1999 Bentley Continental SC

Tony’s Take: In 1988, Volkswagen bought Bentley. The German automaker brought their engineering and management chops to bear on a brand known for reliability issues and iffy build quality.

In ’96, Bentley introduced a “sporty” two-door version of the Continental R. In 1999 – and only 1999 – they built the Bentley Continental SC.

SC stands for Sedanca Coupé (a.k.a., Coupé de ville), “a body style produced from 1908 to 1939 with an external or open-topped driver’s position and an enclosed compartment for passengers.” Home James!

In fact, the Bentley Continental SC is an awkward-looking Targa or T-top for well-heeled fresh air aficionados. She’s a big old [cisgender] girl – offering enough trunk space for the removable glass roof and a well-stocked picnic hamper.

The SC’s powered by a twin-turbo adaptation of ye olde Rolls Royce/Bentley L-series V8, introduced in 1959. It’s a beast, generating 420 hp and – get this – 650 lb⋅ft of torque at 2,200 rpm.

The result: a very large (17.9 ft. long), very heavy (5,140 lbs) car that goes very fast (zero to 60 in 6.2 seconds). Traction control and ABS help keep the Bentley Continental SC from becoming one with the scenery, but imperious wafting and hand-crafted comfort is the name of the game.

In 2019, a 13.5k-mile Bentley Continental SC auctioned for $154k. I say this 30k-mile Mulsanne Green/Creme SC will sneak-up on that hammer price but not exceed it. Downside: both the Continental R and Continental T are prettier; Bentley’s luxo-barges cost more to fix than Venezuela.