Detroit Motor Show 2012: Bentley Continental GT and GTC V8
Tuesday, 10 January 2012 7:47 AM
The 2012 Bentley Continental GT gets more bunny-friendly V8 powered, but many a cow still made the ultimate sacrifice for interior opulence!
Should you be lucky enough this Saturday to find yourself holding a winning lottery ticket of significant value may we suggest you take a moment to consider the acquisition of a new V8 Bentley Continental GT - the baby brother of the flagship 6.0-litre W12 of the same name - showcased at the Detroit Motor Show this week.
The V8 model comes in two achingly beautiful forms, the coupe (GT) and the convertible (GTC), both powered by a 4.0-litre, twin turbo engine that produces 500bhp and 487lb/ft of torque. This engine is attached to an 8-speed automatic that propels the coupe to 60 in 4.6 seconds and all the way on to 188mph. Staggeringly, Bentley have achieved these figures with an engine that cleverly switches itself between four and eight cylinders allowing a single tank of fuel to take you 500 miles.
You expect performance but it’s how the Continental looks that really matters, and it looks exquisite. It’s sleek and elegant yet muscular and intimidating, a strange combination that works exceedingly well. A black gloss grille with chrome trim and a black three-segment front bumper at the front and figure 8 exhaust to the rear complement the 20-inch alloy wheels to give the Bentley a look so contemporary it probably won’t be fashionable until next week. It doesn’t really matter whether you opt for the coupe or the convertible, there’s nothing to choose between them in the looks department.
The interior of the Bentley can’t really be compared to a car, it’s more of a luxury hotel suite on wheels replete with beautifully lacquered woods – in this case a Dark Fiddleback Eucalyptus veneer unique to the V8, two-tone leather upholstery and chrome fittings. Both models are offered in 7 colours as standard, the GTC has a choice of three hood colours. We could go on but we're sure you’d rather look at the pictures instead.
The GT will go on sale for £123,000 and the GTC for £136,000 but should you hold that winning ticket that probably won’t be as big a stumbling block as it is right now. If you don’t already have a ticket for this Saturday, don’t pick 7, 14, 26, 31, 38, 47, they are our numbers!
By David Young
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