BENTLEY

Absolute rarity: Bentley Continental 'Flying Star' by Touring Superleggera, the station wagon that the British brand never had, is available for auction at RM Sothebys

For those who own a regular Bentley Continental GT and it doesn't make them feel special enough, then perhaps this special and rare Bentley Touring Superleggera is a good alternative.

This custom-built Bentley will be auctioned in Paris in early February, where it is expected to fetch between 300,000 and 400,000 euros.

This special Shooting Brake version of the Continental is the Flying Star and started out as a regular Continental GTC Convertible. Shortly after delivery, it was sent to Touring Superleggera and completely overhauled, transforming it into the attractive two-door estate shown in the images. Incredibly, the conversion cost 343,000 euros, excluding the price of the base vehicle. If the pre-auction estimates are accurate, the original owner will not make any money on the car, despite its rarity.

When transforming the convertible into a Shooting Brake, Touring Superleggera created a specific fixed roof and widened the doors by 2.5 cm. The rear now features elliptical taillights and a custom tailgate.

RM Sotheby’s says the owner also had a set of bespoke bags made, which will be included in the sale. The transformation took more than 4,000 hours to complete.

Touring Superleggera built just 19 examples of the special Flying Star, each equipped with a 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 engine delivering 552 hp. This example has only been driven 7,467 km and appears to be in excellent condition.

The interior in particular appears to be immaculate, and while some of the wood veneers look a little dated, the bronze-colored leather has aged gracefully and shows only a few cracks and creases.

Bentley itself never built a Shooting Brake. Although it is a shame, this may be the only opportunity to acquire the best specimen.

Autonews