By
EWAN KENNEDY
24 April 2006
Bentley has just launched the latest variant of the Continental, a
gorgeous looking two-door convertible that’s guaranteed to impress
wherever it goes. Whether it tours the south of France or the hotspots
of prestigious areas of Sydney or Melbourne the Bentley GTC will please
discerning owners.
Joining the Continental GT coupe and the
Continental Flying Spur four-door saloon, this mid-sized Bentley
Continental GTC is a stunning two-plus-two convertible that sits on one
of the most powerful powertrains ever seen in this rarefied class of
upmarket machine.
Unlike many other prestige marques which
have given their convertibles folding hardtops, the boys at Bentley have
stuck with tradition and used a soft-top. Naturally it’s power
operated, using a sophisticated electro-hydraulic setup.
The designers have done everything in
their power to make the roof as quiet and fuss free as possible to give
the sort of ambience you would expect in a hardtop coupe. This required
the use of a three-layer top finished in a beautifully soft fabric. It’s
offered in a wide variety of colours as, of course, is the body of the
Bentley. Contact our local dealer for full details.
Using a soft-top instead of a hardtop has
a further benefit in that it provides a larger boot. So those big sets
of golf clubs, or matching leather suitcases can be stowed away with
ease.
Dropping the Bentley GTC's soft-top
reveals an interior of the type that the British do so well. It’s all
quality leather and timber, much of it hand-finished in the Bentley
factory in Crewe, England. Traditionalists will love the big round
instrument dials and the circular ventilation outlets with their
traditional push-pull controls.
Bentley Continental GTC has a top speed,
where conditions permit, of over 300 km/h from its huge W12 6.0-litre,
twin-turbo, 550-horsepower engine. Its makers tell us this makes it the
fastest convertible in the world. But it’s not all about speed, this
car can dispatch huge distances with a minimum of fuss. It sounds the
part too, with a throaty burble that will instantly endear it to all
lovers of high-performance engines.
Continental GTC uses a six-speed
automatic, all-wheel drive, huge brakes and the latest in electronic
stability controls to ensure the best possible high-speed safety and
security.
Bentley's Continental GTC has only just
been announced at the New York Motor Show. Details of Australian imports
are to be finalised, but expect the GTC to arrive here before the end of
the year, and anticipate a price tag of around $400,000. Not cheap in
absolute terms, but a real bargain by supercar standards.
Bentley says that with the introduction
of this third variant its Continental range is now complete. We will
take their word for it, though may we speculate that there may just be
an estate car in Bentley's future. A Bentley station wagon? We can hear
the purists gasp at the thought. Yet another group of purists turned
pale at the idea of a Jaguar estate car not so many years back. Now the
Jag wagon is on the market and doing quite nicely for itself, thank you.
Time will tell…
