Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible - Blue Blood And Thunder (Part 2)

Bentley’s hurricane-force hairdryer “blows” you away, in absolute comfort

The car’s rather long name includes the evocative word “Speed”, first used by Bentley on its 1925 3-Litre which, coincidentally, is also a chop-top. The 2013 Speed Convertible has double the engine capacity of the 1925 original and, unsurprisingly, several times the power output. In fact, the Speed’s 616bhp is less than one per cent shy of the previous Continental Supersport’s power output.

The W12 engine here is essentially three-quarters of another VW product, the mighty Bugatti Veyron’s 16-cylinder power plant. With two turbochargers to boost torque to 800Nm, the GT Speed Convertible will sprint to 100km/h from rest in 4.4 seconds, on its way to a 325km/h top speed. No four-seat convertible, in the past or present, can match this performance.

Power and thunder: There are 12 big pistons firing underneath, with twin turbo boosting the power to 616bhp and the torque to a titanic 800Nm

ZF’s latest 8-speed automatic transmission is a fine companion to the 12-cylinder. In all driving conditions, the auto shifts slickly and quickly, with high gearing that’s partly responsible for the 15 per cent improvement in fuel economy compared to the previous model. In any case, it’s highly unlikely that fuel consumption will be a key consideration for the Bentley buyer, but returning 6.7 kilometers per liter is nevertheless impressive for a massive 6-litre 12-cylinder.

Slide the transmission lever out of its D gate and into S, and the Bentley reveals its aggressively sporty nature. An immediate change in exhaust note is the first sign of the “Jekyll and Hyde” transformation, followed by sharper throttle response and a more communicative steering feel. In manual “plus/minus” mode, the gearbox will only shift when commanded by the driver’s flick of the lever or paddle-shifter, while the S mode will still shift for you but stay longer in lower gears. Suspension settings, meanwhile, are independently selectable, with four levels of damping between “soft” and “stiff”.

Drop the GT Top: This button operates the four-layer, top-quality cloth canopy, which takes 25 seconds to deploy or retract

Being a GT Speed, these features are perhaps a necessity to offer the driver extra levels of excitement, but even in its most gentle driving setup; this car delivers performance and handling that belie its 2.5-tonne weight. Our test car’s huge (420mm front, 356mm rear) silicon carbide brake discs (a $13,060 option) feel like they could stop a runaway 25-car freight train, let alone a heavy Bentley.

This is one of the coolest topless four-seats, with some of the hottest performance figures

It’s grippe, too, with permanent four-wheel drive that enables all-weather high performance. In the GT Speed, the torque split is 60 per cent rear-biased (it used to be 50 per cent), but the center differential can deliver up to 85 per cent of the torque to the rear or 65 per cent to the front when slip is detected. Whether in snow or on wet roads, simple logic suggests that 800Nm is best handled by all four wheels.

This is one of the coolest topless four-seats, with some of the hottest performance figures

There are smaller and nimbler convertible sports cars around, but nothing I can think of has the Bentley’s complete package of pace, grace, space for four people, and sheer gentility. That the Continental GT Speed Convertible also has smashing good looks is a bonus.

Specifications