1994 Bentley Continental R 6.7 turbo from Netherlands

Summary:

Brilliant for those who want this

Faults:

Memory pack of passenger seat is rather unreliable. Sub-frame bushes front right were damaged and replaced by dealer without further cost.

Leather is incredibly beautiful, but needed careful conditioning after long term storage, the specialist where I bought it could not simply match my expectations so I had it done myself.

Speakers were dried and needed replacement, which is a real pain because of the almost perfect original interior panel fit. Matching those standards is difficult even for a professional trimmer or experienced amateur.

Buying one is a pain, most have had vandalized paints, and therefore are repainted, not always to the expected standard. Hydraulics are often neglected and leaking. Make also sure all gadgets work, they are a frighteningly expensive and complicated to repair. Look at many before buying, or even better, buy one from a real specialist with a warranty. Avoid cheap offers, these cars were expensive when new and are still expensive to maintain now.

General Comments:

This is brilliant car at what it does, full stop.

It will cruise effortlessly and silently at legal speeds or provide bullish acceleration at the twist of your ankle. Handling is very good for a car of this size and weight, but it comes at the price of a rather hard suspension and brutal tire wear. It also has a rather commanding driving position that I had never experienced before.

It's a brilliant long distance car, only let down by a rather hard suspension (despite the fact that it is automatically adaptable) and a faint A-pillar wind noise.

Despite its reputation it will return a rather decent fuel economy (do not get me wrong, it's heavy by worldly standards, at around 12-15l/100Km at 130 Km/h, but less than what I had expected). The engine noise is wonderful.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th December, 2008

15th Jun 2009, 04:26

Very nice and useful review, thanks.

28th Jan 2011, 08:43

Hello, it's still me.

I have put about 28000 Km since the review, and the car is performing extremely well. I bought it with 32000 Km, so the engine has nicely loosened, and I have had the occasion to put high speed kilometers in Germany. It's great.

Maintenance has been as expected. The hydraulics needed a scheduled overhaul (spheres, fluids) and the hydraulic pumps needed new O-rings. Otherwise, brake pads had to be changed and other rather usual filters, bushes and hoses.

The car is so far 100% reliable, including the instruments and electronics, a new "optima" spiral battery cured the few electronic gremlins that I reported earlier.

We have a baby now, and the fact that it is a "giant" coupé is really appreciated by the whole family, the car is used regularly. In case you are interested, fuel economy is much better than expected, around 15 l/100, and significantly less on long trips. We love this car.

1997 Bentley Continental R Mulliner 6.75 turbocharged from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Best luxury car ever made. It has a heritage to match!

Faults:

My last few reports on this car have not been accepted so I will keep it nice.

Good God! Do you think I would spend this much money on a car with problems?

Nothing has happened.

General Comments:

Leather is so soft that I feel like I am damaging it sitting on it!

The wood veneer has glowing qualities that I never knew wood possessed.

I like this car because it is rare and sets itself away from the crowd. It has its own distinctive style that no other car can match, much better than my old Rolls!

The performance on this car is the best I have seen for a high performance coupe. I can cruise at 250km/h and there is still more left, and yes I have tested it on Germany's autobahns.

Then again it all comes at a price. A third world country could be supported on the fuel bill alone. Don't talk to me about the servicing costs, I feel guilty!

The fact that the numberplate on the car reads "SUPREME" says it all!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th October, 2001

14th Oct 2001, 05:45

How does a UK number plate read SUPREME? What characters are used? Just curious!

15th Oct 2001, 03:12

I am a collector of British cars and have numberplates made up accordingly. As the car is not used on the road any more the UK road registry allowed me to have numberplates reading "SUPREME" issued. The car is NOT to be driven on the road.

3rd Jul 2002, 11:41

That Number plate topic is very interesting: In 1987 on a school trip I took a picture of a stretched Mercedes 260E on Westminster Bridge with that plate. So back then, it must have been OK. Funny to see it re-appear.

More to the point, it would be interesting to hear how the suspension compares to that of the current S-class, as that seems to be a great compromise between "sporty" firmness on the Autobahn and comfortable ride over pot holes in town.

2nd Jan 2003, 00:09

I am also a lover of British cars. I have an older Jaguar that I love to drive and I do put the miles on my XJ40. My question is this-why would some one spend all the money on a Bentley and only drive it 2 or 3 thousand miles a year? Some day I would like to have a Bentley with a few miles and at least 12 years to make it more affordable. Thank you-Blake of Oklahoma.

15th Dec 2005, 22:37

Blake, you have to consider that most bentleys are purchased by people with more than one car. I read somewhere that the average RR/B buyer also has at least 3 other automobiles in their stable.

I only have 2, a 1996 Mercedes S420 that I use as a daily driver, my 1988 Corniche II, and a 1991 Ferrari Testarossa. My favorite is the corniche, but I only driver her on Wedesdays, Fridays and Saturdays when the weather is nice, and I average about 3500 miles a year.