will have as much joy out of it as I have had.’

There is no sporting coupé as imposing as a Bentley Continental GT, and this extremely well looked after example represents a fantastic opportunity to own a two and a half ton chunk of motoring history – something to tell your grandkids about when they waft in on their electric three wheelers. We estimate that it will sell for £10,000-£13,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, 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, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.