Discussion
So, as bad ideas go, this is a good one! Can a recently divorced dad of two run a beautiful big British car with an absurdly big petrol engine, without attracting the attention of either the bailiffs or child protection agencies due to complete lack of cash? I don’t have the final answer yet, but my head is still above the water, financially at least…
A bit of background. I have always been a fan of big petrol engines (aren’t we all!), with a strange affinity for saloons, and had an MG ZT260 for over 11 years – that car was a whole load of fun and I loved the fact that it looked like a Rover 75 yet went like $hit off a shovel. I had to get rid of it about 7 years ago, because I took a new job involving a 290-mile round trip every week (= one tank of petrol, if driven carefully), and in 13 years the car had only done 64k miles – 1200 miles a month on commuting alone would have ruined the car as well as my bank balance! So off it went, to be replaced by a Mazda 3 – excellent little car, but somewhat bland. When the commuting job finished, I treated myself to a Merc CLA250, which was a lot of fun – didn’t have the same soundtrack as the mighty V8, but it was every bit as quick and also modern in stark contrast to the MG’s prehistoric interior. By last year, my boys were getting big enough that the rear seats (and headroom) of the Merc were getting somewhat tight for the older one – not an immediate problem, seeing as their mum had run off with a biker (with hindsight, I owe that man a beer!), meaning that the front passenger seat was vacant, but the Merc was also coming up to 7 years old, and I was wary of the potential for big bills. So the Merc had to go, to be replaced by a Mazda 6 – again, somewhat dull, but a nice big comfortable car for daily use. Inevitably, I missed the thrill of a fast car, and an Alfa 156 V6 which I had as a toy for a couple of years started to dissolve (imagine my surprise!) so it had to go as well. As life and finances settled down after the divorce, and being a member of a car club with very cheap indoor storage, my mind started wandering to a new toy. By sheer fluke, my old MG was up for sale, and even now, as it approaches 20 years old, I have still been the owner for more than half its life – but even when I owned it previously, it was getting hard to find parts for a niche model from a defunct manufacturer. And of course, who has never dreamed of a V12? As someone who browses the usual car sites in the same way that women waste hours of their lives on Rightmove, I had noticed that prices for 6.0 Bentleys had collapsed since the Covid bubble, and being a saloon man, Flying Spurs particularly caught my attention. Of course, saloons are a dying breed, and most people would choose a Continental GT or GTC over the Spur – which works in my favour. I first drove one in the middle of last year, and it was every bit as impressive as I had imagined – the performance, the ride, the interior design and quality – just breathtaking, to me at least. By the start of the winter, I had seen a steady trickly of early Spurs for less then £10k – one of them sold for just over £5k but it was a high miler and looked pretty tatty. I took my boys to test drive a nice low mileage example, gleaming black paint just like the one in Casino Royale, but it was Cat S and lacked any history, and while it looked good and went well, I was wary of trouble particularly when I needed to sell it. Another one popped up on Ebay, 18 years old, 51k miles, £9k with good early history but very little since. We drove that one as well, and it had a couple of niggles (low battery, a sticky traction control light and a message stating “Running Gear – Workshop!”. The obvious thing to do was to walk away, and any smart person would have done, but the seller had just put a fresh MOT on it and was prepared to take in part-ex a Rover 75 which I had been doing up as a project but was struggling to sell, so I took and deep breath and the deal was done. I thought about getting an inspection done, but I decided to save the cash and put it towards the tax!
I admit that I was somewhat tense as I drove away, knowing that the car could develop (or might already have) all sorts of issues which would lead to scary bills, and mindful of the batteries, I had already identified a Tesco petrol station with Pay at Pump so I could fill up without stopping the engine. As the miles ticked by (it was about 120 miles to get home), I went from wondering how far I would get before I would have to call the AA, to beginning to wonder if I might actually make it home. I was driving pretty cautiously – partly because it’s pretty big, and partly because I didn’t want to trigger anything – but I couldn’t pull away from the M6 Toll barrier without seeing what the old girl could do, and she didn’t disappoint. With just the faintest hint of lags, the turbos leapt into action, and she properly picked up her skirts and flew! Sorry to the blokes in Audi S-lines and an Astra VXR which were going through at the same time – I’m sure your wives/girlfriends didn’t notice nearly 3 tonnes of dark blue from Crewe disappearing rapidly into the distance…meanwhile I was trying not to notice that a 0-90 sprint appeared to have used about an eighth of my tank of precious hydrocarbons…
And here we are, nearly 8 weeks and 1200 miles later. The car hasn’t missed a beat, the batteries have perked up, the traction control warning has yet to reappear, and the Workshop warning has thankfully stayed away. The car has been tucked away during periods of bad weather, but I have used it on numerous dry days, and some of our little trips out are pictured below. I joined a Bentley/RR forum and asked for a few steers from the wealth of experience on there – lots of people were keen to offer advice, including one gent who was very generous with his time and knowledge. Given the car’s lack of recent history, I booked it into an independent specialist for a coolant change and brake fluid change, expecting it to come back with a long list of gnarly problems needing urgent attention…but no. There were lots of tiny things, some of which I had noticed, but it seems to be in pretty good health, considering. The only job which needs to be done in the not too distant future is the front discs, but I can’t complain about that! I have budgeted £500 per month for maintenance and repairs, and while a major fault could easily cost ten times that, I’m in the fortunate position that I’m not relying on the Bentley – if it does suddenly sit down and need the equivalent of Luxembourg’s GDP to fix it, I can put it in the motor club and save up for the work.
A bit of background. I have always been a fan of big petrol engines (aren’t we all!), with a strange affinity for saloons, and had an MG ZT260 for over 11 years – that car was a whole load of fun and I loved the fact that it looked like a Rover 75 yet went like $hit off a shovel. I had to get rid of it about 7 years ago, because I took a new job involving a 290-mile round trip every week (= one tank of petrol, if driven carefully), and in 13 years the car had only done 64k miles – 1200 miles a month on commuting alone would have ruined the car as well as my bank balance! So off it went, to be replaced by a Mazda 3 – excellent little car, but somewhat bland. When the commuting job finished, I treated myself to a Merc CLA250, which was a lot of fun – didn’t have the same soundtrack as the mighty V8, but it was every bit as quick and also modern in stark contrast to the MG’s prehistoric interior. By last year, my boys were getting big enough that the rear seats (and headroom) of the Merc were getting somewhat tight for the older one – not an immediate problem, seeing as their mum had run off with a biker (with hindsight, I owe that man a beer!), meaning that the front passenger seat was vacant, but the Merc was also coming up to 7 years old, and I was wary of the potential for big bills. So the Merc had to go, to be replaced by a Mazda 6 – again, somewhat dull, but a nice big comfortable car for daily use. Inevitably, I missed the thrill of a fast car, and an Alfa 156 V6 which I had as a toy for a couple of years started to dissolve (imagine my surprise!) so it had to go as well. As life and finances settled down after the divorce, and being a member of a car club with very cheap indoor storage, my mind started wandering to a new toy. By sheer fluke, my old MG was up for sale, and even now, as it approaches 20 years old, I have still been the owner for more than half its life – but even when I owned it previously, it was getting hard to find parts for a niche model from a defunct manufacturer. And of course, who has never dreamed of a V12? As someone who browses the usual car sites in the same way that women waste hours of their lives on Rightmove, I had noticed that prices for 6.0 Bentleys had collapsed since the Covid bubble, and being a saloon man, Flying Spurs particularly caught my attention. Of course, saloons are a dying breed, and most people would choose a Continental GT or GTC over the Spur – which works in my favour. I first drove one in the middle of last year, and it was every bit as impressive as I had imagined – the performance, the ride, the interior design and quality – just breathtaking, to me at least. By the start of the winter, I had seen a steady trickly of early Spurs for less then £10k – one of them sold for just over £5k but it was a high miler and looked pretty tatty. I took my boys to test drive a nice low mileage example, gleaming black paint just like the one in Casino Royale, but it was Cat S and lacked any history, and while it looked good and went well, I was wary of trouble particularly when I needed to sell it. Another one popped up on Ebay, 18 years old, 51k miles, £9k with good early history but very little since. We drove that one as well, and it had a couple of niggles (low battery, a sticky traction control light and a message stating “Running Gear – Workshop!”. The obvious thing to do was to walk away, and any smart person would have done, but the seller had just put a fresh MOT on it and was prepared to take in part-ex a Rover 75 which I had been doing up as a project but was struggling to sell, so I took and deep breath and the deal was done. I thought about getting an inspection done, but I decided to save the cash and put it towards the tax!
I admit that I was somewhat tense as I drove away, knowing that the car could develop (or might already have) all sorts of issues which would lead to scary bills, and mindful of the batteries, I had already identified a Tesco petrol station with Pay at Pump so I could fill up without stopping the engine. As the miles ticked by (it was about 120 miles to get home), I went from wondering how far I would get before I would have to call the AA, to beginning to wonder if I might actually make it home. I was driving pretty cautiously – partly because it’s pretty big, and partly because I didn’t want to trigger anything – but I couldn’t pull away from the M6 Toll barrier without seeing what the old girl could do, and she didn’t disappoint. With just the faintest hint of lags, the turbos leapt into action, and she properly picked up her skirts and flew! Sorry to the blokes in Audi S-lines and an Astra VXR which were going through at the same time – I’m sure your wives/girlfriends didn’t notice nearly 3 tonnes of dark blue from Crewe disappearing rapidly into the distance…meanwhile I was trying not to notice that a 0-90 sprint appeared to have used about an eighth of my tank of precious hydrocarbons…
And here we are, nearly 8 weeks and 1200 miles later. The car hasn’t missed a beat, the batteries have perked up, the traction control warning has yet to reappear, and the Workshop warning has thankfully stayed away. The car has been tucked away during periods of bad weather, but I have used it on numerous dry days, and some of our little trips out are pictured below. I joined a Bentley/RR forum and asked for a few steers from the wealth of experience on there – lots of people were keen to offer advice, including one gent who was very generous with his time and knowledge. Given the car’s lack of recent history, I booked it into an independent specialist for a coolant change and brake fluid change, expecting it to come back with a long list of gnarly problems needing urgent attention…but no. There were lots of tiny things, some of which I had noticed, but it seems to be in pretty good health, considering. The only job which needs to be done in the not too distant future is the front discs, but I can’t complain about that! I have budgeted £500 per month for maintenance and repairs, and while a major fault could easily cost ten times that, I’m in the fortunate position that I’m not relying on the Bentley – if it does suddenly sit down and need the equivalent of Luxembourg’s GDP to fix it, I can put it in the motor club and save up for the work.
Nice! I didn't know these had become so cheap (to buy, at least!)
An epic bit of kit and apparently a genuine 200mph car in reality if not on paper, well played. Good luck, and do keep us posted on the ups and downs of ownership
I'm assuming you're happy to share these pics based on the above, let me know if not:
An epic bit of kit and apparently a genuine 200mph car in reality if not on paper, well played. Good luck, and do keep us posted on the ups and downs of ownership
hoisttocrew said:
A few pics so far
To share pics here, you need to download them from chatpic and upload them here (Upload an image link above the post box).I'm assuming you're happy to share these pics based on the above, let me know if not:
OP! I must salute your bravery! I have a major soft spot for the Flying Spur, as it was one of the first cars I worked on when I was at Bentley. Hugely capable, fast and able to cover great transcontinental mileages; especially if you had someone else paying for the fuel!
They are more than possible to be looked after through a combination of DIY and good Indy maintenance. The parts situation for the Gen 1 car (code name BY611) is variable - some things are fine, some are rather tricky. As you have found already, there is a wealth of experience out there. Joining a club - be it the RREC (who have a Continental Register for your car and others of the same family) or the BDC (which had a large number of modern Continental cars in the ranks) is a good idea.
From personal experience, the RREC forum has the great level of knowledge and traffic. The other great resource is from our friends in the US - SpeedSix online has some very knowledgeable members.
As for keeping your car running well, am sure you have got the basics covered - namely, don't skimp on tyres, brakes or chassis parts - they do a huge amount of work. You wouldn't put budget items on your Ferrari, so don't do it on a 200mph 2.5ton Bentley! Make sure the oil and coolant are up to date and keep an eye on the vacuum system. I think that yours might pre-date the mid 06MY move of most of the system from on top of the gearbox to the back of the engine. Heat makes the narrow bore plastic pipes crack over the push fit barbs on the joints and then they leak, causing rough running and engine check lights. With the early cars, it is an engine put job to fix. While there, get all the lines replaced with metal ones and new joints...
Please keep us posted on how you get on!
AF
They are more than possible to be looked after through a combination of DIY and good Indy maintenance. The parts situation for the Gen 1 car (code name BY611) is variable - some things are fine, some are rather tricky. As you have found already, there is a wealth of experience out there. Joining a club - be it the RREC (who have a Continental Register for your car and others of the same family) or the BDC (which had a large number of modern Continental cars in the ranks) is a good idea.
From personal experience, the RREC forum has the great level of knowledge and traffic. The other great resource is from our friends in the US - SpeedSix online has some very knowledgeable members.
As for keeping your car running well, am sure you have got the basics covered - namely, don't skimp on tyres, brakes or chassis parts - they do a huge amount of work. You wouldn't put budget items on your Ferrari, so don't do it on a 200mph 2.5ton Bentley! Make sure the oil and coolant are up to date and keep an eye on the vacuum system. I think that yours might pre-date the mid 06MY move of most of the system from on top of the gearbox to the back of the engine. Heat makes the narrow bore plastic pipes crack over the push fit barbs on the joints and then they leak, causing rough running and engine check lights. With the early cars, it is an engine put job to fix. While there, get all the lines replaced with metal ones and new joints...
Please keep us posted on how you get on!
AF
Thanks for the replies folks! And for the advice - I'll take any steers I can get! In terms of jobs to tackle, it had an oil and filter change just before I bought it (hoping it got the right kind of oil!), and a coolant change and brake fluid change were the jobs I had done last month. And now, it's a case of enjoying the car, waiting for better weather and/or major trouble. What happened next? Who knows...but the car is amazing, my boys love it and my ex hates it, so it's achieving some of its aims already!
hoisttocrew said:
And now, it's a case of enjoying the car, waiting for better weather and/or major trouble. What happened next? Who knows...but the car is amazing, my boys love it and my ex hates it, so it's achieving some of its aims already!
Sounds like a great choice then! Looking forward to the updates.
...but thankfully nobody was badly hurt, and almost as important, it wasn't the Flying Spur! Which is still going strong, and was a lovely way to go and see cousins in Lancaster. Even managed 20mpg on a sedate cruise up the M6! Now with a private plate on it - CDF are the initials of me and my two boys
https://www.picdrop.com/hoisttocrew/zvF6W2GLuA
https://www.picdrop.com/hoisttocrew/zvF6W2GLuA
AB said:
I like these, but would like it more with silver wheels! It’s meant to look classy.
I absolutely agree with you! I think it will look much better with silver wheels, but it's just a case of money. I had to choose between getting the wheels done and the private plate, and I chose the latter - the wheels will follow as soon as funds permit. As it happens, the wheels are in fantastic condition - if they were in the least bit tatty, I might have done them instead of the reg.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff