Car India – May 2019

fyouweretoproposetheautomobiletoday—aselfish,

potentiallylethalmachinecapableofdistillingspeedfromoldplants,andtobeenjoyed

withcompleteautonomywhereverandwheneveryouwished—youwould,quiterightly,

belockedup.

butwereyousomehowable,aspartofyourpitch,totakedoubtersuptheroadinthenew

bentleyContinentalConvertible,you’dpromptnotscreamsofterrorastheirestablishedphysical

truths—horsesarefast,heavy

thingsareslow,andtravelis intrinsically

tiring—wereturnedneatlyontheirhead,

buta profoundsadness.eventually,you’d

stop,they’dstepout,and,knowingthey

wouldneverexperienceanythinglikeit

everagain,they’dwanderofftostartthe

restoftheirnowsomehowpaler,emptier

life.forwhilealmostanymoderncaris a

minormiracle,thenewthird-generation

drop-topContiis remarkableforitsmastery

overphysicsanditscurmudgeonlyrules.

Climbingquicklyandeffortlesslyinlandfromthemediterraneancoast,melancholy

threatensasyouponderthetruththatthisContinentalissurelythelastofitskind:a

decadentandprofoundly20th-centurycarinconceptif notinexecution.whilenotas

overtlyhybrid-readyasthenewporsche911,whosetransmissionandelectrical

architecturesitreadytotakeanelectricmotor,thisthird-generationContiwillbe

electrifiedbeforeit giveswaytoitssuccessor.andthenwhat?anotherContiwith

nothingtopowerit buta 6.0-litrew 12 initsnose?unlikely.

it’sa curiousengine,thew12,withneithertheanalogueferocityofa big,turbo-

freeV12northebear-hugcharmofbig-capacityV8.plentyofbentley owners prefer

the more honest charms of the eight that’ll inevitably make its way into this car and

Folding soft-top

savages the boot space

and adds weight. Do

you care? No, you don’t

I

http://www.carindia.in May 2019 car india 43