A lesson in upsetting your hairdo at over 300kph, behind the wheel of the ultimate playboy plaything
Nitish Ramanujam

That I’m still recovering from drooly-mouthed stares a week past returning the test car should tell something about Bentley’s fab Continental GTC Speed. Or it could mean that I’m just not used to the life of a Bentley owner. The arresting red shade didn’t help matters either, making me feel like a Russian oligarch trapped in this wonderful piece of engineering excellence.

The upper echelons of the automotive world, or anything else for that matter, world is a strange one, where history and lineage count for as much as performance and style. Rich folks wouldn’t fork out mad money for a Honda or a Toyota, but they would do so, without a moment of hesitation, for cars wearing the prancing horse or raging bull emblem. A Bentley is no different. These are cars with grand tradition and near mythical status, having earned them through decades of motorsport victories, and gripping tales of the exploits of famous drivers and their Bentleys have only strengthened the aura.

Though much of the in-between decades have seen Bentley as nothing more than a sportier, rebadged Rolls-Royce, the upshot of the Volkswagen takeover in 1998 was the Continental family, a brilliant strategy that drastically improved matters for the car maker. Along with the others, the Continental GTC - since its debut in 2006 - has enjoyed sales success in over 50 countries across the globe, attracting younger buyers to the marque. A recent mild cosmetic tweak saw a more upright grille, along with a more pronounced square edge that accentuates the distinctive Bentley profile. With the models being around for a while now, the company lately re-introduced the famous ‘Speed’ moniker, a name that would spawn a much more sporting variant of the line-up.

So how do you tell a ‘Speed’ from the standard issue GTC? The sportier variant gets a unique set of design cues, notably a dark-tinted matrix grille to the upper and lower air intakes, a black lower bumper valance, wider, rifled exhaust tailpipes and 20-inch, silver-painted, multi-spoke alloy wheels. The wheels are available as an option with a special dark tint finish. A new lower bumper design with a widened air intake reinforces the sporting stance on both variants, and provides 14 per cent improved airflow to the more powerful Speed engine.

Of course, the engine has to be the talking point here, with the GTC Speed getting the familiar 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12. Power and torque have risen in this particular application to 600hp and 750Nm, an increase of 9 and 15 per cent respectively. The 48-valve motor, which is visually differentiated by the 'crackle black' finish to the intake manifold, is mated to a ZF six-speed automatic transmission that sends grunt to the tarmac via a continuous all-wheel drive system. The drive is transferred between the front and rear axles via a centre Torsen differential that detects a deviation in torque demand between the two axles and automatically sends more power to the wheels with greater grip.

And boy, does the 2.5-ton beast move! Cruising around town is serene enough, but put your foot to the loud pedal and the big Bentley simply punches ahead no matter which gear you’re in. The sensation is not similar to an AMG Mercedes, where the torque hits you like a train, it is more akin to being pulled by the invisible hand of god. Performance figures are astonishing - 0-100kph is despatched in a scant 4.8 seconds, while top speed is a mind-bending 322kph with the roof up.

Besides the cosmetic add-ons, the Speed variant features a retuned Continuous Damping Control system, while improved body control reduces pitch and roll during hard cornering. In addition, stiffer rear axle bushes deliver better axle control and turn-in response. The suspension is also lowered by 10mm at the front and 15mm at the rear for improved handling, along with a retuned speed-sensitive steering system. A discreet spoiler on the trailing edge of the boot lid provides additional downforce and increases the top speed.

Driven back-to-back with the normal GTC, dynamic changes to the Speed variant are immediately obvious. Throttle response is instantaneous, handling is sharper and there is more feedback through the bespoke 275/35 ZR20 Pirelli PZero rubber, which wrap wider 20-inch alloy rims. If you feel the need to bring out the little hooligan in you, simply select the ‘Dynamic Mode’ - as we did - which allows increased wheel slip at higher speeds compared to the standard chassis. We did a bit of corner carving on mountainous roads, and the Speed left us pleasantly surprised with its relatively agile handling, for a luxurious barge that is. It is no hardcore Ferrari and doesn’t pretend to be one, but the big Bentley can be easily piloted along the twisties at a scorching pace that belies its size.

With the kind of velocities the GTC Speed can reach, it’s no wonder the car can be optioned with massive carbon-ceramic brakes, which are currently the biggest ever fitted to a production car. Huge - 420mm front, 356mm rear - discs and eight-piston callipers offer impressive braking performance with minimal fade and disc distortion under high thermal conditions. A 20kg weight saving reduces unsprung mass and benefits steering response and handling.

On the other hand, we really wouldn’t blame the driver if he doesn’t notice the staggering performance and improved handling, cocooned in that wonderfully sumptuous cabin. Really expensive leather and natural, unbleached, laser-cut wood veneers are similar to the regular GTC, but the Speed’s interior is based on the Mulliner Driving Specification, which is a cost option on the standard model. It features diamond quilted hide seats, lambswool rugs, knurled chrome and hide gearlever and a three-spoke multi-function steering wheel with brushed aluminium switch surrounds.

Amidst the olde-worlde ambience, you get modern conveniences like Bluetooth, DVD satellite navigation and power everything, along with a fabulous optional Naim audio system with 14 speakers. A sophisticated follow-to-stop, radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control system is also available and works brilliantly; it uses a long-range radar sensor, mounted in the lower front grille, to monitor the road ahead for other vehicles. When a slower moving vehicle is detected, the system automatically adjusts the throttle or brakes to maintain a ‘time gap’, as selected by the driver. The only real complaint we have with the interior is the lack of rear space, suitable only for children. Sure, adults could fit in for a short trip to the movies or dinner, but for a car of this size boasting 2+2 grand touring credentials, we definitely expect the Bentley to be a genuine four-seater.

There it is, a car that had me feeling like a king for a few days. That it is way more expensive than my house and the fact that I’ll never be able to afford it, is the same emotion that makes people go all dewy-eyed and awe-struck when they see one. The GTC Speed is as good as the hard top, and affords you the best of both worlds. The price difference between a standard-issue car and the Speed variant would be pocket change for prospective buyers, but the dynamics that separate the two are quite telling. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and buy one, now!