31st Oct 2007, 13:16
I bought a 1997 Bentley Brooklands Trophy Edition in 2003.
Well for one thing, it's like no other car I've ever owned.
It's very fast for its size, and the handling is very good.
Workmanship is impeccable. Very expensive to service, but it is a Bentley.
15th Feb 2008, 23:06
Just bought a 1997 Bentley Brooklands with 22K miles on the clock. After a routine service which included new front brake pads and rotors and a new set of tires, it is ready to go. It is quite a superb car: it is blindingly fast when the turbo kicks in, yet very well mannered around corners. I bought the car to drive once a week on a high speed, 250m. journey, and this car does not disappoint at speeds approaching 100 MPH.
9th Jun 2008, 17:35
I purchased a 1997 Brooklands trophy edition in 2003. A really wonderful car that impresses no matter where you go.
Just a little disappointed in the way the car rides. I don't know if the shocks are bad or what. I took it back to the dealer and he checked it and said it was OK. it only has 38,000 miles on it now I bought it with 27,000 miles.I'm thinking if I should keep it or trade it for a newer Bentley.
I would love to buy an Arnage t. Anyway, love washing it and then putting it away in the garage.
25th Jul 2008, 12:32
Regarding the ride quality of the 1997 Brooklands; it is not designed to be as smooth as glass, and the hydraulic control provides a far stiffer ride when compared with a Silver Spirit. The upside is that handling is much improved over the Spirit.
That said you may wish to have someone you trust check the rear accumulators. They do degrade with age. If the rear end of your car droops noticeably within two or three days after not starting it, there is a good chance that you should replace the green rubber balls that hold the mineral fluid for the rear suspension.
When properly maintained, the 1997 Brooklands should give you a fine mixture of tight suspension for handling (for a car the size of a house) and a smooth ride on main roads.
18th Jun 2009, 04:00
About the last comment:
In case the rear is sagging, it's the height control valve that is leaking internally, nothing dangerous and no traces of oil. The spheres will give a choppy ride when gone and have nothing to do with the sagging end.
9th Jul 2009, 19:25
Hello, I just purchased a 1997 Bentley Brooklands. I was just wondering where is the best place to purchase parts for this car besides the dealer? I need a heater and A/C control. My A/C stays on all the time, I don't shut off. Thank you.
18th Sep 2010, 00:29
In response to the last question of where to get Bentley & Rolls Royce parts other than the dealer at discounted prices. "Bentley Zionsville" in Zionsville In. (Were known as Albers Rolls Royce for decades) They know these cars backward & forward & their prices are the best in the U.S.A. Bought parts from them for 30 years.
Ron Powers Ft.Worth, Tx.
19th Mar 2011, 16:31
I am trying to accumulate information and whereabouts of all Trophy Editions. (I own #6 of 28). Would appreciate it if you could send me details about yours. wayne@caverly.ca
17th Jan 2016, 16:11
I bought my Brooklands 12 months ago from a chap that could have been Arthur Daily's half brother. Big mistake! Although I didn't pay anywhere near the market price, this rather unloved 97 car has cost me a fortune to date and even now I'm still a new gear box away from completing the full restoration. But I am coming to the end of the job, which to be fair I knew I would have to do and I just love it. I smile just thinking about it sitting in the garage. There is good support from a couple of suppliers of new and reconditioned parts, and when I had to visit a main dealership - in Cheshire - of all places they were courteous, helpful and even with my 18 year old car, not at all fazed by it being parked next to Wayne Roony's Bentley something or other.
I just love it; oh I might have said that already. I live in France where wine and petrol are a good deal cheaper than in the UK, and wafting around the leafy lanes of the Loire Valley I can easily record 20 MPG. And if I need to lose a Renault Clio Diesel (there's always one 2 inches from you rear bumper) no problem, engage turbo hyper drive and off you go!
OK he (Mansfield) isn't driven every day, but I take it out once a week just so I can get excited all over again.
If you are thinking of buying one, take great care, buy the best you can afford and make sure whoever has serviced it has done the little things, like topping up the oil in the aircon compressor to name but one!
Still the best car in the world, even when the compressor is bust.
Nigel Connah, our man in France!
16th Sep 2016, 12:09
I think we actually sat together at the Greenville Auto Show, sound familiar? 70 Chevelle SS Barrett Jackson car. Maybe a lot of guys in Philadelphia though own 2!
20th Nov 2017, 19:00
Hi, I bought a '97 Brooklands a few weeks ago, it drives beautifully, but the 'check engine' light has just come on; as I am 5 hours drive from my nearest Bentley garage in France I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to what I could check myself? The car was originally supplied to Japan's main Bentley dealership and was recently returned to England; unfortunately for me the car came with a Japanese owners manual; if anyone has for sale an owners manual for a '97 Brooklands low pressure turbo, I would be interested to buy it.
15th Apr 2007, 19:27
I do not plan to buy the new Bentley Brooklands, but I consider the car to be more a work of art than a machine. I have never found a car with more comfortable seats than those found in the Mercedes S-Class. At one third or less the price of the new Brooklands, Both the Mercedes S-Class and Audi A8 offer far better value unless you happen to be a serious collector of all fine works of art.