Vanity Fair UK – September 2019

LINE OF BEAUTY

Sumptuous interior style and comfort mirror

the purring mechanical performance

facade, three analogue dials or the full

digital touchscreen beans.

The large fabric roof, which can be

specified in an elegant pale tweed,

furls back slowly but silently, and you

are away, the soft breeze around your

shoulders (there are air vents in the

headrests to keep your neck warm)

and Bentley’s famous W12 engine

purring imperceptibly.

The car develops 635 horsepower

which is true supercar territory, but

there’s so much sound- and vibration-

deadening material, and so much

weight, the acceleration acts more as an

indiscernible ushering to the horizon

than the usual monumental shove from

behind. The result is an irresistibly

relaxing ride. Price: £175,100.

This is the original Grand Tourer in

many eyes, a supreme lounge on

wheels, with deep carpets, the softest

Nappa leather, and the most stunning

colour and material combinations

across the dashboard, doors and

steering wheel: think burnt orange and

navy blue, Portland ivory and cricket-

ball red. Car numbers denoting luxury

are normally the performance figures,

but here it’s the interior stats that paint

a picture: 2.7km of thread used on the

leather stitching, 15 carpet colours to

choose from and 70 exterior paints.

You can also split the dashboard

horizontally into two materials, such as

a polished gloss black and wood veneer

(Bentley employs actual veneer

hunters, whose job is to scour the world

for the next sustainable wood with a

rare grain and hue). In the centre sits a

technological trick: a triangular

revolving screen which offers a blank

Our car had the driver seat in black

leather with tan stitching, and the

passenger seat in the reverse. The

steering wheel has three digital screens

surrounding it in cockpit fashion, with

the dashboard behind the steering

wheel carved into streaks that draw the

eye down the road. Other than that, it’s

a remarkably unfussy cabin, as is the

exterior design. The simplicity appeals

to prospective female customers,

according to Automobili Pininfarina.

Then there’s the power: 1,900

horsepower and 2,300Nm of torque

from the four motors, which propels

this weapon to 62mph in under two

seconds. In case you need context, that

is faster than a Formula One car, with

each wheel having the same power as a

Porsche 911. And this isn’t even an

outright performance-based car;

instead, it’s a “hyper GT”, designed for

long-distance grand touring across

countries. The suspension is therefore

softer than a circuit-focused supercar,

and there’s even a hinged glass door at

the rear, next to the electric charging

socket (40 minutes for an 80 per cent

charge, and the car should be good for

about 300 miles), for a bespoke luggage

set that will hold a couple’s black tie.

Price: £2,000,000 plus.

ROAD ROCKET

Faster than a Formula One car,

the Pininfarina Battista

Bentley

CONTINENTAL GTC

SEPTEMBER 2019 VANITY FAIR EN ROUTE

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