The Bentley Continental GT Speed is a combination of look-at-me styling, luxurious interior, and hi-tech performance. We love its overkill, says Darius Sanai
Unfashionable though it may be to say so, I do love supercars: their astonishing acceleration, the fact that tourists take pictures of them. But supercars and the British weather often don’t mix (which is why you see so many burbling at a snail-pace down La Croisette). Have you tried taming six hundred horsepower through the back wheels on a cold, wet country road? Fun sometimes, but generally terrifying.
Which is why the Bentley Continental GT Speed intrigued me. With a full pack of six hundred horsepower from a turbocharged six-litre V12, this is a serious monster. It has all the Bentleytude you can ask for: delicious wood-panelled dashboard with lots of old-fashioned dials (but actually a high-tech sat nav and Bose sound system), waffled thick overstuffed leather seats front and back, and oozes general bling. But it also has the four-wheel drive system from its slower (I use that word advisedly) non-’Speed’ sister, which is made by Audi and should stand up to any German-type winter weather. So, an all-weather family supercar. Would it work?
I got in, shoehorned the children into the back (“You’re not going to drive fast, are you Daddy?” they asked, in what I took to be delighted anticipation), opened the door for my wife with a bow (this is the kind of car that brings out your chivalrous side), got in, touched the accelerator, rocketed off towards the nearest postbox, jammed on the brakes and came to a halt with a ‘whump’ - not of car hitting postbox, but of handbag hitting driver’s head. Yep, it’s fast, it has four-wheel traction - and those brakes, mm, pretty good.
Footling through London, plenty of tourists took pictures. I drove with great restraint down to my wife’s parents house in the country, within the familyimposed speed limit, dropped the family off, turned around - and mashed the gas.
With a bellow that must have been heard across the Channel, the Bentley hurtled off down the country lanes. Acceleration is relentless, traction is superb, and the car remains level with no lean in cornering. The unintended side-effect of this is that you don’t realise just how fast you’re going, and I discovered that if you drive rapidly enough into a corner the front wheels lose grip unexpectedly, meaning an amusing couple of seconds of sliding forwards helplessly like a (very expensive) elephant on skis before the back wheels take over and propel you away with a further bellow.
I loved the Speed. It’s not a racing supercar like a Ferrari, but it can be taken out anytime, in all weather, and driven like the blazes and still look great in town. I can’t imagine there’s any ecological justification for it; but, folks, this is a luxury magazine. I’d suggest buying a non-Speed for the rest of the family though. – Darius Sanai
SUMMER CONVERTIBLES
Summer’s coming, but do finances this year not permit indulging in that Lamborghini convertible? I put two ‘credit crunch’* convertibles to the test. BMW’s 650i looks imposing and has a smooth, strong V8 engine: it’s fast, great to drive and seats four. I enjoyed it a lot, but some would prefer a metal folding top. Mercedes’ legendary SL now boasts a new 5.5 litre V8, marginally more powerful than the BMW’s. It’s silken and punchy, and the SL’s cabin feels special, sporty and chic, with a folding metal roof. No back seats though. If you need rear seats, or enjoy really hard driving, the BMW is superb; but if it’s just the two of you, the stylish SL500 would be hard to resist.
*in a LUX manner of speaking
LUX RATINGS
Bentley Continental GT Speed 19/20
BMW 650i 18/20
Mercedes SL500 18.5/20
