2005 Bentley CONTINENTAL GT

Bought two-and-a-bit years ago from an independent Bentley specialist, this delightful Continental GT ticks all the right boxes: subdued exterior colour; Mulliner interior; and a series of obsessive owners who’ve invested the time and money to keep it looking sharp and running beautifully.

With a full service history and an unblemished body, this is the nicest example we’ve seen in a very long time. And, thanks to the Continental’s unfortunate reputation for self-destructing if they were serviced with anything less than the tears of a virgin unicorn, they sell for buttons now, which gives you the chance to get behind the wheel of one for much, much less than you imagine…

The Moonbeam Silver Metallic coachwork is in fabulous condition, being free of significant dents, dings and other damage. We also think it suits the car’s lines better than most of the colours that were on offer too, allowing the simplicity of the design to shine through.

The narrow, even shut-lines help; finished in silver, it looks like it’s hewn from a solid block of aluminium. (And no Microsoft, I don’t mean ‘aluminum’...)

The alloy wheels are in generally great condition too, and are shod with matching Pirelli tyres. We’ve witnessed more than a few older Continentals wearing cheap, mis-matched rubber, which sends a shudder through us; after all, if an owner has skimped on the tyres, what else have they ignored or bodged on the cheap?

The blue and cream quilted leather seats (complete with embroidered Bentley logo on the headrests) and subtle wooden veneer combine to give the Bentley an air of sophistication and exclusivity that is almost entirely missing in poorly specced examples. The chromed knobs and double-glazed windows only add to the rarefied atmosphere of unbridled wealth and privilege. So refreshing not be looking at another boring black with black......

It’s all in fine fettle, too. Everything works as it should, fits as well as it ever has, and doesn’t shake, rattle or roll; VW might not be your first choice of manufacturer to own a hand-built, British luxury car brand but it didn’t half improve the quality of the cars it oversaw.

An aftermarket Bluetooth system has been fitted, allowing for hands-free mobile phone use. This is not your usual Halfords’ jobbie, though; the bill came to £729. This. Is. A. Lot. Of. Money. But it is exactly the sort of overkill you want to see when you’re buying a car that is considerably more complex than the first manned spacecraft...

Please see the attached bills and invoices for a complete list of the service and repair work that has been done to the vehicle over the years.

However, by way of a summary, recent work includes a nigh-on £500 service of the air-conditioning system, as well as a full vehicle service that included replacement spark plugs, rear discs and pads, and a parking brake motor in 2018. 

The most recent service was carried out alongside the MOT in mid-February 2019. This resulted in another wallet-shriveling bill but at least the service history is up-to-date and the new owner might escape with nothing more than a minor service in the next year or so. 

(In the case of a Bentley Continental, getting away lightly will still mean an annual four-figure bill if you’re going to maintain the car’s residual value at anything like the sort of rate you’ll want it to sit at. But, what a way to blow a four-figure sum, eh?)

Faults? The only one we can find is a recalcitrant LED bulb(s) in the high-level brake light, which can sometimes cause the brake check light to illuminate on the dashboard. That’s it. You see; you can have Germanic build quality and reliability with hand-crafted British panache.

This Continental has been looked after by both Bentley main dealers and independent specialists, and has a fully stamped service history book – alongside a thick wedge of invoices and a neatly typed summary of the work – to prove it.

The online MOT history, again backed up by a type-written summary, shows nothing of concern whatsoever, although we should point out that it did once fail an MOT. For inoperative headlamp washers. 

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years. It’s also got the original ‘Quick Reference’ guide, a guide to the infotainment system, the service handbook, and owner’s wallet.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained over the years to the very highest standard.

We’re willing to bet that almost every last one of you has considered buying an early Bentley Continental GT. The combination of other-worldly luxury in a package that is as sure-footed and fleet-of-foot as an intercontinental ballistic missile has even the most hard-hearted of drivers scouring the classifieds.

And yet not many of us are daft enough to actually follow through, prudence and cowardice conspiring to steer us towards a mid-market Ford Focus because that's the sensible solution.

But sensible be damned; here is a Bentley Continental GT that makes sense to the head AND the heart. It looks bloody magnificent, is almost completely free of faults, and has the sort of service history most of us only dream of when we’re looking for our next classic car. It goes like stink, sounds like distant thunder, and - with a private plate on – is still capable of holding its own in any company.

And how much is this 12-cylindered slice of fried gold going to set you back? Less than twenty grand is our guess, at which point your mates will be biting their knuckles as they suppress a moan of envy at your good fortune. We would like to think prices for quality examples must have bottomed, too, so you might even break even.

But, don’t take our word for it; viewing is always encouraged, and it can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing or give us a call. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.