Continental R: Classic in the wings or Emperor's New Clothes
Discussion
Hello all,
Spotted a Blue Continental R burbling around Edinburgh on the Mound. I thought it looked rather regal, and then I remembered just how relatively affordable they are becoming.
However, I'm aware that under the skin these were rather old tech even in their day. So where does that leave the Conti R? On the one hand here we have an elegant four seater Bentley representing the first return to form for the brand since the Derby Bentleys, on the other a rehashed Turbo R with a fancy body and unresolved rear styling for the same price as a younger, more modern Arnage. What do you all reckon?
Will try to insert a picture if I can work out how!
Spotted a Blue Continental R burbling around Edinburgh on the Mound. I thought it looked rather regal, and then I remembered just how relatively affordable they are becoming.
However, I'm aware that under the skin these were rather old tech even in their day. So where does that leave the Conti R? On the one hand here we have an elegant four seater Bentley representing the first return to form for the brand since the Derby Bentleys, on the other a rehashed Turbo R with a fancy body and unresolved rear styling for the same price as a younger, more modern Arnage. What do you all reckon?
Will try to insert a picture if I can work out how!
Edited by campaj1 on Tuesday 17th September 23:50
Edited by campaj1 on Thursday 16th January 16:57
I have never driven an Arnage but I run a 1998 Continental R as a daily driver. It is wonderful and (so far) reliable car. The sense of occasion never fails to amaze me. The performance is more than adequate. The comfort and experience is just superb.
To me, it is the perfect combination, a classic car that is very special and luxurious, yet modern and recent enough to be used daily without major worries. To my eyes it doesn't look as dated as the turbo R. Maybe it's the 2 door body that does it for me, but i don't feel the Arnage ever looked that great, particularly the headlights pre-facelift.
To me, it is the perfect combination, a classic car that is very special and luxurious, yet modern and recent enough to be used daily without major worries. To my eyes it doesn't look as dated as the turbo R. Maybe it's the 2 door body that does it for me, but i don't feel the Arnage ever looked that great, particularly the headlights pre-facelift.
campaj1 said:
good to hear you all confirm what I had expected, a more interesting comparison could be early Conti GT vs Conti R, as they are sat at similar price ranges now. I'd have the R every time.
Precisely. GT vs Conti R was my dilemma before I took the plunge on the R. Both are lovely cars, obviously very different to drive but I like them both.The Conti R feels more special though. What sold me was the depreciation curve. Maintenance is slightly more on Conti R, fuel slightly more on GT, Conti R can be insured as a classic, so I figure they are even on that front. However, I reckon the GT will continue depreciating for a while and will bottom out mid teens, and stay there for a long time due to the sheer number of car produced. On the other hand, the Conti R is pretty much at the bottom of the curve now. Good ones will only go up with only about 1400 cars built.
At least, thats my excuse to justify my purchase ;-)
The guys who service my Turbo R, up on the moors near Harrogate on premises formerly occupied by JK Seymour, are about as reliable and straight as they come. And they have told me that, should I choose to uprate at some stage in the future, the Continental R is a good way to go. They tell me repeatedly that the new stuff, on which they also work, does not match up to the old 6.7 litre and that modern build quality is nowhere near that of the Continental R. They reckon it is a certainty that this will become seriously collectable in years to come and that the 'low' prices cannot possibly continue for too long. So now is the time!!
I've been thinking about this too but finding it very hard to get a handle on pricing. There is huge variance with relatively moderate mileage 330bhp early cars priced in the mid twenty thousands while 2000-03 Mulliners are around £70,000. Mileage seems to be very important with prices declining by around £10,000 for each additional 10k miles on the clock although this effect also appears to tail off as mileage rises towards 100k. This is a slight puzzle as I should have thought the engine and gearbox on this car is pretty well bullet-proof
Edited by artington on Monday 14th October 09:05
Biggest enemy to the value of these cars, and the Turbo R, are the large number of VW Bentleys now on the market which make the old Continental R and Turbo R look like rather outdated relics to many people. VW have been phenomenally clever - offering cars that sell in much larger numbers, are much cheaper to make, but still retain a huge amount of exclusivity and at the same time have lost the stuffy image that some people (not me) use to associate with Bentley's of old, replacing it with a much more up to date image.
Edited by matt5791 on Tuesday 15th October 23:23
Edited by matt5791 on Tuesday 12th November 22:25
rubbish ! the conti gt and flying spurs are unlikely to be classics for a very long time unlike the conti r and turbo r ! hard ride , road noise , lack of presense and being too commom are also faults of the conti gt and flying spur . The fact that the the newer cars have lost so much value in such a short time says it all !
slippery said:
This one looks lovely.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...
That steering wheel looks a bit dodgy!http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...
Bluebottle911 said:
slippery said:
This one looks lovely.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...
That steering wheel looks a bit dodgy!http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...
matt5791 said:
Generally speaking, I think classic car values have been easing off over the last 12 months and as far as the Continental R goes, it's value I think will continue to fall some way yet. Looking at values from 24 months ago the trend is downwards, with many cars simply moving around the trade. Of all the Conti-R's on sale in the UK today, a lot of them have been on sale for in excess of 12 months, which sounds extraordinary, but I'm not so sure it is, for the following reasons.
Biggest enemy to the value of these cars, and the Turbo R, are the large number of VW Bentleys now on the market which make the old Continental R and Turbo R look like rather outdated relics. VW have been phenomenally clever - offering cars that sell in much larger numbers, are much cheaper to make, but still retain a huge amount of exclusivity and at the same time have lost the stuffy image that some people (not me) use to associate with Bentley's of old, replacing it with a much more up to date image.
Basically, I'm not sure the Conti R and Turbo R are really cut out for the current world we live in, and, who knows, the future for such cars (say, 15-20 years from now) may be as museum pieces, or "static" collections, rather than actually being used, as this might be prohibitively expensive.
Doesn't stop me wanting to buy one though....!!!
Agree that Continental Rs take a long time to sale with some cars on the market for over a year now. But disagree that the Continental GTs are the biggest a threat. Biggest enemy to the value of these cars, and the Turbo R, are the large number of VW Bentleys now on the market which make the old Continental R and Turbo R look like rather outdated relics. VW have been phenomenally clever - offering cars that sell in much larger numbers, are much cheaper to make, but still retain a huge amount of exclusivity and at the same time have lost the stuffy image that some people (not me) use to associate with Bentley's of old, replacing it with a much more up to date image.
Basically, I'm not sure the Conti R and Turbo R are really cut out for the current world we live in, and, who knows, the future for such cars (say, 15-20 years from now) may be as museum pieces, or "static" collections, rather than actually being used, as this might be prohibitively expensive.
Doesn't stop me wanting to buy one though....!!!
Edited by matt5791 on Tuesday 15th October 23:23
In my opinion there is little overlap in buyers. If you are in the market for a Continental GT then you are looking for a modern car and I doubt a Continental R will be given consideration. If you are after an "old school" Continental R (as I would be) then a Continental GT isn't an option.
O/T but would love to know more about your 2000HF...very elegant cars.
Andy
6750cc said:
Agree that Continental Rs take a long time to sale with some cars on the market for over a year now. But disagree that the Continental GTs are the biggest a threat.
In my opinion there is little overlap in buyers. If you are in the market for a Continental GT then you are looking for a modern car and I doubt a Continental R will be given consideration. If you are after an "old school" Continental R (as I would be) then a Continental GT isn't an option.
O/T but would love to know more about your 2000HF...very elegant cars.
Andy
I do agree, there isn't overlap in buyers. Personally, I don't like the VW-Bentleys - far too ordinary, just a very nicely trimmed Audi, nowhere near as special as the pre BMW & VW cars - for example, the current cars don't even have floor mounted pedals! It's just outrageous!In my opinion there is little overlap in buyers. If you are in the market for a Continental GT then you are looking for a modern car and I doubt a Continental R will be given consideration. If you are after an "old school" Continental R (as I would be) then a Continental GT isn't an option.
O/T but would love to know more about your 2000HF...very elegant cars.
Andy
It's just that there aren't many buyers out there for the Conti-R, because the current trend isn't with cars of that era - infact, 1990's cars of any make and model are some of the cheapest and least loved on the market at the moment as they just look - to most people - dated.
The 2000HF is a really wonderful car, very advanced for it's day and very usable today with good motorway cruising ability, refined quiet cabin and excellent handling and driver involvement / enjoyment. And it has one of those cigarette lighters you drop the cigarette into to light it - so cool you almost need to take up smoking in order to use it. Or just light it and throw it away. I'll try and post a photo soon.
Edited by matt5791 on Thursday 17th October 00:07
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