Eleven-grand Bentley Flying Spur | Spotted
A W12-powered Bentley that makes a Dacia look pricey - what could possibly go wrong?
When Bentley launched the Continental Flying Spur in 2005, it was the four-door version of the GT formula that had already rewritten the brand's fortunes. Same 6.0-litre W12 twin-turbo, same permanent all-wheel drive, same Crewe-meets-Wolfsburg engineering beneath the chrome matrix grille. At well north of a hundred grand, they sat in a world of S-Classes and long-wheelbase 7 Series, though the Bentley had something neither rival could touch: theatre.
Twenty years and 103,261 miles later, the theatre, two parts W12, one part hand-stitched splendour, is still there. The asking price, though, has taken a different trajectory. When we featured a slightly more tired-looking example as a Brave Pill back in 2019, its £16,995 asking price marked it out at the time as the cheapest in the nation. Now, a car with admittedly more miles on the clock - but with a valid MOT and in handsome spec - will set you back less than £12k. A significant saving over a Dacia Sandero.
Is the mileage a concern? Obviously it dictates the asking price - one with half the recorded distance will set you back closer to £15k - but the engine was built for long distances, as was the car around it. Granted, the W12 is magnificent in the same way that a large, complicated piece of Victorian machinery is magnificent - i.e. impressive in operation, terrifying when something goes wrong. But you’d hope the big-ticket items have been addressed already (paying close attention to the ‘good’ history claimed by the vendor is obviously essential).
Nevertheless, just two owners is encouraging. It suggests the car has not been passed around like an unwanted Christmas present, accumulating deferred maintenance at every change of hands. And if the fundamentals are solid, you’re getting the sort of cost-per-cylinder ratio that makes man maths such a diverting field. As a left-field family runaround, capable of seating four adult-sized passengers in supreme comfort, it is hard to argue with the payoff.
Of course, on the opposite end of the scale, we’re talking about a car that weighs the thick end of two and a half tonnes, drinks petrol with the enthusiasm of a rugby team at a wake, and is possibly not done depreciating (though you do wonder how low a modern Bentley can go - the far more numerous Continental GT has stayed, for the most part, resolutely above £10k). But clearly no one is going to pretend this is a sensible purchase. Cars with twelve cylinders rarely are.
Thankfully, very few PHers need a lesson on the enduring appeal of a supremely powerful old barge that can be bought for (comparatively speaking) pennies. Go into it with your eyes wide open and perhaps a few bob in the contingency fund, and you come out of it with a wonderful, sonorous way to get from A to B, one that virtually qualifies you as an eccentric member of the aristocracy, and makes driving to France feel like popping to Waitrose. Tempted?
SPECIFICATION | BENTLEY CONTINENTAL FLYING SPUR
Engine: 5,998cc, twin-turbo W12
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 560@6,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 479@1,600-6,100rpm
First registered: 2006
Recorded mileage: 103,261
Price new: £133,200
Yours for: £11,500
Obviously there're other factors like suspension which can fail, especially with the state of our roads but 103k on an engine like this I wouldn't have thought it was tired and worn out.
We seem to still have a 1970s approach to mileage.
Obviously there're other factors like suspension which can fail, especially with the state of our roads but 103k on an engine like this I wouldn't have thought it was tired and worn out.
We seem to still have a 1970s approach to mileage.
I can’t imagine the cost of supply & fit of a starter motor, sorting out a torque convertor on the gearbox…. & like you say suspension itself would be ruinous.
Probably a mad punt for someone who doesn't know what they're doing but for someone with the right skills it'll be far less of a risk and a more logical bet. It also can't be far off breaking value for someone with the time and space so much less risk for them.
The mileage is of no concern. The engine is relatively unstressed and it's a V12 for goodness sake. If they can't take high miles then nothing can and this is hardly going to go to Bentley for servicing and even a railway arch garage should be able to service it and change consumables like brakes without too much hassle.
This is a car you buy to run into the ground. Buy it, run it for as long as possible and then sell it to a specialized breaker. Watched a YT vid a few weeks ago where a Bentley breaker would buy a running bit poorly Conti for £6k as parts like headlights are still worth big money second hand.
Use your head and it shouldn't be as ruinous as some would make out.
I think you are right, some catch up maintenance/remediation work will be necessary soon…. Nice car to have though, maybe a perfect candidate for EV conversion for the right owner and situation?
I think you are right, some catch up maintenance/remediation work will be necessary soon . Nice car to have though, maybe a perfect candidate for EV conversion for the right owner and situation?
Obviously they buy the cheapest old heap or ones with issues and then have a nightmare by and large, I think this skews the perception of what its like to live with these cars and you get the feeling you will need the engine removing a couple of times a year and have constant problems.
But, you still see a lot about and people seem to manage, though I did see a lad I went to school driving one locally, his nickname was on the numberplate so I thought I wonder, and it was him, didnt have chance to say hello, but the car was seen later sat on its bumpstops on the drive of a local house turning green. Some folk will buy an old one and live in constant fear, some will buy one and manage in the way that Mr Magoo manages to navigate building site.
I think if you are fairly hands on you can mitigate some of the cost, it is a car at the end of the day, not a private jet but though I can do stuff I think my skills would cease to be enough pretty quick, then you are at the mercy of a independent, nobody is taking a 20 year old Spur to Bentley unless they are properly rich.
I toy with the idea but I think my plan would be to save up and get a later V8, this does look nice, some look down at heel but this retains most of its appeal.
They look much better with 4 doors and the interior looks to be in good condition. 10k and another 10k to fix anything, still cheap?
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff