What happened to the Continental R and Azures
Discussion
always been a fan of these cars , remember reading magazines from about 10 years ago saying the only way was up for them.
What happened ? see a 2003 azure with 33,000 mls for £79.950 which seems a bargain .
i would have thought the poor styling of models since vw took over would have increased the allure of these models ?
What happened ? see a 2003 azure with 33,000 mls for £79.950 which seems a bargain .
i would have thought the poor styling of models since vw took over would have increased the allure of these models ?
Inflammatory "oh I wish it hadn't been sold to VW and had gone bankrupt instead" comment aside, they were idiosyncratic at best even in their day, and they can be ruinously expensive to maintain. They have some appeal to a certain type of buyer but they are showy (especially the Azure) and, in my personal opinion, amazingly disappointing to drive. If a Continental R has had some in-service upgrades it can be made to handle adequately but this is a 90's car based on 80's tech and really feels like it. The Azure is horrible to drive with scuttle shake from the 1960s and is a huge wallowy barge of a car with a driving position that is totally un-ergonomic and an image that is far more Rolls-Royce than Bentley. Give me an ugly VW era car any day over one of these.
MRPULLHARD said:
thanks you have just ruined my dream - the facelifted Mulsanne is about the only desirable model in current line up.
But maybe you are one of the people it's for! They still command £50k+ and they still have a market so someone must like them. They have a certain presence (the R at least - I always disliked the Azure) and there is an "out-of-time" quality to the way they drive and the design - could be late 60s or late 80s - but dynamically they were anachonistic at launch. And the T and SC - they were developed after an engineering office whip-round. Don't forget the rather lovely Brooklands based off the last Arnage platform. Now that really wasn't bad to drive, nice to look at and beautifully finished,. That's one to buy, drive and cherish.
I would not change my Conti T for a Brookland. Driving the 1997 Conti T since 1 1/2 Year now and it is a fantastic Car.
On our German Autobahn I can easily drive around 200 km/h and it drives saftey and strong as a new car.
The look of the earlier modells ( with faned Grill ) is much more atractive than the later mesh grill cars. The classic apperance is very special.
Only 94 Modell T with left hand drive and faned grill where build and so this modell will be a much look after in the next years. Here in Germany similar Modells reach easy the 100.000 € line.
I love the look of the alluminium dashboard of the Modell T, for me it is the most attractive dashboard.
I drive arround 7000 km pA and my T doesn't need a special Repair garage, many free working Garages in Germany can do the service. Spare Parts are cheap and easy to get.
It was one of my best decisions to buy the Car.
Ralf
On our German Autobahn I can easily drive around 200 km/h and it drives saftey and strong as a new car.
The look of the earlier modells ( with faned Grill ) is much more atractive than the later mesh grill cars. The classic apperance is very special.
Only 94 Modell T with left hand drive and faned grill where build and so this modell will be a much look after in the next years. Here in Germany similar Modells reach easy the 100.000 € line.
I love the look of the alluminium dashboard of the Modell T, for me it is the most attractive dashboard.
I drive arround 7000 km pA and my T doesn't need a special Repair garage, many free working Garages in Germany can do the service. Spare Parts are cheap and easy to get.
It was one of my best decisions to buy the Car.
Ralf
A Continental R 1998 has been my long distance tourer through Europe for the past 4 years. It is huge and is really a 2+ 2 rather than a 4 seater...it is stupidly difficult to access the rear seats ( that is why they are always in immaculate condition in second hand cars ). But there is no better way to cover the miles such is the power and comfort. Your attitude to driving will change when at the wheel, more care and attention to smooth manoeuvring but what a pleasure ! Surrounded by exquisite burr walnut and herds of cows' leather. Mechanically strong as an ox... Don't be put off, buy one and wallow in the sheer pleasure of owning the last of the true Bentley 2 doors before VW came to the party!
The quality of this era Bentleys is stunning.
Anything chrome - door handles, rear number plate surround, the little door lock buttons, eyeball air vents are all made of solid brass. Even the door lock barrels! The central locking solenoids are encased in rubber and rubber mounted for quietness. The wiring looms behind the dashboard are held with cable ties and not wrapped in tape for ease of fault finding. The heater matrix or a/c heat exchanger are really easy to change.
Beats the hell out of a VW. Think of the cost of an alternator change on the late cars.......
Anything chrome - door handles, rear number plate surround, the little door lock buttons, eyeball air vents are all made of solid brass. Even the door lock barrels! The central locking solenoids are encased in rubber and rubber mounted for quietness. The wiring looms behind the dashboard are held with cable ties and not wrapped in tape for ease of fault finding. The heater matrix or a/c heat exchanger are really easy to change.
Beats the hell out of a VW. Think of the cost of an alternator change on the late cars.......
I think you need to drive a well maintained car in order to fully appreciate them. Unfortunately there are many on the market that have sat around doing nothing and deteriorated.
I use my own car (1996 Cont.R) for the 1000 mile trip from northern Scotland to the midlands on fairly regular basis. Now that I have got back the mechanical condition to factory spec, it is a full force machine, particularly for long distance cruising. However, they do handle remarkably well for the size and weight on narrow twisty roads - an observation made repeatedly by journalists when the cars were new.
For me, the styling is also stunning and very clever - it conceals the enormous size remarkably well. I like the "coke bottle" styling of pinched waist and bulging rear arches.
They are from a different era - and don't appeal to everyone. But they do appeal to me. I do think their time will come as the last of the truly low volume cars from Crewe.
I use my own car (1996 Cont.R) for the 1000 mile trip from northern Scotland to the midlands on fairly regular basis. Now that I have got back the mechanical condition to factory spec, it is a full force machine, particularly for long distance cruising. However, they do handle remarkably well for the size and weight on narrow twisty roads - an observation made repeatedly by journalists when the cars were new.
For me, the styling is also stunning and very clever - it conceals the enormous size remarkably well. I like the "coke bottle" styling of pinched waist and bulging rear arches.
They are from a different era - and don't appeal to everyone. But they do appeal to me. I do think their time will come as the last of the truly low volume cars from Crewe.
I bought 2 Conti R's this year both from salvage auction. The first one has 10500 miles and is a 94 but has been in a mud slide where a bunch of rocks fell on it. Inside and under the hood look brand new but it will take a hell of a lot to fix. I can't bring myself to dismantle it.
The second had around 80k miles and a slight knock in the front. I'm looking for a really good panel beater to fix it.
I plan on buying an Azure maybe in 2019 if i can sell a few cars. I want it to be perfect.
The second had around 80k miles and a slight knock in the front. I'm looking for a really good panel beater to fix it.
I plan on buying an Azure maybe in 2019 if i can sell a few cars. I want it to be perfect.
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