Bentley GTC. What r Bentley doing?
Discussion
Agree!Hopefully you did better than the dealer I bought a brand new Vanquish from (for roughly that sum). I went into the same showroom a couple of weeks later to pick something up and the same guy walked up to me and said 'good morning, are you interested in buying an Aston Martin'. Not impressed!
I'm taking my GTC to the South of France in the summer - can't wait. It's the perfect car for the long cruise..... I took my other GT last year, huge fun but not exactly practical.
nda said:
Interestingly there's always someone sniping from the sidelines (who won't own one of course) for such cars that 'ooh, they're not how they used to be' 'or there's not enough chrome like in the old days' or 'but they're German' forgetting that in the old days these cars were often unreliable barges that handled like lard. Same with Aston and Jaguars too.
Amusing to watch!
to answer the original question, they basically built the wrong car. it should have a OOOO badge not a B.
you cannot go from building a handful of cars per year to spinning them off the line in thousands without a loss of exclusivity and subsequently a plunge in secondhand values. though i'm sure the parent company has made plenty on their production the retail strategy has ultimately cheapened the brand. now if it had an audi badge it would have enhanced the audi brand because without question the GT is a super car, but not really a bentley. where as the Arnage...that is a bentley.
it is hard to pin down the essence of bentley but if you look at BMW's take on rolls royce, very expensive cars and not too many of them. hey presto, they still seem exclusive, but i bet they still drop like stones secondhand.
i prefer the old stuff anyway...buy something they don't make anymore...you should get your money back come sale time and it will be pretty exclusive.
you cannot go from building a handful of cars per year to spinning them off the line in thousands without a loss of exclusivity and subsequently a plunge in secondhand values. though i'm sure the parent company has made plenty on their production the retail strategy has ultimately cheapened the brand. now if it had an audi badge it would have enhanced the audi brand because without question the GT is a super car, but not really a bentley. where as the Arnage...that is a bentley.
it is hard to pin down the essence of bentley but if you look at BMW's take on rolls royce, very expensive cars and not too many of them. hey presto, they still seem exclusive, but i bet they still drop like stones secondhand.
i prefer the old stuff anyway...buy something they don't make anymore...you should get your money back come sale time and it will be pretty exclusive.
Rolls have always dropped like stones second hand, so have Bentley, Jaguar and Aston.
I recall looking at an Azure a while back at £247k, I asked the Berkeley Square dealer if he had any mint used examples and what sort of price they went for - the result was,erm, interesting!
The discussion about volume has been discussed to death on Aston forums - and I suspect on Bentley and Jag ones too. The price of popularity is, of course, there are more of them on the roads.
However, 'proper' Aston, 'proper' Bentley? Not so sure - the Azure is made at Crewe by Bentley, as is the GT. They both say Bentley on the front....!
Some of the the Vintage stalwarts in the club actually have those very conversations, I kid you not!
It is worth noting though, that the Bentley Drivers Club welcomes all types and era of Bentley, not just the original 'real' 1919-1931 Bentley motor cars. So if you have a RR that is branded as a Bentley, or a Bentley with VAG DNA, you are still welcome.
However, the Rolls Royce Enthusiast Club is for Rolls Royce cars only, and they have about four times as many RR Bentleys than the Bentley Drivers Club has RR Bentleys. You couldnt join the RREC if you have a proper Bentley though, from before the 1931 takeover, like say a 3 litre or other Vintage Bentley, for obvious reasons, they arent Rolls Royces and there is no connection whatsoever.
It is worth noting though, that the Bentley Drivers Club welcomes all types and era of Bentley, not just the original 'real' 1919-1931 Bentley motor cars. So if you have a RR that is branded as a Bentley, or a Bentley with VAG DNA, you are still welcome.
However, the Rolls Royce Enthusiast Club is for Rolls Royce cars only, and they have about four times as many RR Bentleys than the Bentley Drivers Club has RR Bentleys. You couldnt join the RREC if you have a proper Bentley though, from before the 1931 takeover, like say a 3 litre or other Vintage Bentley, for obvious reasons, they arent Rolls Royces and there is no connection whatsoever.
Edited by Balmoral Green on Monday 8th January 18:48
Just a few points:
1. Bentley had a near 4000-strong order book immediately prior to the date when the first GTCs were delivered, so yes, meeting customer demands was and still is a priority. We still have a healthy waiting list for the GTC in all markets, though.
2. I think you'll find that, relative to other cars costing over £100k, the Continental range has always performed exceptionally well in terms of residuals.
3. For a brief period, a small number of Flying Spurs came out of the Dresden factory, to cater for initial demand. This information has always been available to the press. However, all Flying Spurs are now made at Crewe, along with the GTC, GT, Arnage and Azure.
4. Exclusivity? Well, I live in (relatively prosperous) South Leicestershire and I guess on average I spot about one Bentley a week. If you live in London, it's a different matter, but that's not representative of the rest of the UK. Continental production has risen over the last three years, as new models are launched and as demand grows, but we've now reached a point where consolidation at the current level is our priority, for the sake of exclusivity and brand desirability - as well as residual values.
5. Our heritage? It's still hugely important to us and our customers. Crewe is still a Mecca for Bentley owners from around the world and we have a team of full time staff who are employed purely to show enthusiasts and owners around the same factory where we've been producing cars for more than 60 years. Yes, we're VW-owned, but the Crewe site is autonomous and home to our 500-strong team of engineers (as well as designers, craftmen and women, production staff, sales & marketing etc etc...). All engines (W12 and V8) are made at Crewe, and even though we're still a relatively small car manufacturer, the build quality and durability of our products is second to none.
I hope that's cleared up a few of the reservations aired in this thread. I'll keep in touch from time to time in case there's anything else...
Simon Hucknall
Public Relations Manager
Bentley Motors Limited
1. Bentley had a near 4000-strong order book immediately prior to the date when the first GTCs were delivered, so yes, meeting customer demands was and still is a priority. We still have a healthy waiting list for the GTC in all markets, though.
2. I think you'll find that, relative to other cars costing over £100k, the Continental range has always performed exceptionally well in terms of residuals.
3. For a brief period, a small number of Flying Spurs came out of the Dresden factory, to cater for initial demand. This information has always been available to the press. However, all Flying Spurs are now made at Crewe, along with the GTC, GT, Arnage and Azure.
4. Exclusivity? Well, I live in (relatively prosperous) South Leicestershire and I guess on average I spot about one Bentley a week. If you live in London, it's a different matter, but that's not representative of the rest of the UK. Continental production has risen over the last three years, as new models are launched and as demand grows, but we've now reached a point where consolidation at the current level is our priority, for the sake of exclusivity and brand desirability - as well as residual values.
5. Our heritage? It's still hugely important to us and our customers. Crewe is still a Mecca for Bentley owners from around the world and we have a team of full time staff who are employed purely to show enthusiasts and owners around the same factory where we've been producing cars for more than 60 years. Yes, we're VW-owned, but the Crewe site is autonomous and home to our 500-strong team of engineers (as well as designers, craftmen and women, production staff, sales & marketing etc etc...). All engines (W12 and V8) are made at Crewe, and even though we're still a relatively small car manufacturer, the build quality and durability of our products is second to none.
I hope that's cleared up a few of the reservations aired in this thread. I'll keep in touch from time to time in case there's anything else...
Simon Hucknall
Public Relations Manager
Bentley Motors Limited
Simon - good to know that PH is read!
I think you're making fabulous new cars and I am really enjoying my GTC - despite the views of some that they're a bit commonplace and/or not how they used to be! It's a cracking car and, out of the many cars I've owned, it's by far the best built. So much so that I reckon it's actually a bit of a bargain.
Congrats to Bentley.....
nda said:
Simon - good to know that PH is read!
I think you're making fabulous new cars and I am really enjoying my GTC - despite the views of some that they're a bit commonplace and/or not how they used to be! It's a cracking car and, out of the many cars I've owned, it's by far the best built. So much so that I reckon it's actually a bit of a bargain.
Congrats to Bentley.....
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