For some people ‘quality’ is a way of life. They eat quality food, buy quality clothes and, like the readers of this magazine, live in quality homes. Many of these people also buy Bentleys, a brand boasting quality as a given, along with the added value of history and breeding. Rooted in the antics of the ‘Bentley Boys’ of the 1920s, Bentleys have strong driver appeal too. That reputation is no less so today and the very accomplished Bentley Continental GT is the contemporary car that transformed the company into a major global brand.
World-Class Open Top Motoring
This Bentley Continental GTC (the C stands for Convertible) continues to fly the flag, being one of the world’s most luxurious convertible production cars. Whilst there is the tempting option of the sublime and extremely powerful W12 engine, the V8 S featured here proves the more sporting and rewarding option of the two. This is not least because it is lighter, making it a plum choice for engaging cross country driving – the more powerful W12 being better suited to long haul intercontinental drives, big mileages, and an even bigger pocket for fuel.
Top down, especially with the fitted wind deflector in place, you get the best open top motoring money can buy with minimal wind at almost any speed, and only the glorious symphony of the twin turbo charged V8 to listen to.
It’s open topped motoring heaven. Yet with 2,500 kg of quality metal and accessories, the Bentley Continental GTC can hardly be regarded as a sports car. Have no doubt about its performance though; its twin turbo 4.0 litre V8 kicks out some 520 bhp and a staggering 680 NM of torque. It achieves 0-62 mph in 4.5 seconds and a 191 mph top speed is surely enough to satisfy most. Subtle changes to the styling on the 2016 car are a reshaped lower front bumper, a thinner grille surround, and a new flying ‘B’ badge on the wings. The back of the car now has a more pronounced lip spoiler and a rear diffuser, whilst a low mounted chrome strip provides a nice wrap around finish to the car.
Inside it’s business as usual albeit with updated dials, a new Breitling clock, bigger paddle shifts, and the option of a sports steering wheel. Our steering wheel was heated which is a boon for open topped driving in cold weather. For the particular (that’s 90% of us), there are up to nine hide choices to trim the cabin and an optional hi fi ‘hot spot’ option allowing for the connection of up to eight mobile phones. Whilst hardly anyone will sniff at spending £164,000 for this beautiful example of contemporary open top motoring it is, all things considered, ‘appropriate’ value for the build quality and performance. Quality comes at a price.
