Motors North

Bentley Continental GT Speed

THERE was thunder in the glens last week. It was nothing meteorological – but was all down to Bentley’s fastest and most powerful production coupé.

The rolling thunderclap was me at the wheel of a Continental GT Speed – a 600bhp W12 that can top 200mph and accelerates like a 2.4-tonne Exocet missile.

This is Bentley’s ultimate coupé – a breathtaking Flying B 2+2 that’s far too quick for your average Premier League footballer, despite the unsettling fact that the big Bentley two-door is apparently the top ba’kickers’ car of choice.

The GT Speed is no ordinary Bentley Coupé. It’s a tuned version of the Crewe manufacturer’s “ordinary” elegant four-wheel-drive, twin-turbo Continental GT coupé – a man-size model that growls from the first pump of its mighty 12 pistons and builds to a glorious, deep-throated roar as it soars towards its 202mph maximum.

That’s no speed for public roads – but find a friendly airfield with a long runway and I can assure you the GT Speed will live up to its reputation.

The “ordinary” GT produces a not insubstantial 552bhp at 6100rpm, costs £120,500 and “only” manages 198mph.

The Speed costs another £17,000 for its additional tweaks that feed its modified VAG W12 six-litre to add 48bhp and 4mph.

But the figures do the Speed no justice – its performance has to be experienced to be appreciated.

Sublime is the word. It’s a finely-crafted performance machine trimmed in the best materials and impeccably constructed to produce a car that is simply a statement of motoring perfection for enthusiasts, or a statement of status for others.

I sit in the former camp. I have driven hundreds of cars, many high performers and some that handle a lot better than this 2.4-tonne leviathan.

But none have left me as awestruck as the Speed’s power delivery, driving precision and command of the road.

Pulling power is phenomenal. While the “ordinary” GT delivers 479lb.ft from 1600rpm, the Speed piles it on to 553lb.ft from 1750rpm – enough to knock 0.3 seconds off the GT’s rest to 62mph time of 4.8 seconds and turn mid-range overtaking power into something spectacular.

More impressive still is how the four-wheel-drive transmission delivers that power and torque to the road through its massive 20-inch wheels and ultra-wide 35 section tyres.

Heading west on a rainsoaked A832 to Achnasheen and on to Kyle and Skye on the A890 and A87 was an experience to savour.

The Speed thundered along, not anywhere near its incredible maximum or even above the legal limit, but quick enough to prove its astonishing ability to consume mile after mile with ease.

Heading home I tackled my favourite climb – the 2,000- feet rise from Loch Carron through the Bealach na Ba to its peak below Creag Ghorm.

With not another vehicle in sight. it was a powersoaked third gear delight accompanied by an exhaust rumble that sounded like a West Coast ferry stemming a strong tide.

What an experience – what a memory.

It doesn’t so much accelerate, as charge. The coupé put its head down like a bull and bellowed its way up the Bealach.

But while the Speed gripped like a limpet and put its power down confidently, it does have a weak point – deeper standing water.

Hit a Torridon roadside puddle too fast and there’s momentary indecision from the traction and a feeling that it wants to pull to the nearside – so like all machines, it’s not infallible and demands care in extreme conditions.

The Speed’s power is brutal: misuse it and you’ll soon get into trouble, despite its advanced traction control and electronic stability systems.

It’s a big car – 4.8 metres long and almost two metres wide. And with as much power as Formula 1 cars of not so long ago, it demands respect… and I gave it as much as I could spare!

On the comfort front there’s little to moan about. I’m not much of a fan of its optional £1,645 spun aluminium dash, but it is wonderfully traditional.

The seats, front and back, are incredibly hugging and, on Bentley’s test car, came complete with cross-stitching and immaculate stitched Bentley badges on the upper parts of the seats that cost a cool £2,360 extra.

Double-glazed windows eliminate wind rush but allow the rich, sonorous beat of the W12 to seep into the cabin in the cruise.

If there’s an irritation it’s the road noise from the Speed’s massive tyres – an inevitable consequence of wide, low-profile rubber and an extremely firm suspension that is only marginally softer in its “comfort” setting.

My extras list included a £750 reversing camera, £840 TV tuner, 20-inch alloys at £800, a power open/close boot at £585, and a get-you-home spare at £155.

But you could spend more. Order the Speed with ceramic brakes and it’ll set you back an extra £10,000, and would have taken my test vehicle’s final bill to almost £154,000.

Frankly, I could live without the spun aluminium dash and much prefer the standard burr walnut wood – and the thought of having paid £2,360 for “cross-stitching” on my fine standard leather chairs would keep me awake at night.

And as far as ceramic brakes are concerned, believe me the standard anchors are outstanding and I never once experienced fade.

The Bentley marque is now part of the huge Audi empire, and none the worse for that. The 12-cylinder heart of the car is based on the Volkswagen Phaeton W12.

From the Speed’s sculpted mesh grille to its huge bulging rear haunches, that technology and Bentley’s traditional craftsmanship have produced a fabulous coupé of brutal beauty and outstanding ability.

But there’s a north of Scotland element in its genes that few know about. The iconic winged B badge that adorns all Bentley models and is recognised around the world as a sign of performance, power and design excellence was redesigned in Moray some years ago by Dunphail professional seal maker Neil Oliver.

Bentley Edinburgh sales executive Bruce Neil told me: “The GT Speed does well in Scotland. It’s been available for less than a year and we’ve sold six.

“It’s an elegant and iconic supercar that’s appreciated by performance drivers who love its refinement.”

There’s a lot of self-righteousness around these days – and cars such as the Speed attract more than their fair share of adverse comment.

Some of it is jealousy, some understandable annoyance about its excesses. But hey – what a joy to look at and drive. It’s a celebration of all that’s best in car engineering.

In town it struggled to average 12mpg, but with a bit of restraint on the open road I managed a consistent 19mpg.

Last year Bentley turned in its best-ever profit – 155 million Euros and sold a record 10,000 cars. That’s 10 times more than in 2002.

Cash-strapped 2009 may not be as bright – but Bentley looks as if it can weather the storm.

Cynics might ask: “Who needs a car like that?” Well, no-one. Just like no-one really needs a 282bhp BMW 6 Series 335d.

But if you can afford it, and enjoy it… why not?

Rating: 9.5/10

FINAL THOUGHT:

Some might dismiss the GT Speed as an extravagance that has no place in today’s financial crisis-hit world where an emission level of almost 400g/km is tantamount to cocking a snook at the environment. But this car is a glorious expression of all that is good about European automotive engineering at its finest, coupled to the very best of British tradition and a celebration of motoring. The driving experience is outstanding. The rich acoustics of its exhaust are so voluble that you don’t even have to drive fast to enjoy the dragon’s roar.

CAR FACTS – Bentley Continental GT Speed

Price: £137,500 (£143,835 as tested)
Capacity: 5998cc
Power: 600bhp
0-62mph: 4.5 seconds
Maximum speed: 202mph
Economy: Combined 17mpg; Urban 11.2mpg
CO2 emissions: 396g/km
ESP: Standard
Insurance: Group 20

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Bentley Continental GT Speed