- Bacalar sold at auction for less than half its price in Abu Dhabi.
- Just 12 units of the $2M coachbuilt roadster were ever produced.
- Auction took place during F1 weekend full of wealthy collectors.
Limited-run cars from the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini often end up selling for far more than their original sticker prices once they hit the secondary market, assuming they ever do. These are the kinds of models that rarely lose value, at least, that’s usually how it goes.
In the case of the Bentley Bacalar, though, the script has flipped. What began life as a $2 million ultra-luxury flagship is now trading hands for less than half that figure.
Read: It Takes Bentley A Whole Week To Paint One Wheel On The $2M Bacalar
During the Formula 1 weekend in Abu Dhabi, RM Sotheby’s held one of its most exclusive auctions of the year. Included among the cars on offer was a one-owner 2021 Bentley Bacalar. It had just 1,131 kilometers (703 miles) on the odometer, hardly broken in.
Production of the Bacalar was capped at only 12 units, so the assumption might be that collectors who missed the initial release would scramble for the chance to own one now.
That didn’t happen. This Bacalar, which had been shipped from a private collection in Monaco to the auction in Abu Dhabi, ended up selling for just $876,785. For a car that originally cost $2 million, that’s not just a drop, it’s a collapse, and a clear sign that whatever hype Bentley was banking on hasn’t held up.
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What makes the result more surprising is the timing and the setting. Abu Dhabi during the F1 weekend is prime territory for wealthy collectors, many of whom think nothing of snapping up rare cars on a whim. Yet the Bacalar struggled to make a case for itself, even among that crowd.
Is The Bacalar Actually That Special?
Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
In terms of spec, this is arguably one of the most visually distinctive Mulliner Bacalars we’ve ever seen. It’s chassis number five of twelve and comes finished in Memphis Red, a rich, tailored color that suits the car’s extroverted proportions.
The 22-inch wheels are a tri-finish design, with silver faces and satin nickel detailing. You could easily picture it pulling up to a beachside villa somewhere along the Côte d’Azur or doing slow laps through Monaco for the benefit of a few well-followed phones.
The interior of the Bacalar is also rather special. It is finished in a combination of creamy Linen leather with deep maroon leather accents. There’s also a healthy dose of satin nickel, Vavona veneers, and chrome accents found throughout.
Too Close for Comfort?
We suspect that similarities between the Bacalar and the regular Continental GTC may have limited its appeal. Whereas a beautifully-specced Continental GTC is available for a touch over $300,000, Bentley was asking more than six times that amount for the Bacalar when it was launched.
Clearly, collectors are having trouble seeing the long-term value here, at least for now. Whether that changes in the future remains to be seen. The Bacalar might eventually find its niche, but as of today, it hasn’t landed with the impact Bentley probably hoped for.
