1998 Bentley Background Info
The 1998 Bentley Vibe
1998 was a monumental year for the folks in Crewe. It was the year of the Arnage-a car that looked like it was carved out of a single block of prestige and powered by a BMW-sourced heart before things got complicated with Volkswagen. If you weren't rolling in an Arnage or a drop-top Azure, you weren't really playing the game. While the rest of the world was experimenting with "Champagne" and "Silver Birch," Bentley stayed true to the heritage that built the brand. In our database, we've preserved the absolute king of the era: Racing Green. It's not just a color; it's a statement of old-money intent that makes modern metallics look like cheap tinsel.
Paint Health Check
By 1998, we were firmly in the era of high-solids clear coats. These finishes were designed to give that deep, "mile-deep" mirror shine that Bentley owners demanded, but they came with a catch. This was the peak of the Peeling Era. Over twenty-five years later, the bond between that thick clear coat and the base color can start to get tired. We call it delamination-where the clear begins to lift around the edges of stone chips or panel gaps. If you see a tiny white flake on the edge of your hood, that's not dust; that's the beginning of the end for your factory finish. Once the clear starts to go, the sun eats the pigment underneath for breakfast.
Restoration Tip
The secret to keeping a '98 Bentley looking like it just left the showroom is aggressive chip management. Because these clear coats are thicker than modern "robot-sprayed" finishes, a chip creates a deep "crater" that allows moisture to get under the clear. Don't wait for a detail day to address them. Clean the area with a solvent-based prep and seal those chips immediately. Building up the level of the repair is key; you want to fill that crater so the clear coat is supported at the edges. A little bit of maintenance now prevents the "clear coat sneeze" later, where one high-pressure wash sends your finish flying down the driveway.