But there are exceptions, as evidenced by the results of a recent auction by RM Sotheby’s, where one rare car of the prestigious brand, existing in the number of only 12 examples, was auctioned for a surprisingly low sum. So to be fair – the amount is generally very high, but compared to the original purchase amount, it is an embarrassingly low figure.
And it refers to the exclusive convertible Bentley Bacalar, presented in 2020. It is a special vehicle behind the studio Bentley Mulliner, which took the open Continental GT model and significantly redesigned it. The exterior is said to have even changed so much that only the door handles remained from the default type.
The specialists of the Mulliner division devoted great care to the interior, which could be equipped with exotic and rare materials, such as real bronze or five thousand-year-old wood, coming from trees that fell into bogs and rivers in the Fenlands region of East England, where their natural conservation took place.
The drive is provided by a six-liter twelve-cylinder with a W arrangement, which produces 659 horsepower and 900 Nm. The cabriolet has all-wheel drive and an eight-speed gearbox, acceleration to 100 km/h takes only 3.5 seconds, and the maximum speed is 322 km/h.
Already at the time of the show, all 12 pieces had their owners, each of them could understandably win with the colors and materials used. The example standing on chassis number 5 received a body painted in Memphis Red, a rich red color that matches the interior design, which is dominated by a combination of cream leather with dark burgundy accents.
And it was this car that appeared at RM Sotheby’s auction held during the Formula 1 race weekend in Abu Dhabi. The car comes from a private collection in Monaco and the first owner reportedly paid more than 41.3 million crowns for it.
Photo: Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
But in the auction, the Bentley was sold for only about 18.12 million crowns, which is more than 23 million less than the purchase price. At the same time, the cabriolet has traveled only 1,131 kilometers so far, so it is barely used… And one kilometer cost more than 20 thousand crowns!
