Last blast
By all Bentleys will be electric But the car you’re looking at contains no electric motors The Continental GT S is more old school than that and perhaps we should see it as a bit of a ‘last blast’ before electrification starts dripping into the Conti range It claims to be a sportier iteration with no more power extra assertiveness instead comes from detail tweaks and additions
There’s a standard fit sports exhaust “to amplify the crossplane V beat” Shiny chrome trim is replaced by black New in wheels sit in front of red calipers Badges cover the wings dashboard and seats Though even without them you’ll know which Conti you’re in as soon as your index finger indents the starter button its initial blare of revs denoting a more dynamically minded Bentley and if you’ve notched the knurled drive mode dial into Sport prompting the spd gearbox into its sportier map in the process then you’ll be treated to pops bangs and crackles during downchanges and throttle lifts
A shoutier soundtrack and faux suede trim might be just enough to convince you the rest of the car is sportier too Because besides standard fit Dynamic Ride there are no other suspension upgrades Still it drives as ably as ever and we’ve always found Vs the more agile option in all of Bentley’s cars nipping a little weight from the front limits understeer and makes the whole thing more appealing to hustle along
It’s a long time since this company’s cars have felt solely made for wafting and the current Conti and Flying Spur are its most dynamic cars yet Though if you can squeeze your name on the finite list of W orders then the latest Continental GT Speed offered solely with that iconic litre gets allwheel steering and a trick differential to make it a better ‘last blast’
But if you’ve not got an order in quickly enough this is nearly as much fun while potentially offering a glimpse of what’s next After all if Bentley’s engineers can make something so heavy steer with such clarity then surely its pure electric future is in safe hands