It has been four years since the Bentley Continental GT received its facelift from the previous 12 year old design and, still it remains one of the top GT cars on the market. In 2022, the market for GT cars is fairly saturated at the moment with Aston Martin having the DB11 and DBS, Ferrari with the Roma, Rolls-Royce have the Wraith Black Badge, and even BMW with the M8 Competition are in with a shout in the grand touring market.
The new Bentley Continental GT Speed has recently re-entered this market as a fast, executive version of the standard Conti GT and it is a very special car. The Continental GT Speed is over 50kg lighter than the standard Continental, and though the car still weighs just over two tonnes, the weight deficit makes a huge impact in the performance factor of the car. With a raised top speed up to 208 mph up from 199 in the standard car, makes it one of the fastest road going Bentley's ever made. Power is up too from 542bhp in the standard Continental up to 650bhp in the Speed. This is due to the Continental GT Speed having the 6.0 W12 engine rather than the older 4.0 twin turbocharged V8. This uprated engine also has an impact on the torque figures with 900 newton metres of torque compared to 770 in the V8 Continental. The final performance statistic is the 0-60mph time which, once again, is faster on the GT Speed with 60mph achieved in 3.6 seconds which is extremely impressive considering it weighs 2.2 tonnes. Performance wise, the new GT Speed rivals even some supercars which is amazing considering Bentley is a luxury performance brand.
The design of the Continental GT Speed is still debated on the exterior as it follows the modern trend of cars to have quite large grills. Personally I don't mind the grills but they have been compared by other people to cheese graters which could be a negative but in my opinion the new Bentley shape is stunning. The GT Speed has slightly arched rear fenders which accentuate the wide but sleek Bentley shape as well as the striking 22" rims which show the cars sporty history within its luxury body. It also features Speed exclusive details such as special trims on the interior and badging as well as the Bentley logo lit up under the door as it opens which as a little luxury element is very fun to see. The interior is immaculate as a Bentley is expected to be. The leather and stitch work on the seats is nothing but perfection as it is fitted with the Mulliner Driving Specification as standard, which was only an option on the standard Continental GT. This allows the car to feel like a proper luxurious Bentley as well as having all the performance elements of a sports car. Every single minimalist element of the interior was also stunning, from the chrome on the centre console, to the carbon fibre weave fitted into the dashboard rather than using wood to save weight. When sat inside the car, I felt special as a person, like I had made it in life to be sat in a car of such luxury, luxury I have only seen before on a car such as the Rolls-Royce Ghost. And when price is brought into the debate, the fact it shares a similar interior quality as a Rolls-Royce is a significant factor.
At the beginning of this article, I listed a few cars that would rival the GT Speed in terms of performance, luxury and overall in the GT car market. Price is the final key factor for a car like this as the customer would want to get the most they can with the money they spend. Beginning on the cheaper end of the scale with the BMW M8 Competition. This car does not have the same luxury or performance as the Bentley and has a price of £153,220 for a top spec car. Aston Martin come next with the DB11 and DBS which pride performance over luxury in this debate and the price of a DBS (best rival to the Bentley) is £225,000. Ferrari's Roma is pretty much fully performance based as the interior shares a lot of features with the 488 and F8 supercars and the cost of a new Roma is £170,000. Finally is the Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge, a car 100% focused on luxury but including some performance as well, which costs £286,000. The Bentley, with its perfect blend of performance and luxury costs £170,000 for a base car but with options, an average car would be sitting around the £220,000 price bracket. Comparing it to its rivals on price, it can be seen as a no brainer because it is 'cheaper' than the rival cars as well as providing a lot of kick for that price.
I believe that this car, is the turning point for Bentley in terms of their target market. Bentley has always been the 'Gentleman's Racer' car, even since the Blowers of the 1920s, through the HJ Mulliner Park Ward cars of the 60s and 70s, to the current VW ownership. However Bentley know that they need to expand their market away from the older generation to appeal to the younger target market to turn their attention away from Bentley's rivals such as BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. To do this they seem to have modernised the current line up, especially in the GT Speed to make it more desirable and, despite the high price of the car, make it more like a dream car for younger people. With the Continental GT Speed it certainly has the appeal of a dream car to younger audiences, as having a real in depth look at this car, it made me fall in love. Despite not having a Ferrari badge or the Spirit of Ecstasy adorning the front end, the Bentley Continental GT Speed is a fantastic car and one of, if not the best, grand touring cars currently on the market.
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