Bentley Continental GT

The story

The first all-new Bentley under Volkswagen ownership cost half as much as the old coupés and was far faster. Orders flooded in and the Crewe factory went from making hundreds of cars a year to thousands.

Inside

A symmetrical twin-cowl dash in wood and leather, round chrome vents worked by organ-stop pulls and a Breitling clock.

In period colours

Tap a colour to respray the drawing.

Meanwhile, in 2003

London's congestion charge began, England won the Rugby World Cup and Concorde retired.

Best-selling single of 2003: Where Is the Love? by The Black Eyed Peas

Before you buy a 2000s car

• Check the service history, especially for timing belts, clutches and cambelts where fitted.
• Electronics, air conditioning and suspension repairs can be expensive.
• Many parts are still made, but some low-volume models rely on specialists.

General notes, not specific to this model. Check the model's own history before buying.

Rivals of its day

Picked automatically: cars on sale at the same time with similar size, speed and price.

See the real thing

These open in a new tab: the car on Wikimedia Commons, the interior and the badge as Google image searches.