OT MUCH GIVES IT AWAY; YOU REALLY
have to know your cars from Crewe.
There are four oval exhaust pipe trims,
compared with two fat ellipsoids on the W12, and
a smallchrome ‘V8’ badge on the fl ank. Scant
notification that this Continental GT is four
cylinders down on the 6-litre engine,but perhaps,
just maybe, one with a good deal more appeal to
people like you and me.
With the originalConti the V8 modelwas the
driver’s choice. It may have lacked the perceived
prestige of the big W12, but thanks to less weight
over – or in the case of the original,beyond – the
front axle, it was the more enjoyable car to drive.
Will that still be the case with this second-
generationcar, which,after all, has as its basis a
muchmore capable platform?
There are no surprises in the mechanical
specification of the new Continental GT V8. While
Bentley may claimit took a lot of work to get the
calibrationright on the 4-litre, twin-turboV8, not
least to get it to pass the latest WLTP regulations,
the 542bhpand 568lbft outputfi gures look very
familiar(thinkPanamera and Cayenne Turbos, and
Bentayga V8). Of course, we all know this engine
possible. Muchhas been written aboutthe
appealing characteristics of this two-plus-two on
the inside,but whenI set eyes on the car that has
evo’s nameon the paperwork it really hits home.
Painted outside in the unusualshadeof Alpine
Green, trimmed insidewith CumbrianGreen leather,
and with a new milled alloy fi nish for the centre
console called Côtes de Genève (it’s a machined
surface influenced by those insidetraditional
wristwatches), it’s hard to imaginea more
spectaculardrivingenvironmentanywhere at any
price, even before you considerthe gimmickof the
central rotating dial pack.
Settling down into the diamond-quilted driver’s
seat,the world seems a very nice place indeed. The
GT exudes handcrafted opulence, and thumbing
the starter button elicits a deep, purposeful bellow
from the V8. It’s obviousBentley has put the man-
hours in tuningthe engineto its own tastes, and it
has a deeper, richer, more aristocratic woofle than
in its more aggressive Germansibling.As ever, the
turbos are nestled withinthe vee of the enginefor
the shortest gas paths and, in theory, the most
immediate throttle response.
The GT is exceptionallygood at beingeffortless
can make considerably more power than that, but
to do so would positionit uncomfortably close to
the 626bhpW12, so 542bhpit is. Minoradjustments
have been madeto the suspensionsettings to
compensate for the 50kg-lighter engine,but let’s
put this into perspective: the V8-powered Conti still
weighs 2165kg. It’s a big slab of opulentgrand tourer,
whichever way you slice it, albeitone that can reach
62mph from rest in 4.0sec and top out at 198mph.
To put clear air between it and the W12 fl agship,
the V8 also gets less kit fi tted as standard,
offsetting its approximately 11 grand cheaper price
tag at £148,800. The DynamicDrive electrically
actuated anti-roll bars are extra, for example,and
20-inchwheels are standard as opposed to the
21-inchitems on the W12. However, our test car is
in MullinerDrivingspec, whichfor an eye-watering
£13,515 includes 22-inchrims,and some beautiful
quilted cowhideinside.Bentley likes to view the two
cars as appealing to different buyers, highlighting
that for a minority, whatever the logic, they will
automatically choose the W12 because its numbers
- price, power and performance – are larger.
Whatremainsunchanged for the V8, however,
is the huge amountof customer personalisation
Driven
N
BentleyContinentalGTV8
Will a lighter V8 under the Conti’s bonnet make it a better drive than the already-accomplished W12?