FirstDrive: Bentley Continental GT SpeedBentley has roared ahead of the competition with its new Continental GT Speed - the ultimate in motoring power, speed, looks and luxury, writes Kyle Fortune
During the Bentley's Continental GT Speed launch, regional UK director Richard Gordon highlighted a glaring gap in the market back in 2003, between €150,000 and €200,000 price bracket. Only one car existed in that vast price band then, Ferrari's F360.
Bentley rightly saw that as an opportunity and exploited it, plugging the gap perfectly with its Continental GT.
That shrewd exploitation of the chasm between merely expensive sports and luxury cars and mega-money hyper- and super-luxury machines has seen Bentley sales grow at an unprecedented rate.
Back in 2003, pre-Continental GT, Bentley was ticking along, making around 1,000 cars a year.
Now, it's able to boast very comfortable annual sales of around 10,000 cars, those numbers boosted by the GT's Flying Spur saloon and GTC cabriolet spin-offs. And Bentley hit the market at the right time; the €150,000 to €200,000 segment is now also occupied by several Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin and even Lamborghini models.
With all that additional competition, it's hardly surprising, then, that the Crewe firm has updated its Continental GT.
While doing so, it's also revived the old Speed badge and introduced a new version too - the Continental GT Speed.
The standard GT benefits from some of the changes that the Speed gets, most notably some chrome highlights around the headlamps, re-profiled front bumper and a slightly more upright grille. Under those subtle exterior enhancements, there has also been a number of technical revisions, most centred around the cooling of the GT's 6.0-litre twin turbo W12 engine.
Forget the standard Continental GT though, as with the Speed now alongside it on the price lists, who's really going to opt for a cheaper, slower, less well-equipped Bentley?
The Speed looks a touch more menacing too, its 20-inch alloys, dark chrome grille and lower suspension giving it a more purposeful stance. The price gap between the two is around €30,000, but once you're in the heady realms of a €150,000-plus car purchase, that's unlikely to be a problem.
And the Speed adds not only Mulliner Driving Specification enhancements like quilted leather and embossed Bentley logos on the seats, but also exactly as the badge suggests. More speed.
Engine tweaks - including lighter pistons and conrods, a revised engine management and a freer-breathing exhaust - increase the power from the standard GT's 552bhp to a pleasingly rounded 600bhp.
Torque, too, has increased from 650Nm to 750Nm. All that means the Speed boasts a top speed in excess of 326km/h, or 202mph in old money. It's the first production Bentley to officially quote its top speed in excess of that benchmark double ton, the standard Continental GT stopping just short at 318km/h, or 198mph.
On the road, that extra power translates to even more ludicrous pace. The Continental GT Speed reaches 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds and, if you're brave enough with your licence, it'll be at 200km/h just 10.4 seconds after that. Watch the digital speed readout while doing so and you'll witness the numbers climbing quicker than an electricity metre at a Rolling Stones stadium gig.
Yet it's not savage like most cars that offer this type of performance; the six-speed automatic shifts seamlessly, the GT's four-wheel-drive transmission meaning there's no wheel-spin or uncouth twitchiness when using all that mighty twin-turbo 12-cylinder's output.
Prod the accelerator at any speed and there's a slight delay as the gearbox drops a few ratios. Then noise increases gloriously, as the GT Speed starts its relentless searing quest towards the horizon. Take control of the gearbox via the nicely positioned paddles behind the smaller, three-spoke steering wheel, select the gears early and the effect is even more memorable.
The regular Continental was never what you'd call short of performance, it's just that the Speed does everything a little bit more enthusiastically. In fact, it's loony quick. Thankfully, Bentley's chassis people have enhanced the driving experience to go with the moonshot pace.
Grip is phenomenal, the heavy nose only washing wide when you're really, really pushing. Otherwise, the GT Speed feels remarkably neutral. There's a touch of information at the steering wheel that wasn't there before, too. Despite its increased focus, Bentley has managed to find the difficult balance between handling agility and ride comfort.
The Speed features the same adjustable damping of the standard car, but even on its firmest Sport setting, it's never jarring; the body control is pretty exceptional, too. That's all even more remarkable when you consider just how hefty the Continental GT Speed is.
That weight and performance means you'll want the optional carbon ceramic brakes. Admittedly, at around €15,000 they're not cheap, but they stop the heavyweight GT repeatedly from the sort of velocities that you find yourself so easily achieving. The sort of speeds which, really, aren't possible on all but the quietest autobahns in Germany.
And that's the Speed's problem. All its remarkable ability, increased performance and agility is only really obvious when you explore the Speed's upper performance range. Still, it's nice to know you can if you want to, which exactly how Bentley's customers are likely to feel. Bentley Continental GT Speed
Engine: 5998cc twin turbocharged 12-cylinder (W format) petrol engine, putting out 600bhp @ 6,000rpm and 750Nm of torque @ 1,750rpm
Performance: 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds, 0-160km/h in 10.2 seconds and a top speed of 326km/h
Price:
GT: €152,025 (pre-tax),
GT Speed: €173,472 (pre-tax),