Anglo-German traditionalists
It is assumed that the British gentleman is a person who values restraint and understatement… he does not indulge in hooning. But he would, were he so moved, do so at the wheel of a Bentley. The updated version of the Continental GT Cabrio will be in German dealerships from the month of December carrying a price sticker of 202 thousand Euros… ribbons and Christmas gift-wrapping will probably be thrown in.
Although since 1999 it is a German concern which is in command at the Bentley factory the English car maker remains a stubbornly traditional enterprise. There was never any question of having anything other than a soft-top for the convertible. It is supported by seven ribs, is made up of three layers of fabric, ensures a high degree of noise elimination and can be opened or closed in 25 seconds. This may not be a record time for this functionality but it allows for operation at speeds up to 30 kilometres an hour. The understated knob on the central console which triggers the opening or closure of the roof remains unchanged after the model update.
Double-digit growth
The former head of development at Porsche, Dr. Wolfgang Dürheimer, is now the man in charge of Bentley. He readily admits to driving his company car on autobahns without speed restrictions in order to determine what improvements might be made. In his view the GTC promises acceleration and driving behaviour which “even for one coming from Porsche are qualities which impress”. The new Bentley boss arrives at a time when the marque is experiencing a boom… in the , in and in sales have enjoyed double-digit growth. leads the Europeans with a two-thirds increase in sales compared with 2010. It was in 2007 that Bentley produced in a single year over ten thousand vehicles and the tendency has been positive ever since.
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- The demand for highest quality animal hides and glossy wood veneers is met by a choice of seventeen different leathers and seven varieties of select woods. The navigation system previously installed, taken from the rather out-of-date Volkswagen Phaeton, has been replaced by a faster touch-screen unit.
Weaknesses eliminated
The GTC could well be the model which contributes to new sales records, now that a few of the weaknesses which plagued the first Continentals have been eliminated. One of the deficits concerned the navigation and entertainment system which… with its tired technology taken over from the Volkswagen Phaeton… failed to impress earlier buyers. The page build up was sluggish and a change of display size took an eternity… not what might be expected of an automobile capable or exceeding 300 kilometres an hour. The new touch-screen has solved all these problems and is absolutely timely in its technology.
More room in the back
Thirty-five millimetres is not really a significant distance. But for those getting into the rear seats of a GTC there is now an increase in legroom of this dimension, achieved by removing the seat-belt mechanism from the seat-backs which are now correspondingly slimmer. Now even adults can travel in comfort in the back of the car although the preferred position will always be the left-hand front seat. There is one tiny change which might be seen as a nod toward a promising clientele of the future… the cigar-lighter is no longer stamped ‘Made in ’ but it now proclaims ‘Made in ’.
‘Quick Shift’ instead of eight-speed automatic
In the GTC there have been several technological refinements introduced which were featured for the first time in last year’s special ‘Supersports’ model. These include a ‘Quick Shift’ setting for the six-speed transmission which makes for faster gear changes. That there remains a tiny lag is acceptable. Due to certain characteristics of the development process at has not yet been possible to install the eight-stage automatic transmission which is now available within the concern. Powertrain head Brian Gush explains that the ZF gearbox is not yet able to handle the Bentley’s immense output of torque. And for the time being the driver will also have to do without the start-stop automation feature, too.
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- Mighty longitudinal and lateral acceleration come as standard with a Bentley and need no particular mention here. But that these attributes go together with a perfectly relaxed motoring experience is certainly to be noted. Even in the most ambitiously sporting drive mode the damper setting offers superlative comfort. Even running on 21 inch wheels with relatively little rubber between the rims and the road the style of travel remains aristocratically unflappable.
Relaxed but potent
Mighty longitudinal and lateral acceleration come as standard with a Bentley and need no particular mention here. But that these attributes go together with a perfectly relaxed motoring experience is certainly to be noted. Even in the most ambitiously sporting drive mode the damper setting offers superlative comfort. Even running on 21 inch wheels with relatively little rubber between the rims and the road the style of travel remains aristocratically unflappable. A tranquillity is ensured thanks to sound insulating material installed in the wheel arches. Overall the Bentley engineers have reduced the noise level inside the can by 3 ‘A’-weighted decibels.
15 horsepower more, 70 kilos less
The power output has risen from 560 to 575 horsepower which is all to the good given that the car weighs almost 2.5 tons. But the Bentley builders have also been able to get rid of 70 kilos, mainly in the seat construction and the entertainment system… here as much as 20 kilos were saved. The demand for highest quality animal hides and glossy wood veneers is met by a choice of seventeen different leathers and seven varieties of select woods. If this is insufficient for the exacting client then he can resort to the in-house coach-builder Mulliner for the interior he desires. In the category ‘not-necessary-but-nice’ there are accessories on offer such as the removable case for sun-glasses with exactly the same wood grain as that of the dashboard and console.
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- The updated version of the Continental GT Cabrio will be in German dealerships from the month of December carrying a price sticker of 202 thousand Euros.
Let’s not mention fuel consumption
When considering a land yacht like the GTC the term ‘fuel efficiency’ has an entirely different meaning than in the case of, for example, a Volkswagen Polo. Anyone intent on getting the most from their potent convertible must simply accept that fuel consumption will be at least 20 litres per hundred kilometres driven. In tests 17.54 was achieved, just a litre different from the European Union combined value. This will doubtless be seen as commercially viable by the those for whom this automobile is intended.
