If you're a numbers guy the 2009 Bentley Continental GTC Speed can impress with many of spec. Six-hundred horsepower W12 engine, 200 mph top speed (195 if you leave the top down), zero-to-60 in 4.6 seconds and 60-to-zero braking in 104 feet (possibly the most impressive number when you consider its 5,600-pound curb weight). Finally, for those boorish types who require such data, it's hard to ignore the GTC Speed's $240,000 price tag.
The drive route started with a tour of Napa Valley and the Northern California Redwoods before heading back to Los Angeles via Pacific Coast Highway. If you're thinking it doesn't get much better than PCH and a convertible Bentley with 600 horsepower and an 1100-watt audio system, you're wrong. You need all that plus an iPod stuffed with your favorite music, because this Bentley's iPod integration is among the best in automobiledom.
Equipped as such it's easy to forget more than just this Bentley's price tag. Retract the 3-layer, fabric top in less than half-a-minute, fire up the Automatic Cruise Control (ACC) and watch waves crash over coastal rocks just north of Santa Cruz. By modulating the car's 600 horsepower you can essentially set ACC wherever you want and know the car's radar system will simply match your speed to the vehicle ahead of you -- all the way down to zero mph.
This makes what can otherwise become a tedious crawl through the tighter sections of Highway 1 a no-brainer as the Bentley takes care of all brake and throttle applications. It also soothes aggravation during the inevitable Sunday afternoon PCH traffic jam in Santa Barbara.
What you won't forget is how readily the 6.0-liter, W12 spools up when you put the shifter in "Sport" mode and jam you foot into the deep-pile carpet. A new crankcase design and lighter interior components are what give it an extra 48 horsepower over the standard GTC models.
Exterior tweaks, like a darker front grill, and subtle rear spoiler enhance its exterior appearance. Stiffer suspension tuning and 20-inch wheels (wearing Pirelli P Zero tires) keep its nearly three tons of affluence in check, even during the type of spirited driving they frown upon down at the country club.
Speaking of which, you might think folks in a position to buy a $240,000 Bentley convertible are the ones who least need such an effective decompression device. I mean, what sort of problems are these people trying to forget?
I don't know and, like many things after my Coastal Continental Run, I no longer care. I just want to keep driving and gazing at the Pacific Coast in a Bentley smart enough to handle the boring stuff -- like throttle and brake application. -- Karl Brauer, Edmunds.com
felonious says:
09:14 AM, 04/15/09
Bentleys generally don't excite me, but this one is superb. That first picture is incredible.
rick8365 says:
10:13 AM, 04/15/09
What a car.
altimadude00 says:
10:27 AM, 04/15/09
I think I would want a Drophead if I had that sort of money. This doesn't have the visual flash as the Rolls has.
cor says:
11:38 AM, 04/15/09
Simply Gorgeous.
hondacura4 says:
03:28 PM, 04/15/09
This car has so much substance and craftsmanship, its almost rediculous. Absolutely beautiful!
However, for this kind of money Id be in Corvette ZR1 or a Porsche GT2 and use the left over money for modifications and to buy something more simple, efficient and sensable for daily driving!