Built in the famous Sindelfingen factory reserved only for the most special Mercedes-Benz motorcars the 220SEB is certainly a special motorcar. Only 192 RHD examples were ever produced making them exceedingly rare things. AFM is perhaps one of the best examples of those 192 cars anywhere in the world. The subject of a total nut and bolt restoration completed circa 10 years ago she has since lived in the collection of a very meticulous owner. Always garaged, never driven in inclement conditions, premium petrol only sir, the finest waxes, polishes and cloths et al. All this fine care and attention does really show, not only in the photographs herein but also on closer inspection where she stands up superbly well and would no doubt be a show winner should those trilby hat & pressed chino wearing judges cast their scrutineering gaze over her on any concourse lawn in the land. Naturally there is a substantial file documenting the restoration process, complete with photographs to boot (all available upon request). The specification is suitably classic and understated, the leather is beyond supple and save for one minor scratch on the side of the drivers seat totally unmarked. The wood veneers too are in superb condition. As one would expect she drives perfectly. Supplied with a fresh engine service and MoT.
These early Green Label Arnage Bentley's are regrettably the lesser valued of the two options, with people generally preferring the 6.75litre Bentley engine over the 4.4lite BMW V8 found here. First released with the BMW unit and originally intended for it, I am personally of the opinion that its a super combination for a variety of reasons and have therefore owned a few of these Green Label cars myself. The BMW engine is a superb lump, having rightly earned a reputation for being more reliable than the Bentley alternative. Servicing costs too are a fraction of what one encounters on the red labels. It gets better as they are a lot more economical to run as well, largely thanks to the twin-turbo set up which also allows the car to cruise between 70-80mph and barely break sweat. Of course all of that has to be caveated by the ubiquitous rule when buying Bentley’s.. It has to have been well cared for and properly serviced in order to be a truly worthy example of the marque. And naturally this example is one such car, as well cared for and presented an Arnage as I have ever come across, red or green. She sits in her completely original and unmolested specification with some nice factory optional extras like the twin hand painted fine lines, electric sunroof and sundym glass adding a little extra to this already fine example. Supplied new through Jack Barclay’s of Berkley Square I should think that given the year of her production and initial sale date my dear Father must have overseen her original delivery. She comes complete with two keys, her original tool kit and full service history stamped in the book accompanied by the original owners manual full bookpack and sales brochure. At her last service a great deal of work was done overhauling the suspension in addition to the routine annual servicing being completed as well. She will be supplied with 12 months MoT and a fresh service whilst a comprehensive 12 month warranty can be arranged upon request as well.
Having owned the like with as few as 15,000 miles from new I can confidently suggest that this Bentley presents and drives much more like a car with 27,000 miles than 127,000 miles. As my Grandfather would say “lots of people can afford to buy a Bentley, not many can afford to keep a Bentley”. It is for this reason that so many end up suffering from a lack of care & attention. No such slight could ever be levelled at this car. When telling the story of this fine example it is first worth noting exactly what the previous owner used her for. Those more eagle eyed amongst you will have noted the later face life model wheels she is wearing, shod in Michelin Pilot Sport tyres which look quite brilliant I think. She has over the last four years served as the ultimate European tourer, both summer and winter trips completed. It is no accident that she is one of the lucky examples to have been specced with the handy ski hatch storage facility. She’s therefore covered circa 27,000 miles in the last 5 years! A lot by Bentley standards, crucially that has all been done with the utmost attention being paid to her wellbeing. Rafts of fuel receipts covering the period confirm she has only ever been juiced with premium unleaded, most regularly from Shell. A true indication of the disposition of her most recent keepers desire to ensure she runs as well as possible. The extra 20pence a litre splurged on premium fluids is not the only example of extra expense being deposited into her. The history at large is a full account of her life and journey and is available upon request, here however I would like to focus on the recent history. Annual servicing has most recently been carried out by Frank Dales of Sandhurst, Surrey. The most recent service was completed in July 2025, at this time an additional £6,000 on top of the usual servicing cost was spent on renewing both batteries, front brake discs & pads (rears were done in 2024), and the entire front suspension. It really is no surprise the car drives as well as it does. As mentioned earlier the car has a set of more modern wheels but the upgrades do not stop there, a bluetooth devise has been secreted into the glove box for your phone to connect into and her head lamps have been upgraded to Xenon units with a daytime ‘angel eye’ light wired in too. This really does update the appearance of the front end, impossible for me to capture in the photographs - although I tried - once you see it in person the difference over a boggo example is fantastic. The headlining was all new with lovely perforated leather only a few years ago, very nice as the headlining is known to be prone to dropping on these. That was a fair few thousand pounds too. I was remarkably impressed with the condition of the interior given her mileage and levelled it at the previous owner before seeing the car that whoever colonised it did a very good job, I can confirm after having treated the leather with feed that removes any such product she is in fact completely original. Overall I’m remarkably impressed with this Bentley and consider it to be a super option if you want one you can drive and enjoy long into the future