Description
This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The Iconic Sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show 2024 - Cars on Saturday the 9th of November, NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT. Introduced in June 1996, the Continenta ‘T’ was a short-wheelbase version of the Continental R, some four-inches being taken out of the chassis aft of the doors. With 400bhp at its disposal and crouching aggressively on 18" wheels, the low-slung Continental T looked every inch the thoroughbred Bentley sports car, the cockpit with its engine-turned dashboard and engine start button recalling the heroic exploits of classic Bentley racers. The luxuriously appointed Continental T was certainly no slouch, arriving at 60mph in a remarkable 5. 8 seconds on its way to a (limited) top speed of 156mph. Equally eye-watering was the price - £220, 312 at the time of launch - making the Continental T Bentley's fastest and most expensive model. In total, just 322 examples were built, with only 104 of these built to RHD specifications.
On offer here is one of those 104 right-hand drive examples which was first registered on the 30th May 1997. It’s finished in Sapphire Blue with a classic Bentley interior in Parchment Hide piped in Royal Blue with a Royal Blue top roll and matching carpets piped in Parchment.
For the first two months of this car’s life, it wore the well known registration number ‘1 Y’ as it was retained by Bentley Motors of Crewe and used by senior management until 1999 when it was purchased by the current owner. The car's V5C, however, shows three former keepers as he originally had the car registered to his company and, more recently, to him personally.
During this period, it’s been serviced by Bentley Birmingham and subsequently by Bentley specialists RR and B of Bromsgrove, and M Hibberd of Langley, with invoices and details in the accompanying history file. The indicated mileage, at the time of cataloguing, was 48, 700 and the MOT is valid until 15th August 2025.
The Continental T was among the last and rarest analogue Bentleys and remains highly desirable today. This particular low-mileage example, fresh to market after 25 years of caring ownership, seems to offer incredible value for money and we welcome and encourage your inspection at the NEC.
