2007 Bentley Continental Flying Spur

Finished in Moonbeam Silver Metallic with a Beluga Black hide interior, this 2007 Bentley Continental Flying Spur is fully loaded and has been maintained by the same dealer its whole life. This car is a rare Mulliner specification, which added the following options:

• Drilled alloy sports foot pedals and footrest
• Sporting gear lever finished in knurled chrome and hide
• Diamond quilted and indented hide to seat facings, front and rear doors
• Embroidered ‘Bentley’ marque emblem to head rests
• Indented hide headlining
• Dark-stained Burr Walnut veneer

Still showing under 72,000 miles on the odometer, it’s been in the vendor’s hand since June 2020, making him the car’s fourth owner. Prior to that, he tells us that it had been with its third owner for many years, so this is not an old Conti that’s been shuffled from one railway arch to another in a desperate game of pass the unexploded parcel…

There is still seven months of its warranty left too, and this can be transferred to the lucky new owner, which should help convince you to take the leap and buy this magnificent example of British excess. Please note, the numberplate is on retention and an age-related registration certificate will be re-assigned to the car.

The Moonbeam Silver Metallic coachwork is in fine fettle. With mm-perfect shutlines and straight, ripple-free panels, the paintwork gives the illusion the car has been carved from a block of solid metal.

To describe it as being a ‘mesh grille’ does the big Bentley a disservice as it’s one of the most beautiful features on an already stunningly well-finished car. In great shape and fitted with a Kungliga Automobil Klubben badge (a Swedish motoring club, it’s something its Swedish owner fits to all his cars), it gives the Flying Spur immense presence. Please note, this badge will be removed post-sale.

The badges, lamp lenses, and glazing are in a good condition but then this is a car that’s been pampered by the same Bentley dealership since it was new, so you’d expect nothing less really, would you?

Fitted with matching Pirelli tyres, the huge 20-inch alloy wheels are in a great condition.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Of course, any car of this age is going to display a few minor marks and stonechips and the Flying Spur is no exception.

But, we can’t see anything that would worry us and certainly none of the trifling blemishes detract from the car’s overall presentation, which is very good.

The Beluga Black hide interior has been maintained to the same high standard as the coachwork. Effortlessly stylish, it has shrugged off four owners, 72,000 miles, and 16 years with impressive aplomb.

The front seats, for example, are still firm and supportive and unruffled by the presence of what has been a series of (presumably haute couture and Savile Row-clad) buttocks. Electrically operated and heated and sporting adjustable under-thigh support, their diamond-quilt stitching and Bentley wings logo embroidery add a lovely contrast to the dark hide.

The instrument array is magnificent, and the combination of a flappy paddle gearbox and that mighty twin-turbo W12 engine makes it a satisfying drive for even the most demanding driver.

The rear seat passengers are equally cossetted and, just like those in the front, get their own air-conditioning system, so left and right can set it to their own personal tastes. That’s four different air-con settings in the one car; remarkable, huh?

Other fancy-pants features include a demisting function for the rear side windows, an electrically operated rear window blind, and massage seats front and rear. Heaps of rear legroom too, obviously.

There’s also plenty of high-quality wood trim plus some of the nicest chromed controls in the business and a genuine Breitling clock. It’s every bit as special as you imagine and a wonderful place to be.

The boot contains a space-saver spare wheel, warning triangle, and tool kit. It, like the rest of the interior, is very clean.

Asa you can see in the video, the Flying Spur starts promptly and ticks over beautifully. It revs well too, and the owner tells us that he’s not aware of any problems although the ‘Service Now’ light is illuminated.

Given the comprehensive nature of the Bentley’s service and maintenance record you’d have every right to expect the engine bay to be clean – and you’d be right.

A Bentley trickle charger is included but the personalized registration number is not.

Having been looked after by Bentley Cambridge its whole life, the Flying Spur has racked up an impressive wad of invoices and bills over the years, as you can see.

The most recent service, its 13th, was in December 2020 (#302 and #304). This service, which included work to the EGR valve and parking brake system, set the owner back nearly £3,000.

Interestingly, the Bentley came with a three-year warranty. This expires in June 2023 and the vendor says that not only has the company paid out on a recent £1,000 claim without quibble, it is also transferrable to the new owner, which should provide some reassurance.

The Flying Spur’s MoT certificate is valid until June 2023 and it was gained, like the previous four, with no advisories at all. That’s no surprise given how comprehensive its service history is and if you want to check it out, be warned; with 90 pages photographed and added to the listing it might take some time to read through it all!

We’ve previously expressed our admiration for the Bentley Continental GT and we feel exactly the same way about the Flying Spur: it’s the car of a lifetime as long as you buy the right example.

But, there are dozens of cheap cars out there and very few bargains; there aren’t many cars that can bankrupt an unwary owner as fast as a Continental and most of the cars we see might have a low purchase price but they’ll end up being anything but cheap.

Not this one though. This is a cracking example that has been fastidiously maintained by the same dealership since it was new. As such, it’s exactly the sort of vehicle you want to buy if you’ve always promised yourself something with a W12 engine under the bonnet.

And what’s it going to cost you? Well, probably less than you imagine because our best guess is that the virtual hammer will fall somewhere between £15,000 and £20,000, at which point you will be winning at life.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.