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Ever heard of a 16-year-old dreaming about a Bentley, not a Ferrari, Lamborghini or a Porsche? Well, you're about to, as we are here to speak about a teenager who has now grown up and is living his lavish 1990s British metal dream.
Fifteen years ago, the American owner of this 1995 Bentley Continental R was in 11th grade and greatly impressed after getting up close and personal with a Continental R driven by his roommate's father.
Fast forward to 2014 via a real estate sales career (at least this is what the man claims on Reddit) and the guy's only Bentley driving experience is some time spent behind the wheel of his business partner's Arnage. Still, the man was so determined to pursue his teenage dream that he bought himself the Flying B coupe as a Christmas present.
Don't let yourself fooled by the aforementioned price though, owning and daily driving a retro machine, as the guy intends to, means that, when you buy it, you have to afford to buy three or four of them - that's to leave the rest of your budget for whatever repair and maintenance jobs that will be required.
In fact, the car was acquired from the son of the first owner, who was no longer able to drive it. The ad stated it was in "excellent condition, needs absolutely nothing". However, when a pre-purchase inspection showed it needed quite some work, the seller offered to pay for this, so that the Continental R would be delivered in the advertised condition.
Three weeks spent at the dealership and $15,000 (EUR12,300) later, the grand tourer was ready to be delivered. Yes, this was one very fortunate purchase.
What this means is that our guy is now ready to drive the plush GT powered by Bentley's famous 6.75L V8. In its turbocharged form here, the unit delivers 420 hp and a massive 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) of torque, arriving at a Bentley-usual 1,800 rpm. The transmission is not exactly the strong point of the car though, as we are dealing with a GM 4L80 four-speed auto.
Nonetheless, this remains in the history books as a fighter for Bentley's independence - it was their first model not to share a Rolls-Royce body after over two decades of this.
By the way, you can forget the grand touring stuff we mentioned above. The owner seems to agree with Jeremy Clarkson on labeling the Bentley Continental R as some sort of ultimate muscle car.
Oh and don't imagine his dreams end here. Now the guy can't sleep because he's thinking about a 1994 Jaguar XJ220. Wishing to own a senior hypercar from Jaguar might seem a little crazy, but let's not forget that, when Bentley introduced the Continental R back in the early 90s, this was the most expensive production car in the world. Reddit grain of salt aside, this guy has one inspirational Christmas story.
Fast forward to 2014 via a real estate sales career (at least this is what the man claims on Reddit) and the guy's only Bentley driving experience is some time spent behind the wheel of his business partner's Arnage. Still, the man was so determined to pursue his teenage dream that he bought himself the Flying B coupe as a Christmas present.
The car itself
The 1994-built car, which was ordered back in the day at Beverly Hills Rolls-Royce, has only 26,000 miles (42,000 km) on its odometer. Playing Santa for himself cost the man $26,500 (that's EUR21,750 at the current exchange rates).Don't let yourself fooled by the aforementioned price though, owning and daily driving a retro machine, as the guy intends to, means that, when you buy it, you have to afford to buy three or four of them - that's to leave the rest of your budget for whatever repair and maintenance jobs that will be required.
In fact, the car was acquired from the son of the first owner, who was no longer able to drive it. The ad stated it was in "excellent condition, needs absolutely nothing". However, when a pre-purchase inspection showed it needed quite some work, the seller offered to pay for this, so that the Continental R would be delivered in the advertised condition.
Three weeks spent at the dealership and $15,000 (EUR12,300) later, the grand tourer was ready to be delivered. Yes, this was one very fortunate purchase.
What this means is that our guy is now ready to drive the plush GT powered by Bentley's famous 6.75L V8. In its turbocharged form here, the unit delivers 420 hp and a massive 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) of torque, arriving at a Bentley-usual 1,800 rpm. The transmission is not exactly the strong point of the car though, as we are dealing with a GM 4L80 four-speed auto.
Nonetheless, this remains in the history books as a fighter for Bentley's independence - it was their first model not to share a Rolls-Royce body after over two decades of this.
A dream within a dream
Truth be told, the man had been dreaming about a 1954 Bentley Continental R-type, but those trade hands for around half a million dollars. Moreover, the aficionado explains he drove a 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud (mechanically identical to the Bentley) and was obviously let down by the dynamic side of the experience.By the way, you can forget the grand touring stuff we mentioned above. The owner seems to agree with Jeremy Clarkson on labeling the Bentley Continental R as some sort of ultimate muscle car.
Oh and don't imagine his dreams end here. Now the guy can't sleep because he's thinking about a 1994 Jaguar XJ220. Wishing to own a senior hypercar from Jaguar might seem a little crazy, but let's not forget that, when Bentley introduced the Continental R back in the early 90s, this was the most expensive production car in the world. Reddit grain of salt aside, this guy has one inspirational Christmas story.
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