And the W12 doesn’t seem at all reserved.
British luxury marque Bentley have unwrapped their all-new, 3rd-generation Continental GT Convertible, which the company says displays “all Bentley knows about creating the world’s definitive Grand Tourers.” While we always view company communique with a great degree of skepticism, a cursory glance at the car and a quick look through the videos reveals that, gasp, they might be right.
It truly is a beautiful machine, roof-up or down. That roof is the definitive part of the GTC, elegantly-tailored and providing excellent insulation from the elements. Bentley says that the roof, and its unique Z-fold design, offers a sportier appearance and a 3dB noise reduction, resulting in an overall cabin noise intrusion level comparable to the 2nd-generation Bentley Continental GT coupé, which we find to be very impressive. That pretty, quiet roof is also operable at speeds of up to 50km/h, and takes only 19-seconds to fully retract or deploy.
The car itself is now lighter by some 20%, with the latest-generation Continental models utilising a new platform, differentiating it from the old car. Motivation however remains from a recognisable twin-turbo W12 unit, shared with the Continental GT coupé, producing 473kW and 900Nm, putting power down to all-four wheels via an 8-speed ZF-supplied dual-clutch automatic.
“Elegant understatement that forces you to look, engineering excellence you’ll take for granted – the extraordinary breadth of capabilities offered by the new Continental GT Convertible is unique, and can only be offered by our noble British brand. As we approach or centenary, the Continental GT Convertible joins a highly acclaimed range, arguably the strongest and most technologically-advanced portfolio the world has ever seen.” — Adrian Hallmark, Chairman & Chief Executive, Bentley Motors
The cabin remains as beautiful as ever, with the Rotating Display on… uh, display at the top of the centre stack. Beside it sits the fully-digital instrument cluster, a first for Bentley when it debuted in the Continental, though there is one unique touch for the GTC: The seats. The Comfort Seats now feature a small vent at the base of the headrest, which blows warm air out of it to keep you warm on chilly days and cool on sunny ones. A word of warning though, don’t expect that neck warmer or the three-sided Rotating Display to be featured as standard because on the coupé, the latter will add a staggering $12,319.45 to the purchase price.
Also optional is a more unique twist to that fabric roof. In addition to the 17 exterior paint colours (with 70 more available as optional), 15 carpet options, 8 different veneers (and 4 dual-tone options), and 15 cabin trim hide choices, there are also 7 exterior roof colours available. Of that seven, one is particularly unique: Traditional British tweed. If you think it ends there, it doesn’t, as you can further option from one of eight interior roof liner hues too.
It’s unclear how soon we’ll see the Bentley Continental GT Convertible on our shores, given that the coupé took a whole year to get here. The Convertible is the second variant of the Continental family globally; Going forwards, we expect to see V8 models of both the fixed-roof and drop-top models, Speed & Supersports editions, as well as a plug-in hybrid option. When it arrives though, expect the Bentley Continental GT Convertible to be covered by the brand’s standard 3-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, with 16,000km service intervals.
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