BENTLEY CONTINENTAL

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From the classifieds: 2004 Bentley Continental GT

There's few marques with the cachet of Bentley... And fewer still with a history spanning almost 100 years...

Glamorous British high-performance grand tourers have always been something special. And even moreso if they happen to be Bentleys. From the early 20th century to today, the revered British brand has represented a combination of lofty luxury and raw power – the latter in the form of the 4.5-litre supercharged Blower Bentleys and 6.5-litre Speed Six models that made their name competing and winning at Le Mans in the 1920s.

Where much of the competition at the time focussed on light weight to maximise power-weight ratios and on-track agility, Bentley always believed that there was no substitute for litres. Little wonder then competitor Ettore Bugatti once described the Blower Bentley as the “fastest truck on wheels.”

Unlike many other luxury marques that reigned in the early 1900s, Bentley is still around today – even if the very British brand is now owned by the German Volkswagen group.

And it is doing very well. Today’s Bentley range covers the Continental Flying Spur and Mulsanne saloons, the Continental GTC cabriolet – and the Continental GT coupe that is available in two versions: the regular GT and the powered-up Supersports variant.

The very beautiful, very British Continental GT Coupe, a large, graceful but brutally powerful four-seater that was introduced to Australia in 2003 and received its first update just this year, is undoubtedly today’s hero Bentley.

At its launch eight years ago the Continental GT’s massive, complex W12 engine displaced 6.0 litres and produced a rousing 415kW underwritten by no less than 650Nm of torque. Ensuring all this was put to good effect, the power was directed to all four wheels.

The Continental GT’s gorgeous body gave it an imposing presence to match the towering performance, while occupants were cosseted by a soft, enclosing, sumptuous interior speaking a totally British design language. Weighing close to 2.4 tonnes – as much as many full-size, offroad 4WDs - it was the epitome of refined muscularity.

Obviously the Bentley Continental GT is not for everybody and for that reason it remains one of the most exclusive cars you’ll see on Australian roads. Which is why you’re not likely to find many coming up for sale.

At $10 under $170,000, this 2004 model from Labrador in Queensland is priced at less than half its original RRP. It was bought by its property developer owner as a “surprise” for her husband but is being sold now to assist with the building of a new house.

With 117,000km showing on the odometer and a full service history, the silver Bentley comes with a roadworthy certificate and looks a likely prospect to lift the tone of any family driveway.

Powered By Motoring.com.au Published : Monday, 3 October 2011
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