There are precious few occasions where we get to drive a Bentley at AutoTrader, however, the British marque recently allowed us to spend a few days with the performance version of its Continental GT, badged the Speed.
In the age of automation, hand-made products command even more of a premium and indeed, are more desired by the wealthy among us. Take British luxury car maker Bentley, for example, which still places a great deal of emphasis on hand-producing many elements of its products. The Continental GT Speed that we had on test recently takes the Crewe-based team 110 hours to build, while the W12 engine fitted to the press unit we have reviewed here takes 45 people six and a half hours to assemble before testing can begin. Compare this with 17-18 hour assembly process as the industry average as of 2021 and you get an idea of the process Bentley employees undertake. Let’s explore this rather special vehicle after we spent a few days behind the wheel.
Styling
As the performance wing of the Bentley stable, models bearing the ‘Speed’ logo certainly look different from the ‘regular’ models, and in the case of the GT Speed press car, its aptly named Magnetic paintwork with a metallic grey hue, and the massive 22-inch dark-tinted wheels certainly give it a sporty look. The Blackline specification was also specified, which replaces the usual Bentley-esque chrome accents with gloss black wing mirror caps, wing and lower door vents, head and taillamp bezels, number plate surrounds, exhaust outlets and door handles while various carbon fibre accents are present on the side skirts, rear spoiler, rear diffuser and front splitter as part of the so-called Dynamic Specification.
Overall, the Speed GT has an immense presence about it, attracting attention wherever it goes, but not in the same way as a supercar, but rather eliciting a wide-eyed stare from fellow road users that quickly transitions to a tasteful glance of admiration.
Interior and space
Inside the GT Speed is sublime, and is certainly a space where you begin to appreciate the many hours skilled artisans have put into stitching, assembling and crafting the leather, metal and carbon fibre surfaces. The seats are supremely comfortable, and the contrasting red and black leather with a raised, diamond pattern that extends to the door cards gives the impression of absolute luxury, while it’s cool to tell your mates at the braai that your steering wheel was hand-stitched by one person over the course of 9 hours. This luxuriousness is aided by the fact that there are very few areas where you will find plastic inside the Speed, even the stalks behind the steering wheel are covered in metal. The audio system is taken care of by specialists Naim, known as one of the best in-car audio producers in the business, and the system certainly does not disappoint, offering clear, crisp sound thanks to 18 speakers, a 20 channel amplifier, active bass and a 2 220 Watt output.
The 12.3 infotainment screen, digitised instrument cluster and carbon fibre interior trim create a lovely juxtaposition when viewing them against the metal buttons and diamond-stitched leather upholstery, combining some of the appeal of the old, with the functionality of the new. For those looking for a more minimalist look, at the touch of a button, the Apple CarPlay-enabled infotainment system folds away, revealing gauges, including a compass, thermometer and a chronograph, while those looking for a plain design can hold the same button in, stowing the gauges and revealing a solid slab of carbon fibre.
From a practical perspective, the GT Speed offers 358-litres of boot space, enough for a couple of sets of golf clubs, while also offering admittedly small rear seats best suited for children.
Performance and driving impression
There is quite a lot of performance available in the GT Speed, as you might imagine. The twin-turbocharged W12 engine produces 485kW and 900Nm of torque which is sent through all four wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Despite a 2 273kg kerb weight, with launch control enabled, the Speed will sprint to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds while its top speed is rated at 335 km/h. This was our first experience of the famed W12 engine, and despite the mountain of torque and impressive elasticity, we found ourselves wanting more in terms of engine sound, even if it was only more aurally pleasing in Sport mode and toned-down in the other modes.
Going fast in a straight line is one thing, but what about handing and driver engagement? Well, there is now four-wheel steering, an electronic limited-slip differential, and torque vectoring as well as the dual-clutch gearbox now fitted to the GT Speed, endowing the car with a surprisingly adept set of dynamic abilities. It is impossible to disguise the weight of this car entirely, but the ten-piston callipers and 440mm carbon-ceramic discs used in the braking system allow you to shed speed at a confidence-inspiring rate while the agility of the Speed is surprising, but certainly not at the same level as a lightweight sport or supercar. What the Speed does well is effortless performance, while providing just about enough in the way of driver feedback to make you feel a part of the experience.
When you are not exploring the ‘speed’ aspect of the car and are more after its Grand Tourer attributes, the drive mode selector can be switched to either ‘Bentley’ or ‘Comfort’ modes, with the former being a middle ground between Sport and Comfort and perhaps the best compromise. We headed out on a 200km round trip which included some open road cruising, twisty country roads and freeways, where the GT Speed was sublime, showcasing its ability to cover vast distances at pace, however, the tighter the road becomes, the more aware you, as a driver becomes of its width and weight.
Safety
Since you can purchase roughly twenty passenger cars at the average price paid by South Africans for the amount of one GT Speed, it is understandable that this low-volume product has not been crash-tested. The model comes with 6 airbags as standard, ISOFIX child seat anchor points, and is available with a host of optional semi-autonomous driver aids, many of which were fitted to the press car. These include lane assist, adaptive cruise control, Bentley Safeguard Plus, head-up display, and night vision.
Fuel consumption
Since the W12 engine displaces 6.0-litres and features two turbochargers while moving over 2.3-tons of metal around, it isn’t going to win any fuel economy challenges, with the brand quoting an average figure of 13.7 L/100km. We found this was achievable on the open road, however, when looking at our full stint behind the wheel, the figure climbed to 17.1 L/100km, which should still provide a reasonable cruising range considering the 90-litre fuel tank.
Pricing
Since the press vehicle pictured here has almost every conceivable optional extra fitted, as will many customer cars, the base price quoted at R5 045 000 is inaccurate, with the real figure likely extending past R6.0-million. To comment on the price of a luxury item such as this would be to miss the point of the brand entirely, so we will not waste your time. The Continental GT range comes with a comprehensive 3-year/100 000km maintenance plan as standard.
Verdict
A five-day stint with the performance variant of the Continental GT yielded the exact experience we were anticipating from a model bearing the Speed badge. There is a degree of opulence, with the beautifully built interior, supple ride quality, bewildered stares from fellow road users and the impression that you are driving something solid and heavy. At the same time, when the mood strikes, the Speed manages to impress with its ability to cover ground quickly, with a reasonable amount of driver engagement, while remaining reserved and drama-free.
What first sprung to mind was to compare its ability to disguise its heft with a tighthead prop from a game of rugby. Picture this giant human bursting out of a ruck and sidestepping the opposing wing before scoring a try, and you have an idea of how the Speed manages to surprise you with its dynamic abilities. Perhaps the Speed’s most endearing quality, though, is that it is memorable, each time we hopped in for a drive, the notion of its substation-sized powertrain, the swathes of leather, metal and other exotic materials combined with the tangible ‘Bentley-ness’ resulted in a grin-inducing experience. That is what cars like this are all about, giving those of us with a passion for internal combustion with searing sendoff as the W12 whooshes and gurgles its way towards the horizon.
Keyword: Bentley Continental GT Speed (2022) Review