For the title of ‘World’s Most Stylish Car 2011’ the new Bentley GTC will take some beating. For lovers of fine convertibles and Bentley aficionados, orders are now being taken with deliveries to start late this year.
Boasting a new, sportier look and riding on 20-inch or 21-inch alloy wheels, the new Bentley Continental GTC builds on the success of its predecessor, launched in 2006 – but exudes even more style. The grille is more upright, the rear adopts the ‘double horse-shoe’ profile of the Bentley Mulsanne and there are jeweled headlights with LED DRLs.
Bentley’s newest four-seat convertible uses new manufacturing techniques to employ aluminium front fenders without seams or welds to provide more sculpturing and character lines.
The three-layer fabric roof is available in a choice of eight colours and deploys in 25 seconds at speeds up to 30km/h. As you would expect from Bentley, when closed, the roof presents no visible latching points to interrupt the glorious body design.
Inside, rear seat passengers enjoy even more legroom and of course everything is topped-off in the usual Bentley craftsmanship with a choice of 17 soft-touch leather hide colours, six colour split combinations and seven timber veneers. There’s also a new 30GB infotainment system with Google Map compatible satellite navigation and Dirac Dimensions ESP 10-speaker digital audio.
Under the bonnet is a real masterpiece – a 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 engine (a relative of the Bugatti Veyron powerplant) with more power (423kW) and torque (700Nm) driving through a new QuickShift six-speed automatic transmission. Zero to 100km/h takes just 4.8 seconds and the Bentley Continental GTC has a top speed of 314km/h.
And now that stunning W12 has been calibrated to run on E85 biofuel, regular unleaded or any combination. Fuel consumption and exhaust emissions are both down considerably – 16.5l/100kms and C02 384g/km.
The all-wheel-drive system has been re-tuned for a 40:60 rear bias and this combines with a wider track chassis (extra 48mm at the rear and 41mm at the front) and upgraded Continuous Damping Control, ESC and steering for more dynamic handling.
Car Showroom hasn’t heard any news as yet from Bentley’s Australian division about local plans for the Continental GTC.
