THE RICH ARE DIFFERENT — AND SO ARE THEIR CARS
Bentley’s new Continental GT is a luxurious blend of technology, style and performance
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is one of God’s gifts to motoring enthusiasts. The highest paved mountain pass in Austria, the road — open only from May through September — twists and turns like a wandering snake, rising to 2,504 metres at Hochter Pass and dipping down and up (and down and up) again.
At a leisurely pace, one can take in the breathtaking mountain vistas. But, with the road clear, you want to ignore the scenery and attack the fast sweepers and sphincter-tightening hairpins, preferably in a sleek sports car — perhaps one of those Italian jobs with a name ending with the letter “i.” Something grandiose such as a Bentley? Well, no.
Yet you would be so very wrong, especially if the Bentley is the new Continental GT, the über gran turismo. Imposing ? Yes, there’s a confident muscularity to it, with styling both classic and contemporary. Stately? I prefer sumptuous; the handcrafted interior beckons one and all to taste (figuratively, not literally) the finest leathers, the exotic wood veneers, the hand-polished chrome bits and signature Bentley details. Fast? Oh my, yes.
Which brings me to the new GT’s most defining feature, its hand-built twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 engine — a monster motor that’s mated to a new, dual-clutch eight-speed transmission. It pounds out an outlandish 626 horsepower, plus 664 pound-ft. of torque starting at a subterranean 1,350 rpm and hanging on all the way to 4,500 rpm. It’s also positioned farther back to improve weight distribution (now 54 per cent front and 46 per cent rear).
Considering the two-door’s SUV-like 2,224 kilograms— despite an 80-kilogram savings due to the new aluminum-intensive body — the all-wheel-drive Continental digs in and blasts off when the Sport Launch mode is selected and gas pedal is pinned to the floor, zero to 100 kilometres per hour in just 3.7 seconds, plus a top speed of 333 km/ h, should you find yourself alone on a military airstrip with nothing better to do. For my driving purposes, other than a healthy shove into the seat back when the car was exercised, there was remarkably little drama elsewhere, even when transitioning from straight-line acceleration to hooning the mountain passes on the way south into Italy.
In addition to the grippy Pirelli rubber (available in 21- and 22-inch tire sizes), the car’s new active AWD system — replacing the traditional 40/60 power delivery split between front and rear wheels — keeps the car pointed in the right direction by varying the front-to-rear torque split. The GT uses rear-wheel drive as much as possible during normal driving for greater efficiency and dynamic performance. Yet, depending on road conditions and the driver’s aggressiveness, the system will send power to the front axle as required, reducing the understeer effect that comes from a fixed all-wheel drivetrain. In Sport mode, up to 17 per cent of the power is shifted forward.
The same engineering that accentuates the third-generation Continental GT’s genteel nature at normal speeds also allows it to tackle the twisty bits like a demon sports car. That would be the Dynamic Ride system — a 48-volt roll control system that controls and adjusts the front and rear anti-roll bars’ electronic actuators to improve handling and ride comfort.
In addition, the revised air suspension uses three-chamber air springs that give the car
60 per cent more air volume in the softest setting than the previous model.
Not that fuel economy is a priority in a high-performance luxury car, but the new W12 utilizes start/stop technology and, in this advanced application, the engine rests not only when the GT is stationary, but also at nearto-stop speeds.
Thanks to its variable displacement system, it also shuts down half of the engine under specific conditions. Bentley claims improved combined fuel economy, as a result — 12.2 L/100 kilometres combined, versus the previous model’s 14.2. After more than 400 kilometres of not-so-gentle driving, we managed 13.7 L/100 kilometres, as indicated by the digital readout.
Maybe the rich are different, as novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald once observed, and used to the finer things in life.
For those of lesser means, the GT’s handcrafted cabin is, as Bentley cheekily suggests, a world of hidden delights — which is as it should be, considering the Bentley’s suggested retail price of $285,681.
The Continental GT is still a year away from arriving at dealerships.
Though I, like most, will never be able to afford such a car, it leaves me not envious, but filled with wonder at such a seemingly textbook blend of automotive technology, style, performance and luxury. Bentley’s stated goal was to create “the finest Grand Tourer ever produced.”
Those who can afford such pleasures should prepare to be delighted.