FOLLOW THE MONEY

The Brooklands GT was always expensive - and always will be

- CHRIS CHALMERS

It was hardly a fairytale start. The Brooklands took on the role of | Bentley's flagship model in 2008, but this thumping great two-door coupé couldn't have arrived at a worse time. Launched straight into the jaws of a global financial crisis, it cost the best part of £230,000. As a result, only around 400 of the intended run of 550 cars found homes, 97 of those in the UK.

It shared much of its design with the convertible Azure. Its long sloping roof formed a graceful profile and the muscular stance was anchored by huge, 20in wheels shrouding beefy brakes. The addition of the fixed roof (and resultant stiffening) impressed road testers, creating a sporting brute that captured something of the spirit of the Blower Bentleys of the 1930s. A pair of heavyweight turbos yielded 530bhp and a mighty 774lb ft of torque. The modifications transformed the 6.75-litre V8 warhorse, first produced in 1959, into a powerhouse.