£10k Bentley Continental GT | Spotted
Time to celebrate the W12 for just £9,995 - and without an MOT advisory since 2013...
Having sold so many of them, Bentley giving up the W12 was always going to be a big deal. If not quite as momentous as the 6.75 V8’s retirement, the 12-cylinder unit was the foundation upon which Crewe’s 21st-century success was built, so it was owed a debt of gratitude. But a V8 in one form or another has proved damn near as impressive already in Bentaygas and Continental GTs, and if ever a group of cars was going to suit hefty plug-in torque, it’s heavyweight Bentleys.
With the focus now on a hybridised future, it looks a great time to remember the W12s. If unlikely to ever be recalled as fondly as some pre-VW models, there’s also no escaping the fact that current-day Bentley doesn’t exist without the Continental GT. However lovely Mulsannes and Arnages are, nowhere near enough of those would have sold to keep things afloat. Thanks to the W12 - thanks to the Continental GT - Bentley thrived. And continues to do so.
While never as evocative as a V12, the W suited the mission of the Conti down to the ground, a twin-turbo’d tower of power that felt completely indefatigable. Once upon a time, there was probably some consternation that 6.75-litres was being downsized to 6.0; now the W12 is the old-school Bentley powertrain that most people associate with the brand.
The fact that the GT wasn’t an old-school Bentley meant a whole new wave of customers and specifications that… well, some have aged better than others, put it that way. If we told you there were now 20-year-old Continentals available for £9,995, you’d probably assume the worst - right? Something would be wrong with the wheels, paint, interior, or all three. The history might be a bit dubious, that sort of thing.
But this is the reality of a £10k GT in 2025. And it looks very nice indeed, in Cyprus Green outside with leather of the same colour inside (alongside Savannah hide) and extended wooden veneers. The car is showing just over 100,000 miles, has had just three owners and comes with matching Pirelli tyres. While use has been sparing in recent years, it’s passed every MOT without even a minor since 2014. There’s no mention of a recent service, and surely there’s no such thing as a small check-up on a big Bentley, but there’s a lot to be encouraged by given the four-figure asking price.
You’ll want a healthy budget to run any Bentley, of course, let alone a £10k Continental GT with six figures under its belt. But it’s hard to imagine them getting an awful lot cheaper - it’s a 6.0-litre, 12-cylinder, 560hp super GT, after all - and this is one you could enjoy because of the spec rather than despite it. And it’s in the cheaper tax bracket. Every little helps when it comes to keeping a W12 in fine fettle.
SPECIFICATION | BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT
Engine: 5,998cc W12 twin-turbo
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 560@6,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 479@1,600rpm
MPG: 16.5
CO2: 410g/km
First registered: 2005
Recorded mileage: 104,000
Price new: £110,000 (2004, before options)
Yours for: £9,995
One of my friends bought one when they were circa £20k and ran it a year, used to moan it cost him £14 in petrol to drive to their favourite pub 20 mins away for a five quid pint :-)
I do remember his rear led brake light strip failed and cost him something stupid to replace it, think he was quoted £1500 at Bentley.
But then again - it's been well looked after and could it really be that ruinous...
And that is the moment that scares me - that internal discussion that maybe it would be OK and could it really be that expensive to fix etc. ? I always see these being driven and chuckle at the risk being taken but inside I know how easily I could be swayed to do the same thing.
£10k sounds like a bargain until the alternator goes and you discover how much it costs to replace....
Friend has one he bought for £13k, he’s had no issues in 2 years - that’s the gamble
It might be £10k but the first big bill could match that easily, might be me but these look so dated now.
Eleven months went by and nothing, he added fuel and it worked whilst he remained smug....right up until the first service and MoT. Oh dear and a just over £9k bill to keep it on the road meant after settling up the Conti was quietly sold to be replaced by something a whole lot more sensible.
Personally I'd rather flush my 10K away on a Maserati 3200 but hats off to those who do take the risk on one of these. Looks a really nice example.
But you see what folk do in Readers Cars building their own car, adapting and improving stuff, those guys are out there but its a very small percentage that could tackle the engine out type jobs. Probably not the job to do in a single garage with an old engine hoist you borrowed.
One where you need to do a lot of research as well, if you are running it on a budget at least.
Will never forget taking the wifes friends Seat Arosa (Remember those ?) for an MOT at the local place round the corner, young lad swaggers in looking like he is in a rap video having just got out of a very smart Continental. He said to chuck a couple of tyres on it and waits. The mechanic comes back 10 mins later and informs him it needs all four tyres and all your wheels are buckled and cracked in some way, so went from £500 to probably four grand in a heartbeat.
Saw a lad from school in one, I saw the number plate first and it was his nickname, I though I wonder if it its him (fairly wealthy, inherited his dads company) and it was, didnt get chance to say hello as he was driving off, seen it since at a house whilst cycling parked up, sunken down onto the bumpstops, turning green.
I do love these, remember walking the dog between Wilmslow and Alderley Edge one night when they first came out, one went past when it was quiet and the sound and the sheer pace was amazing, swear it left a wake vortex like a 747 and the smell of burnt matches in the air.
Think these look old and a bit less shouty than they did, but lets not forget, its still a 550 bhp car, they do shift, been in a Supersports one and that was very impressive, all that weight, traction, power and an auto box means it moves off the line like it has no right to for something so big.
Must be a wonderful car but old versions of these have lost a lot of cred in recent years.
2. If you’re buying the car and really like it, why would you care a jot about “cred”?
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