07 CGT 83k miles. I hit a big doe. I might just have the insurance total it. I have not seen anyone talk about doing a conversion to a 2012-2018 front end, so I assume it is impossible. It looks like it would just be head lights, fenders, grille, hood, bumper (which all need to be replaced). I am sure the wiring for the headlights would be an issue and probably a bunch of other things.
I know the 2010 super sport bumpers are a direct swap. I assume the different grille frame is too (but I am not sure). Maybe I should do that. I am just frustrated because I finally had everything perfect on it. I know the purest would hate this idea. I am just trying to find a way to get something positive out of this. The insurance company can be pushed either way because it is right on the edge of being a total loss. I am open to suggestions.
First of all, I hope you are in good condition.
The second thing is that your car is just perfect in the original way that it left the factory.
It is true that I saw some Flying Spurs with the Supersports bumper and it fits quite well but making big changes in the face of a possible sale in the future will hurt it.
Thanks for the concern guys, I am totally fine. The car absorbed almost everything. My phone did go flying and broke an interior ****. I do not know the extent of the damage, everything is pushed back. I can't get the hood open. The radiator and intercooler are smashed. It happened a little over a mile from my house, so I did not stop and drove into the garage. I was watching the temp gauge, did not move. Engine was off less than 3 minutes after impact. Coolant everywhere, but I do not see any other fluid (have not got underneath it). I know that, at the least, the serpentine belt was pinched or snapped because I lost power steering almost immediately. I am afraid all of those pulleys may be smashed in.
I know people hate to see these get bastardized, but I have never had great luck with these insurance repairs. The car never comes out perfect. Resale is not a huge priority to me, that is why I am thinking about putting a different front end on it. Some of the body kits look ok, but a lot of those companies get bad reviews and I am familiar with all the fitment issues. I will try to make a decision one way or another in the next couple of days.
The parts adjustments are not exactly simple, rather they are a headache and also they are not cheap.
I have never done a conversion but I did see a gas monkey program once and they tried to change the front end from a 996 to a 997, the kit was expensive and on top of that it didn't fit at all, they had to make a lot of modifications.
Yes, you are right, fitment on the aftermarket stuff can be a nightmare. Some of those 996 to 997 conversions just look off. Some are good though, I actually had that done on a 99 C2 and it looked good. For the CGT, I think I am just going to put the 08-11 bumper and grille on it. I know it looks almost identical, but I do prefer the look. I am going to try and put the DEPO headlights in it. They look good, but I think they may no longer be manufactured. I found the black DEPO ones on ebay, but I want the clear ones.
Yes, what is the internal damage? Do you need body straightening? I have done many crashed cars & mostly very rewarding to restore. In most cases insurance companies will total a Bentley (Hence the rates). They do it mostly because our cars are highly advanced and too many sensors/computers. Same with Audi products.
Straightening the frame members may be easy, but getting the car on the road without errors is another issue. BTW: buying Audi parts as we all know in very affordable....
I am looking into another custom front end for my own car and there is much to chose from. I would stay away from the cheap made body kits from some vendors you never heard of, but there are some awesome ones out there too.
Zaos, if you have any front end ideas I would love to take a look at them. I have had good results doing this a few times also, it is just less common with these CGTs so I have been having a tough time figuring something good out. I am pretty sure the frame is ok. I could not get the hood open. I know the radiator and intercooler are smashed. It looks like most of the pulleys probably got crushed. I was hoping it was just the serpentine belt that killed the power steering, but when I got it towed I found power steering fluid on the ground mixed with all the coolant (so power steering pump is probably smashed along with some other stuff). The insurance company will total it if damage exceeds $50k. I could potentially take a cash offer for the damages and get it fixed by sourcing the parts myself for far less (clean title), or let them total it and buy it back (salvage title). I am in the middle of a move, so it is not the best timing for me to take on a project, but I will consider it. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I have also been looking at that AF-1 bumper. The reviews I can find for the company "Aero Function" do not look very good. There are other companies that sell a very similar one for far more money. It is always hard to tell the quality of these body kit companies unless you know someone who has used them.
This is an interesting concept (trying to look kind of like a 2017 Super sport):
The reviews for "Xclusive Customz" are also sketchy and they have some suspect looking stuff on their website. I think one that looks similar to a 2017 speed would look better, but I can not find one. The best headlights I can find are out of stock everywhere, I may call the manufacturer:
I have that exclusive bumper (at the shop for paint right now). The 5 parts that are supposed to be carbon fiber (if you look at the OEM car) come off and it looks pretty like something in between the speed and ss when removed. They bolt on and off and I'm leaning toward leaning them off.
Quality wise, per my body shop guy, pretty much all aftermarket bumpers suck, as they are made of stiff fiberglass or FRP and do not flex and avoid cracks like OEM bumpers, which can deform and be popped back into place. He's also a former BCGT owner, so knows the cars well and stated the Bentley OEM plastic bumpers, while better than aftermarket are also very stiff and prone to cracking with age. He's retiring from the business shortly and has opted to do the work himself as part of the reason he's getting out of the business is that lack of young individuals willing to learn the art or have the patience to do things right. Thankfully I don't have to leave the requisite note about jack mode and opening the hood, trunk,etc.
Not sure if there are any polyurethane aftermarket bumpers out there for our cars, but as far as material quality that's supposed to be the best per the body guys.
Aftermarket being what it is, they are OK quality, not great, not total junk. I had to elongate two slots, move two hole slightly and spent a lot of time sanding where they sprayed the fiberglass on too thick inside, not allowing the left side to engage the bumper clip properly. No voids, but a bit sloppy where the parking sensor holes are marked and I had to drill those. Finally, I had to supply and figure out how to install the grills.
(edit.... also had to spend a fair bit of time sanding/filing the recesses for the headlight washer jet covers to get them to be flush, like the oem, which are a bit more curved than the flatter aftermarket bumper. Also, about half of the $4k paint costs were for additional fitment adjustments for the bumper, but included several hours of labor to fix a ripple in the used fender I bought. If I had it to do again, I would have purchased the vented fenders from Bentley, for that bit, as it would have been more cost effective and new parts.)
The major effort was getting the sensor/wiring harness moved over and routed so there's no interference.
Here's a pre-paint pic, with the carbon fiber bits on. (I had mine covered in carbon flakes to give a forged carbon look).
Thanks Sam, that is exactly the info I was looking for. From what I can see fitment looks good. Maybe it is just the picture, but it looks a little off where the bottom of the grill frame meets the bumper. The grill frame is slightly different on the 08-11; I wonder if this bumper fits one better than the other (I need to replace mine anyway). The parking sensors always annoy me. If the wiring harness is an issue I might just delete them.
I think that bumper might look good on mine (white) with no CF trim and chrome grills. I am looking forward to seeing yours with paint.
Edit: Sam, just saw more pictures of your fitment in another thread. grill frame/bumper fitment looked fine, it must have just been how I was seeing this picture.
