Some people move their cars to higher ground when a storm is approaching. One Bentley owner in China decided that higher ground wasn’t high enough. After seeing forecasts warning of torrential rain and a typhoon, the quick-thinking owner arranged for a large crane to suspend his luxury grand tourer above rising floodwaters, creating one of the most surreal automotive scenes of the summer. While countless vehicles around him ended up submerged, his Bentley remained untouched.
The extraordinary rescue unfolded on July 14 in Shenyang, where several days of relentless rain along with a recent typhoon left neighborhoods inundated. According to local news outlet Sohu, the Bentley was parked outside the Earl’s Source Community on Xinguo Street, where an eyewitness watched the owner use a large crane to keep the car suspended in the air for several hours as floodwaters swallowed the surrounding streets. By the next morning, tow trucks were busy hauling away flood-damaged vehicles from the area, highlighting just how effective the unusual solution had proven to be.
A carefully planned lift instead of an expensive repair bill
At first glance, the operation looked like a publicity stunt. However, a closer look at the photographs tells a completely different story. Rather than simply attaching ropes to the car, the crane crew used a proper lifting setup, featuring a black spreader beam with wide textile slings running beneath the Bentley. The spreader beam prevented the slings from pressing against the roof and windows while distributing the load evenly, allowing the car to remain level throughout the lift. A separate control rope helped workers keep the suspended coupe from rotating or swinging in the wind.
Despite social media claims that the Bentley was hanging several meters above the street, the images suggest it was lifted only about two to three feet above the anticipated water level. The crane’s boom remained steep, while the car stayed close to the machine, and the outriggers were fully deployed to create a stable lifting platform. For a truck-mounted crane, supporting a vehicle of Bentley’s size at such a short operating radius would have been a relatively modest task.
The car itself appears to be a third-generation Bentley W12 Continental GT. Its two-door profile, four individual headlights, slim oval taillights, muscular rear fenders, and large single oval exhaust outlet on each side all point toward the flagship W12 variant, although the precise model year cannot be confirmed from the available footage that made its way on social media platforms. The luxury grand tourer weighs approximately 4,947 pounds and originally carried a starting price of 3.128 million yuan (roughly $462,000) in China. It’s safe to say that its real-world value is close to the half-million-dollar mark.
The weather forecast proved more valuable than luck
The Bentley owner’s decision soon looked ingenious. Shenyang averaged 13.7 inches of rain, while one station recorded 19.1 inches. Records dating to 1951 were broken, and 11 stations received more than their usual July rainfall. As flooded cars awaited tow trucks, the $460,000 Continental GT remained above the water.
