Vehicle Description
In 1999, the Rolls-Royce/Bentley divorce was being finalized, with
Rolls-Royce going to live with BMW and Bentley awarded to VW. As a
result, this low-mileage 1996 Bentley Brooklands is among the last
of the big cruisers fully designed in-house by Bentley engineers
and built by old world craftsmen. Original sticker price? Right
around $165,000 before options, shipping, and taxes. Assume the
original owner was into this one for about four times the current
asking price.
Today you can enjoy that sybaritic hedonism in grand style without
spending several years' salary to do it. The flagship Brooklands is
instantly recognizable anywhere, and putting a train's cow-catcher
on the nose would not improve its ability to part slow-moving
traffic. In typical Bentley fashion, the bodywork is beautiful,
tasteful, elegant, and sublimely finished to the highest standards
thanks to a recent repaint in the original cream color. Even parked
next to an S-Class Mercedes, the paint on this Brooklands is
notably nicer, and they painted the chrome bumpers and grille to
give it a monochromatic look more akin to the racy Turbo R, which
is perfectly OK with us. There has never been any damage, no
accidents, and the car has obviously been professionally maintained
from day one by someone who cared. It cuts an imposing figure, and
will never, ever be mistaken for anything else on the road. Show up
in this one and people figure you're a captain of industry or a
movie star, and no one will ever guess that you paid less than a
new Cadillac Escalade for it.
Nobody else does interiors like the British, and this one is like a
gentlemen's club that can do 140 MPH. The hand-crafted interior
features creamy smooth Connolly leather, detailed stitching unique
to Bentley, veneered woodwork, Wilton carpets, smooth chrome
switches, and a complex curvature for the dash panel and center
console. Is it art? Well, perhaps, and once you've settled in there
you'll feel like a million bucks. There's some slight wear to the
driver's seat bolsters, but that's only because the hides are not
over-processed, and can be easily touched up. Big, simple gauges
are spectacularly retro, and every single component feels expensive
under your fingertips, with everything made of some natural
material: wood, leather, or chrome-plated steel. And if you're
lucky enough to be a passenger, the rear seat is commodious with
more stretch-out room than a Suburban. Bentley quality even extends
to the trunk, which is upholstered better than the interiors of
most production cars today.
Power comes from Rolls-Royce/Bentley's legendary "six and
three-quarter litre" V8, which makes more than "adequate"
horsepower in Bentley tune. It's more than enough to make this car
formidable on the highway, and it wafts along in eerie silence at
anything below 100 MPH. The ultra-smooth powertrain also includes a
4-speed automatic gearbox, whose quick reflexes make the big car
feel 2000 pounds smaller when the road starts to get challenging.
Actually, its mannerisms make it feel like a car that's begging to
be driven with the hammer down, just like the Bentleys of yore, but
it's actually most comfortable simply wafting along, practically
eliminating any tactile evidence of the real world outside the
windows. With a fully independent suspension, disc brakes the size
of trash can lids, and fat 235/70/16 radials on handsome Bentley
alloys, its ability to hustle will astound you, but it'll do it in
total silence.
Join the A-list for pennies on the dollar; we'll happily remove the
sale price so nobody will ever know how little you paid for this
incredible car. Call today!