Things to look for when buying a Bentley Continental GT

The Continental GT is the first Bentley to be developed under VW ownership.  The car was introduced for the 2003 model year and remains in production as of this writing (2017)  The Continental GT has been the most successful Bentley model of all time, significantly outselling all other models.

Bentley GT coupe (c) J E Robison

Today new GT prices start at about $200,000, and late model examples remain pricey.  Cars less than 5 years old are available through the Bentley dealer network with factory-backed certified warranty, and they are not the subject of this article.  Rather, we will focus on older examples.  Now that the car has been on the market 14 years we are seeing good early cars selling under $50,000.

The Continental GT has retained a consistent appearance since its introduction.  Trim, wheels, and colors have changed but the basic bodywork has had a long production life.  This is consistent with Bentley’s traditional postwar practice, where the previous Continental R was built without major bodywork revision from 1991 through the arrival of the GT in 2003.

Continental GT is the first mass-produced Bentley motorcar.  The prior Continental R was entirely hand built.  There is a lot of hand work in each GT but it was designed to be a mass produced product like other offerings from VW Group.  That allowed Bentley to offer the new GT at little more than half the MSRP of the previous R model, and sales immediately took off.

Bentley GT interior, MY 2005  (c) J E Robison

GT cars contain more sophisticated technology than any prior Crewe built automobile.  In developing this car VW and Bentley engineers worked together to retain much of the “look and feel” of traditional Bentley, while using modern manufacturing techniques.  That meant – for example - that dashboards were molded from foam rather than being hand crafted from wood and metal.

All of the driveline components on the new GT were previously proven on other cars in the VW/Audi line.  While the W12 (and later V8) engines were totally new to Crewe and Bentley they were well developed in the other car lines.  Modifications to personalize those components for Bentley did not change their essential nature.  By sharing driveline components across multiple brands and platforms VW group was able to build larger numbers of fewer parts. That allowed them to optimize quality - an issue that had plagued Crewe for years due to their low volumes.

Right from the outset the Continental GT series cars had less trouble with things like gasket failure, water pump leaks, and pesky check engine lamps.  The reasons for that were twofold - improvement through higher volume production and greater depth of experience in the now combined VW-Bentley engineering department.  We can mourn the passing of the Conti R - the last 100% handmade Bentley - but we have to appreciate the improved day to day quality modern mass production delivers.

Bentley GTC in front of Robison Service  (c) J E Robison

Mechanically the new Bentley was built on the same platform as the VW Phaeton and Audi A8.  Technicians who are trained in high end VW/Audi are able to adapt quickly to servicing these cars, and the VW electronic test systems support the Bentley product too.  Any prospective purchase should be scanned for faults in all computers, using dedicated VW software.  Owners can access most of the functionality of the factory test system with the VAG tester, available online for less than $1,000.

Technological changes to Bentley Continental through the years have tended to follow the rest of the VW lines.  The first update was for the 2005 model year, where they added voice activation for in-car telephone in six languages.  Bluetooth phone integration came shortly after and Bluetooth music streaming later still.   With every year the range of color choices in paint and leather shifted and in many cases expanded. 

When looking at an older Continental you can’t help being struck by the outdated appearance of the electronics screens.  The navigation and radio displays are particularly striking, as compared to even a basic VW of today.  That electronic obsolescence is a new issue with collector cars and the GT is really the first manifestation of that in the Bentley line.

Early GT cars were sold with built-in phones, the earliest of which use analog technology that is no longer supported in the USA.  Even the newer phones only offer limited compatibility with the 4G systems of today.  Some owners are stripping out the phones while others keep them for a period look.

At ten years of age many of these cars are showing wear in the interior.  The leather and carpet used in the GT appears to be a step down in durability from that found in earlier offerings from Crewe.   That means the leather is more easily perforated or torn, and carpets are more vulnerable to damage.  Traditionally these cars had wood trim that consisted of veneers overlaid on thick hardwood or plywood substrate.  In the interest of accident safety the newer Bentley offerings use a laminate of soft aluminum, wood veneer, and plastic coating.  Wood is often splitting on the older cars and repair of this new composite trim requires a different process than the older materials.

In the Robison Service shop we have seen several instances of fallen headliner fabrics on 2003-2006 cars.  Other shops have reported similar experiences to us.  A falling headliner is easy to spot and can be surprisingly costly to fix, as the proper cure is a complete new assembly from Crewe at a cost of several thousand dollars.

GT cars built after 2006 came with tire pressure monitors.  Those monitors depend on sensors built into each wheel rim, and those parts had a design life of 8-10 years.  When they fail (as most all older ones have) the fix requires new sensors and a new control unit, at a total cost approaching $3,000. 

Brake hoses should be updated on all cars at 8-10 year intervals.  That’s an important service that is often deferred on these motorcars.  If you look at a car pay attention to whether the hoses were done, or if they are original.  The hoses on the first GT cars have been superseded so replacement will require fitment of some additional pipes and brackets at a total cost over $2,000.

Brakes and tires can be very expensive on these cars, particularly on variants with the high performance brakes.  A complete brake job can range from $3-10k.  Several sizes of tire have been used, and prices vary widely from $300 to over $1,000 per tire.

Engines are generally rugged, but some were damaged by too-infrequent oil services.  An engine that has been clogged with sludge cannot be cleaned short of total teardown, and proper repair of that issue can cost $50k.  I suggest you be sure any car you buy had received annual service, and if in doubt look inside the engine with a fiber optic camera.  Anything less than clean and shiny is unacceptable; there are enough of these cars on the market that I suggest passing on marginal examples.

Design engineers made extensive use of plastic for coolant and vacuum lines and even parts of the engine.  Once a car gets 10 years old you can expect those plastic parts to become brittle.  That may mean that seemingly simple repairs cascade as one part after another brakes on removal or manipulation.  It’s hard to predict which cars will have brittle hoses – one example can be fine where everything you touch on another seems to break.

Paint and bodywork is usually very good on the GT cars.  These vehicles were painted by an automated process and are the first Bentley cars where you could expect a consistent 4 mil paint thickness on a new vehicle.  Paint thickness on a Continental R could vary from 3 to 10 mils and it was hard to judge whether you were looking at a car that had rework in the Crewe factory, or later repair in the field. In a GT any deviation from the standard paint thickness indicates field repair.

From a driver perspective the GT is absolutely the finest product Bentley has created.  These cars are fast, agile, and smooth.   All of the GT cars have all wheel drive, and it is wise to drive any prospective purchase in tight left and right circles with windows down to listen for any tire scrubbing that would be evidence of driveline problems.  Cars should be free of rattles and noises on rough roads.

The first GT cars were coupes.  A convertible version followed shortly after (the GTC.)   Convertible tops had a distressing tendency to suffer bow and fabric damage which can only be corrected by fitment of a complete top assembly at a cost near $20k.  Read my 2013 article on that here.  If you are looking at a GTC pay close attention to the cables on either side of the top as it folds.  Look for tears on the underside and small perforations in front of the rear window, particularly on the left side.  If you see any of the aforementioned plan for a new top assembly soon.

In model year 2006 Bentley released a four-door version of the GT – the Continental Flying Spur.  The mechanical issues of these cars are similar to those of the coupes.  Overall they have been good cars.  The Flying Spur name was previously used briefly on a turbocharged Rolls-Royce in 1995 and before that on a famous derivative of the Bentley S series of the 1950s.

For model year 2010 the GT series received a significant facelift.  Expect prices to jump sharply between 2010 and 2011 examples as a result.  The revised GT series also included a V8 car at a lower price point.  Experience with the V8 has been good.

Expect general maintenance to be pricey.  These cars hold three gallons of synthetic oil and they have an exacting specification for all lubricants. Ignore that at your peril!  Most versions of the GT use Mobil 1 0-40.  Any work on the belt drives or front of the engine requires removal of the nose of the car (similar to Audi timing belt work) and some engine repairs require powertrain removal.  Make sure any service provider you choose is trained and tooled for the job.  Remember the technology in this car is totally different from that in any prior Bentley automobile.

Users can access the factory service system online at Bentley Erwin.  Subscription is required but you get access to the same info as the dealer techs including a lot of technical training.

One tip for keeping these cars trouble free:  If you plan to park your GT for more than 3-4 days between drives you should get a trickle charger installed.  Bentley includes chargers in the new cars and sells a kit for retrofit.  You can also buy and adapt generic chargers.  If the batteries run down you will get spurious fault codes set and systems may malfunction.  When a service person reads those wrong codes they may be sent down false trails, wasting your money.  Best to avoid the whole thing by keeping batteries charged.

Overall the GT is a very fine car.  When buying a used example be very careful of cosmetic damage.  Look for evidence of both deferred maintenance and neglect, and substandard accident repair.  An original well cared for example should give years of good service.  These cars are far more common than any prior model Bentley and with that in mind there are no "one of a kind" GT cars.  It's worth taking the time to find a good example, and have it carefully inspected by a professional who is trained in the VW-Bentley series cars before spending money on it.

More on this topic:
Buying a good used Crewe era Bentley or Rolls-Royce
Bentley and Rolls Royce - yesterday and tomorrow
Rebuilding the Crewe V8 used in Mulsanne, Turbo R, Azure

Racing a vintage Continental R through Mexico

John Elder Robison

(c) 2016 John Elder Robison

John Elder Robison is the general manager of J E Robison Service Company, celebrating 30 years of independent Bentley, BMW/MINI, Mercedes, Land Rover, and Rolls-Royce restoration and repair in Springfield, Massachusetts.  John is a longtime technical consultant to the car clubs, and he’s owned and restored many fine British and German motorcars.  Find him online at www.robisonservice.com or in the real world at 413-785-1665

Reading this article will make you smarter, especially when it comes to car stuff.  So it's good for you.  But don't take that too far - printing and eating it will probably make you sick.