Double wishbone front suspension and a multilink rear set-up both use air springs to help cope with the weight of the Continental GT's steel monocoque body. For 2008, Bentley revised the suspension to use more aluminium and help reduce the car's overall weight by 35kg. At this time, the Speed model also arrived with a 10mm lower ride height, firmer spring settings, firmer dampers and tweaked anti-roll bars. The Supersports' suspension was made even firmer and Bentley changed its Continuous Damping Control (CDC) to deliver a more sporting drive.
CDC adjustable dampers have been trouble free
The CDC is fitted to all Continental GT models and allows the driver to choose from four settings, ranging from Comfort to Sport. These adjustable dampers have not given any trouble, but it's still worth checking they all work as they should during a test drive. Also, listen out for any knocks or clunks from the suspension that indicate worn drop links, which are £50 to replace.
With the car parked up, have a look at the condition of the brake discs. The front discs are 405mm vented items and the rears are 335mm on the GT and GTC. An option was carbon ceramic discs with 420mm fronts and 356mm rears, which were the largest brakes fitted to any production car at the time. Replacing the steel discs on the GT and Speed models will set you back £900 for a set of front discs and pads plus labour, while the ceramic brakes fitted to the Supersports as standard will set you back £10,000 for a full set from Bentley.
Handling is safe if not inspiring
Another brake-related worry is the electronic parking brake module is a known weak spot. If this fails, the handbrake won't work, but a replacement module is £230 from Flying Spares plus fitting.
An essential check when buying any Continental GT model are the wheels. The standard car came with 19-inch alloys, while the Speed and Supersports models have 20-inch wheels. The Mulliner Driving pack included 20-inch alloy wheels and a chrome finish for the wheels was a further option.
A new wheel for a Supersports is around £1,000 from Bentley, so any damaged wheels should be accounted for in the price. Also check how old the tyre pressure sensors are as they need to be replaced at five-years old as their batteries run out. A set of four will cost around £400 and you need to factor in the cost of removing and replacing the tyres plus balancing the wheels as part of this job.
PHer's view:
"A brief dabble with a GTC was a big mistake as it doesn't have the rigidity of the coupe when you're flying down a back road. Four-wheel drive is ace, but the steering is not a patch on my M5's."
William Allison
