Bentley has given its Continental GT coupe the Speed treatment, claiming the finished car is ‘the most capable, performance-focused Bentley ever.’
The 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 gets a mild upgrade from 626bhp to 640bhp, while torque stays the same at 664 lb ft. The top speed climbs 1mph to 208mph and the zero to 62mph time is now 3.6 seconds, down from 3.7 seconds in the standard W12 Conti GT.
Those don’t sound like significant gains, but the Speed should feel much quicker than the standard W12 GT on the road, because the eight speed dual-clutch transmission changes down sooner and hangs on to gears longer. And when it does swap ratios, it does it in half the time.
Braking distances are also reduced thanks to a new set of carbon ceramic brake discs that save 35kg of unsprung mass, and are clamped by gigantic 10-piston brake callipers.
But the Bentley saves its best work for corners thanks to four-wheel steering and a new electronically controlled differential. Bentley already uses four-wheel steer on the Flying Spur limo to reduce the turning circle in town. But here, it’s used to improve the coupé’s twisty-road agility.
The new diff hardware is claimed to improve turn-in, and, with the ESC switched out, allow the driver to ‘balance throttle and steering to deliver effortless, progressive yaw angles.’ Expect plenty of gratuitous drift shots when the Top Gear TV boys get hold of the keys.
The visual clues to this newfound dynamism are fairly low key. There’s a darker radiator grille and bumper grille, subtly re-profiled sills, a Speed badge on each wing, and 22-inch wheels on the outside, while the cabin benefits from diamond quilted leather and Alcantara trim.
Inevitably, there’s a price to pay, though Bentley hasn’t announced exactly how big a price, at least not in the UK. But based on the upgrade cost in the US, a £35-40k increase seems likely, putting the cost somewhere north of £200k.
Keyword: New Bentley Continental GT Speed Gets 650bhp And Four-Wheel Steering