There are plenty of sophisticated convertibles on the market, but few that can take four people around in style and speed. Does the Bentley Continental GTC fit the bill?
Summer’s here and it’s time to go topless. For your car, that is. But there’s a challenge for the convertible driver of today. On the one hand there have never been so many high-performance luxury roadsters, from icons like the Mercedes SL to new kids like the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster. The person who wants a tan while driving at 150 mph (250 km/h) has never had so much choice.
The problem is, most of the choices, like the two above, are two-seaters. So what’s a man to do with his family, or spare girlfriends? It seems unfair to load them into the Renault Espace while you live he open-air life of motoring luxury. Fortunately, a solution is at hand, in the form of the Bentley Continental GTC. This is a topless version of the Continental GT, the car widely viewed as having rescued the reputation of Bentley. And a glimpse in the brochure reveals four seats – not a ‘2+2’, which means big front seats and back seats just big enough to park a mink stole, but proper, sumptuously clad rear seats with Bentley logos embossed on their headrests, and plenty of legroom. Perfect.
Rolling up along my London square, the GTC looks a million dollars. Literally. There are plenty of cars that cost more than they look like they should. The Bentley seduces with its lithe, muscular lines, the bold curve of its roof, the almost audible growl of its radiator grille; but with its base price of £130,500 (€166,200) it’s actually something of a bargain in a sector that also includes cars like the £307,500 Rolls Phantom Drophead.
But would it be as good as it looked? Bentleys long had a reputation as slightly old-fashioned, regal, if very fast, British motors. Hop into the GTC and dab the accelerator and nothing feels oldfashioned at all. The engine whooshes you down the street on a sea of V12, six-litre, turbocharged power. The car feels athletic, although the steering is slightly lacking in sports-car feel.
It all feels very high-tech and this is enhanced when a London shower accompanies my progress; the roof shuts in a few seconds, and the handling of the car seems unchanged in the wet. This is a far cry from many super-powered cars these days which stutter and hop along in rainy conditions, as a result of electric systems cutting as the power overwhelms the tyres, and is entirely due to the Bentley’s sophisticated four-wheel drive system. Despite its boulevardier looks, you feel it’s a car as suited to an icy night in central Europe in November as August on the Grande Corniche, which you can’t really say about any of its rivals.
The next day is warm and sunny, so I load the children into the back seats and they enjoy the space and the admiring/envious glances from passers-by: this is not a car to buy if ‘stealth wealth’ is your motto. As an approximation of the South of France in summer, it feels just right being driven open-topped through Hyde Park in the sun.
But what about proper driving? One morning I headed out of town onto fast country roads. The heavens opened up a deluge. The car felt safe and secure in the rain, like any 4x4, though perhaps a little anodyne. It seemed to be doing the driving for me, in that trademark Germanic way (Bentley is owned by the Volkswagen Group). But, pressing on harder, hurtling around roundabouts and driving near its limit, the GTC got better, hanging on to the road, feeding back more through the steering and seeming agile for such a big car. It’s also very fast. Not in terms of vital statistics: 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds is not remarkable in this sector. But the GTC’s power is always there, always surging you forwards. You never need to find another gear, you simply take off as the engine wails up towards its redline.
As a sports car the GTC is a little big and heavy to be perfect, and needs to be a bit more involving. As a comfortable Grand Tourer, at home in all weathers, it’s close to perfection. And as a boulevard poseur for all the family to waft around Portofino this summer, it’s without parallel. – Darius Sanai
LUX RATING: 18/20
THE ALTERNATIVES
Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet
+ Combination of 911 Turbo power,
(small) back seats, and an open top.
Monumentally fast.
– Doesn’t handle as well as
non-convertible 911.
www.porsche.com
LUX RATING: 17/20
Aston Martin DB9 Volante
+ Beautiful car, beautiful engine.
– Not fast enough.
www.astonmartin.com
LUX RATING: 17/20
Sunseeker 105 Yacht
+ Modern classic, plenty of room
for sunlovers.
– Price, getting the right berth in St Tropez.
www.sunseeker.com
LUX RATING: 16/20