1994 Bentley Coupe - 1 of 150 - Excellent condition - Books and service receipts

Description

Here up for bids is this rare Bentley Continental R. Introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1991, Bentley went on to produce 1,292 examples from 1992 to 2003. The surprise launch at the Geneva show took the automotive journalism world by storm, completely upstaging the new Mercedes S-Class, and inspiring the Sultan of Brunei to demand purchase of the show car "at any price", which ended up being north of £2m. Eye-watering expensive when new (indeed, the world's most expensive car in 1994), their $275,000 MSRP from then equals about $440K today, adjusted for inflation. The good news is that they are now relatively affordable, bringing supercar performance and luxury for about the price of a new Honda minivan. The big caveat though is finding a good one. This particular car comes with over $13,000 in recent service receipts, as well as a clean CarFax. It's ready to be driven any amount of distance, offering the ultimate driving experience at a fraction of its original cost.
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Finished in Silica Metallic, the car presents beautifully. The paint is glass smooth and glossy and with no dents or dings, the body is laser straight and of course you'll find no rust issues anywhere. Panel fit is perfect throughout. Tires are Bridgestone HL/400's with excellent tread. 17" factory wheels show zero damage, no curb rash, no pitting or flaking, all 4 are like new.

Both tail-lights are mint with no hazing or cracks. The Continental R was the first Bentley since 1965 not to share a body style with Rolls Royce.

Clean and straight grill, showing only a few touched in chips on the nose, visible in the 3rd photo below. Badges front and rear are perfect.

The leather wrapped dash and rear parcel shelf were prone to shrinking, not the case here. All of the glass is original, the windshield has developed an inexplicable crack on the lower left corner. It's watertight and well out of the line of sight when behind the wheel. This is the car's biggest flaw, the remainder can hold up to close scrutiny, right down to the pinstripes.

All original interior in Connolly leather. The front seats show some typical wear on the outer edge piping, otherwise all of the upholstery is very well preserved. Hidden beneath the lambswool floormats is Wilton carpeting, all in excellent condition.

Some light aging to the burlwood in places, overall still very nice. The informational display at the center of the dash shows no warning lights of any kind.

Lots of gauges and gadgets here, all of them are working correctly except for the clock. Gauges show good consistent readings. Factory issued radio works along with the power antenna. AC blows cold and the heater blows hot.

Back seat appears unused. All ashtrays are unused, the car has not been smoked in, it still has a wonderful leather aroma. The forward console contains a Motorola phone that still powers on, no telling what price that optioned for. The car has an excellent sound system through 8 speakers.

The trunk contains the factory jacking equipment and tool kit behind the latching panel. The original owners and service manuals are present, along with service receipts. Work done within the last 3 years include:
Resealed fuel rails
New valve cover gaskets
New hood lift supports
Rebuild cylinder heads
New intake manifold gasket
New charge pipe boot
Replaced forward hydraulic valve accumulator
Transmission service and pan gasket
New battery
Mobile 1 oil change 200 miles ago

The driving experience in this car is unique, to say the least. The 6.7L V8 provides an abundance of power, and the torque is of biblical proportions. For a car that weighs 5400lbs it feels very nimble on the road, with excellent handling and instant steering response. Depressing the "S" button on the shift knob puts it into Sport Mode and the experience only gets better from there. The car is outstanding on the freeway, when moving to the left lane and nudging the gas pedal to pass, the 4L80-E transmission doesn't even need to kick down, instead the Garrett turbocharger instantly spools and the car makes a snarling whooshing sound that I guarantee will bring a smile to your face. 90mph comes very quickly if you're not careful. Driving the car is addictive, it delivers a strange brew of crushing performance mixed with strict civility. Simply sublime. Gonna miss this one.

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About the reserve price:
Out of fairness to all bidders the reserve is held in confidence, please just bid at the level that you'd want to pay. This auction ends Monday, April 25th at 9AM Pacific Time