This fast flagship convertible is
refined English nobility, with a violent streak
The most famous road in the USA, Route 66,
originally ran from Los Angeles to Chicago, its 4000km spanning three time
zones and cutting through eight states. Construction of US Route 66 began in
1927 – in the same year but on the other side of the Atlantic, Walter Owen
Bentley’s 3-Litre Supersport won the first of four consecutive victories by a
Bentley in Europe’s most famous race, the Le Mans 24 Hours. But after their
fourth straight win in 1930, it would take the Bentley Boys another seven
decades to return to Le Mans. Then in 2003, 73 years after their last win, a
Bentley once again won the epic 24-hour race in a prototype racer called the
Bentley Speed 8.
Bentley
Continental GT Speed Convertible Moroccan Blue
Now, back to Route 66… It is the year 2013
and I’m cruising at 120km/h in a modern-day Bentley Speed, or to be more
precise, it is the Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible. Its roof is snugly
folded and neatly hidden, the ambient temperature is around 15 deg C, yet the
cockpit is cozy, warm and, most surprisingly, draught-free.
The topless Bentley looks lovely, too. Amid
the XL-sized SUVs, XXL-sized pickups and some truly nondescript US-made sedans,
the Continental GT Convertible is like a European work of art. The model was
launched a decade ago in 2003 when Bentley returned to Le Mans racing, and
since then, the car has had just one facelift (in 2011), which was limited to
subtle tweaks. The most obvious change is to the front end, which sports four
elliptical lamp units, with the outer ones being the smaller pair – unusual.
Primp
my ride: Quieter color combinations are also available, along with special trim
such as “engine spin” aluminum
No one can deny that the Conti GT remains a
suave and handsome vehicle. As a convertible, it is one of the coolest topless
four-seats around. At every stop along the route between Las Vegas and Phoenix
via the Grand Canyon, mobile phones were whipped out by passers-by to digitally
capture a rare moment next to the dandy Bentley. Several times on the highway,
what seemed like a random stalker-in-a-car turned out to be an enthusiastic
smartphone videographer.
Head,
rested: Plush front seats have built-in neck warmers for even more enjoyable
top-down motoring in cold weather
What these “fans” shot was an epic cruiser
that comes with a traditional folding fabric roof instead of a fancy hardtop;
the color of the cloth contrasting nicely with the body. When its roof is up,
the Conti GT convertible has a classy appearance that is distinctively
different from the Conti GT coupe which, as we know, has a long sloping roof no
soft-top could ever imitate.
As a closed grand tourer, the Bentley not
just looks good on the outside but is also impressively quiet inside. With
hardly any wind noise and absolutely zero vibrations despite its open-top
architecture, this convertible actually feels no different from a coupe. The
aroma of hand-stitched English leather on board is unmistakable, while the
dashboard, instruments and switches are as exquisitely finished as you would
expect from a car costing over a million Singapore dollars.
The
Bentley not just looks good on the outside but is also impressively quiet
inside
What you wouldn’t expect is the supreme
cabin refinement in convertible mode. We mentioned the uncanny absence of any
turbulence even at speed, but in addition to this, the climate control works
like magic. We had to keep looking at the instrument panel’s temperature
display to believe that the outside temperature was indeed 15 deg C. This
experience gives me every reason to expect the air-conditioning, which also
delivers cool air through the seat perforations, to maintain a pleasant
environment when motoring roof-down in humid and warm Singapore.
