Background
Launched in 2003, the Continental GT was the first of the VW-era Bentleys and arrived at a time when Volkswagen was still smarting after being out-maneuvered by BMW. But, wounded pride aside, the fact is the firm had snagged the volume - and therefore profitable - part of the Rolls-Royce/Bentley business, even if it had done so inadvertently.
Because, despite building 9,500 Continentals a year, the demand was so great that a waiting list soon built up. And no wonder: the mighty six-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 engine develops 560bhp and 470lb/ft of torque, all channeled to the tarmac via a complex but highly effective four-wheel-drive system. That it was swathed in body that only hinted, in the most general of terms, at the performance the car was capable of was a very welcome bonus.
And, while the early interiors could be a bit hit ‘n’ miss depending on how drunk the buyer had been when spec’ing it, the introduction of the Mulliner Driving Specification a year after the car was launched repositioned the Bentley even more upmarket.
Two-tone quilted leather alongside the option of goodies like colour-coded seat belts, drilled alloy foot pedals, knurled chrome controls, and embroidered Bentley emblems on the seats meant that ticking every box on the options list now gave you a better-than-even chance of ending up with a vehicle that would look pretty damned good no matter how hard you’d been hitting the port.
We maintain that a good ‘un – in a nice spec and with an impeccable service history – can be a thing of beauty and a joy to own. Like this.
