Back in 1997 the Bentley Continental R would have set you back about $250,000.
Apparently today you could have had one for just under $4500.00. if you were lucky enough to buy it before somebody traded it in under the governments recent cash for clunkers program.
According to the Freep.com:
"It’s one of several rare or surprisingly new vehicles destroyed
under the Obama administration’s cash for clunkers program designed to
sweep old gas guzzlers off U.S. roads. According to new government
data, the rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 were enough to doom the
Continental and a ’97 Aston Martin DB7 Volante that once had a sticker
price of $135,000 to the crusher.
And 37 people decided to clunk models that were less than a year old.
Beyond
car lovers’ grief over why anyone would destroy sweet rides like a 1999
Mercedes C43 AMG, the value of the junked jalopies plays a major role
in deciding whether the $3 billion program helped the economy."
But wait it gets even stranger as not just old but even 2008 model cars were traded in for the $4500.00 rebate.
The Detroit Free Press goes on to report that:
"Some enthusiasts would have paid many thousands of dollars for the
rare 1987 Buick GNX destroyed under the program; only 547 were built.
The nation’s supply of used Chevrolet Corvettes was thinned by 131,
including 34 convertibles, and the program also liberated 22 Americans
from the burden of owning a Peugeot.
The 2008 model year
vehicles deemed clunkers ranged from a Scion xD to 10 Mercury Grand
Marquis sedans to two copies of special edition F-150 pickups, sporting
450-hp V8s and Chip Foose-designed paint jobs."
Check out the video below as the boys on the British Show Wheeler Dealers restore a classic Bentley:
