Saturday 27th February
Bentley Continental GT: PH Buying Guide
The car that made modern Bentley, and less prone to problems than you might think
The Continental GT may well be the most important car Bentley has ever built.
GTC convertible arrived in 2006
At launch, the GT was not rapturously received by the press, journalists citing its firm ride and performance that didn't feel as quick as it should. However, buyers didn't give a stuff about these opinions and lined up to own a Continental GT. It's easy to see why when the entry price was £110,000, making it much more affordable than an Arnage, and it had sleek fastback looks that covered a four-seat cabin.None of these buyers were fussed that Bentley had borrowed much of the GT's mechanical parts from the Volkswagen Phaeton. For some this meant the reassurance of consistently high build quality standards and reliability. There was also still enough Britishness in the Continental GT thanks to it being built in Crewe and its distinctive W12 engine being assembled there too.
In time, Bentley addressed the early press criticisms and the Continental GT evolved into an ever more appealing machine. In 2006, the GTC convertible arrived to add open-top motoring to the car's appeal, while the Speed model of 2007 increased power by 50hp over the standard model's power output to 610hp.
Supersports boasted 630hp and 590lb ft
The final flourish for this first generation of Continental GT arrived with the Supersports model that further increased power to 630hp and delivered 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds. It helped that the Supersports weighed 110kg less than a standard GT thanks to no back seats, plus Alcantara and carbon fibre where you would normally expect leather and wood.Reckoned to be the best driving Continental GT, a Supersports will set you back anywhere between £65,000 and £100,000 depending on age, condition, mileage and whether it's a coupe or convertible. A Speed model will cost from £42,000 and rise to £75,000, but the real bargain here is the standard coupe model that can be had from £25,000 and shows no signs of dropping below that figure now. For that, you will be getting an all-wheel drive 6.0-litre Bentley that has more than earned its place in the firm's history books.
PHer's view:
"A BMW 320d or a Bentley Continental GT was my choice. I thought 'sod it' and bought the Bentley for £28,000 and have never regretted it, though a couple of big bills have made me think about selling. Still, they are soon forgotten and I love this car."
John Parsons
Buying Guide contents :
Introduction