Tuesday 11th August 2015

North Coast 500 Spotted special

Inspired by our drive around northern Scotland? Two very different £30K purchases to make the most of the experience...

---

There are many ways to experience the North Coast 500, all likely to be memorable. We whizzed around it in 24 hours, deadline of a flight home from Inverness looming. PHers in the thread after our story were pondering the merits of doing it on a superbike. And adventure cyclist Mark Beaumont is setting off this morning to do it on a push bike. Fair play to him but we'll stick to something with an engine.

This has to be an agreeable way to travel...

What though? For this special Spotted we took a fictional £30K and considered two very different conveyances for enjoying the best of what northern Scotland has to offer. First, the back to basics option...

Caterhams, Ariels and similar were all discussed in the office and then Nikolai stumbled across this rather fetching Morgan 4/4 which rather nicely combines traditional British sports car fun in a package that doesn't skimp on character or comfort. Goes without saying appreciating the views is all the easier without the roof so it's got that nailed and, for ultimate credibility, it should probably be tackled with the windscreen removed, the aero screens in place and sans doors.

OK, it's not going to be the fastest vehicle point to point but this is all about the experience, right? And you need time to soak up the scenery. This is a really smart looking car and small enough to be fun on the singletrack roads that make up a significant proportion of the route. Imagining the views framed by the sweep of the wings and the leather strapped and louvred bonnet sounds ideal. And when the driving is done park it up by the beach at Clachtoll or Durness, pitch your tent and enjoy the sun set over the sea accompanied by the single malt of your choosing. Sounds good, right?

Then again maybe wind in the hair is overrated?

Or how about a very different approach? The whole idea of the route is to show off the tourism and gastronomy of the region and while you won't find a whole lot of that in John O'Groats there are plenty of swanky boutique hotels where the crunch of Bentley's tyres on the gravel driveway would seem an appropriate way to arrive.

Isn't it a bit of a barge though? Well for the singletrack bits the soft ride, raised sightline and ... assertive presence mean you'll probably take precedence at passing points. And you can't go especially quickly so you may as well do it luxuriously. And when the roads open out into the more flowing, wider and more accommodating sections you'll be able to appreciate making some progress at waft factor nine, delicately threading the Bentley through the turns with the slender steering wheel nipped between forefinger and thumb while the 400hp turbocharged V8 makes short work of any dawdling camper vans. Inspired? Check out our Bentley Arnage T Buying Guide here. It even comes with his'n'hers brollies in the boot. Well, it is Scotland. Just make sure you plan your fuel stops carefully...

So which is it to be? Details and ads for both cars below - let us know which you'd pick.

---

Bentley Arnage R
Engine: 6,750cc V8
Transmission: 4-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 405@4,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 616@3,250rpm
MPG: 13.7mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: 495g/km
First registered: 2002
Recorded mileage: 68,000
Price new: c. £160,000
Yours for:£23,950

See the original ad here.

---

Morgan 4/4
Engine: 1,595cc, inline-four
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 112@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 97@ 5,900rpm
MPG: 44.1mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: 143g/km
First registered: 2009
Recorded mileage: 13,000
Price new: £33,075
Yours for:£28,950

See the original ad here.

[Sources: Mark Beaumont, via Facebook]

[Blackbird425]

I won an Autocar competition and got to drive the entire Bentley model range a few years back. The Arnage was a massive disappointment; the traction control kept cutting in harshly at the slightest application of throttle. It might look good value at £24k, but the running costs would be fearsome.

Edited by Blackbird425 on Tuesday 11th August 09:38

[King Steffy]

I can say in my opinion, without fear of contradiction, there is no finer way to travel in my view.
The Arnage Red Label / "R" / "T" is a very beautiful car...Beautifully appointed & real old school which has so much class that modern day cars do not have..

Of course it's not cheap to run but go & buy any Aston, Ferrari etc & you'll see that the Bentley is not any more expensive than it's competition.

If you can afford it, again in my view, it's the finest way to travel...

[DirtyIrish]

That Bentley is a lot of car for the money. Personally i'd go for the Morgan - bit more fun

[daytona365]

Seems funny that an antiquated POS costs more than one of the best cars ever made. But such is the fickle way of 'classics'.

[Blackbird425]

King Steffy said:

I can say in my opinion, without fear of contradiction, there is no finer way to travel in my view.
The Arnage Red Label / "R" / "T" is a very beautiful car...Beautifully appointed & real old school which has so much class that modern day cars do not have..

Of course it's not cheap to run but go & buy any Aston, Ferrari etc & you'll see that the Bentley is not any more expensive than it's competition.

If you can afford it, again in my view, it's the finest way to travel...

£24k doesn't buy much in the way of a Ferrari. Agree re the beauty and class, it is a magnificent car, albeit one I didn't enjoy driving. I think the statement there is no finer way to travel is pushing it though!

[King Steffy]

Agree, depends on what you like naturally...For me, it really is the nicest way to travel...

[SamR380]

daytona365 said:

Seems funny that an antiquated POS costs more than one of the best cars ever made. But such is the fickle way of 'classics'.

It's a bit harsh to call a Bentley a POS, although I'll concede 'antiquated'.

[daytona365]

Ha ha, I see what you did there.

[jamespink]

Its interesting contributors are talking about the dynamic disappointment of the Bentley but by strange coincidence, there's a Morgan in the article as well. Hard to say just the Bentley is compromised...

[andybu]

Quite. The Morgan (only drove one once, so this is a narrow survey result) has quite firm suspension. On some of those lumpy single-track roads up there your spinal column and teeth fillings will get a workout in anything that stiffly-sprung. I've driven these roads over the years in a variety of stuff, starting with an MGB-GT way back in the day. I'd take the Bentley, as it would keep me from needing a chiropractor visit afterwards.

[soad]

The hairy chested, full-fat 6.75 V8 has plenty of grunt.

[Jonny TVR]

That Morgan has held its value well! £680 a year depreciation. Is the waiting list for Morgans still 7 years?

[lindrup119]

Morgan sounds like a great idea, until you remember you're driving around SCOTLAND. I'll take something with a proper roof and door seals.

If I had to get wet I'd be doing it properly [Triumph Sprint 1050]:

Edited by lindrup119 on Tuesday 11th August 13:43

[Patrick Bateman]

You can keep your Continental nonsense, that is a proper Bentley.

[mcbook]

Agree that the weather makes the Morgan a total gamble. I really wouldn't fancy that drive whilst soaking wet. Incredible how well they seem to hold their value though!

I think the Bentley looks great and would be a great car for wafting around the highlands. Might be a bit big for some of the roads but I'm sure the other cars would move out of your way pretty quick.

[Quhet]

Heater on, tweed jacket, flat cap and goggles. The Morgan would be brilliant April to October. The Bentley for the winter please

[Mastodon2]

I'll do this route some day, I wouldn't bother in a car. Something more appropriate will be selected.

[Baryonyx]

Yes, I'm looking at doing it next year over two nights on my T595 Daytona, following a CBF600. That Bentley though, is incredible.

[Willy Nilly]

Once upon a time I would have given soft, delicate parts of my anatomy for all sorts of fancy cars, not so now. The usual German, well branded guff just leaves me cold and so do most performance cars that people get very excited by on here. It would take a lot to get me out of my Jazz and if I came into a huge amount of money, I'd side step all of the usual supercars and barges and buy a Bentley just like that one, it's a car and a half .





I'd keep the Jazz though.

[anonymous-user]

That Bentley is just so tempting, fantastic, irrelevant, potentially ruinous and utterly gorgeous.