Autoblog

The List #0567: Drive The PCH

John Neff — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Bentley, Luxury, The List

In case you hadn't noticed, we're now actively using your suggestions for new episodes of The List. We started the series with a few of our own, but suggestions from viewers like you have been flooding our inbox since the first episode. Race in the 24 Hours of LeMons? That was your idea. Visit an automotive museum? Your idea. And so is today's episode: Drive the PCH.

California's Pacific Coast Highway is known as much for its amazing views as it is for the enjoyable cruising that can be had along its asphalt. It's the type of drive where the destination is less meaningful than the trip that got you there and people you met along the way. In this episode of The List, Jessi and Patrick are given the keys to a suitably ostentatious droptop and sent north from Los Angeles to discover what the PCH has in store for them.

While the PCH is arguably one of the best roads in the country for cruising, every state has a similar road that shows off their unique, natural beauty. What's the best cruising road in your state? Let us know in Comments so we can try it out the next time we're in the neighborhood.

Click here to watch The List #0567: Drive the PCH.

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Click here to learn more about our hosts, Jessi and Patrick.

Continue reading The List #0567: Drive The PCH

The List #0567: Drive The PCH originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bentley debuts Continental GTC V8 before Geneva

Zach Bowman — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Bentley, Luxury

If the Geneva Motor Show is good for anything, it's getting a closer look at some of the world's more lust-worthy vehicles, including the Bentley Continental GTC V8. Like its hardtop twin, the GTC gets its power from a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine good for 500 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque. Coupled to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, the engine can push the big convertible to 60 mph in a scant 4.7 seconds. Top speed is a suitably ludicrous 187 mph, though Bentley says the GTC V8 produces better fuel economy than ever before.

How much better? The forced-induction V8 delivers up to 40 percent better fuel economy than models equipped with the heavy-breathing W12 engine, thanks in part to a cylinder deactivation system that allows the engine to run part-time on just four cylinders.

While the GTC V8 comes with 20-inch wheels as standard equipment, buyers may also opt for 21-inch rollers if they so desire. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Bentley debuts Continental GTC V8 before Geneva

Bentley debuts Continental GTC V8 before Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Bentley Continental GTC [w/video]

Michael Harley — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Bentley, New Car Reviews, Luxury

Updated Droptop Doesn't Compromise Driving Dynamics For Fresh Air And Sunshine

Few experiences equal the feeling of driving a new 2012 Bentley Continental GTC down a crowded Los Angeles highway - especially when the droptop is prismatic magenta with highly polished 21-inch wheels.

Some stare. Others glare. But most simply sneer.

The response should be expected. After all, a vehicle of this caliber is designed to broadcast to others that you have succeeded. Unfortunately, this specific boisterously purple quarter-million dollar convertible with flashy wheels takes things a bit too far: it also seems to remind passers-by that they have failed.

But let's not blame Bentley for someone's misguided selection on the color wheel. A mere 30 microns of pigment over perfectly primed aluminum, whether or not it appears related to Barney the dinosaur, isn't reason to dismiss this magnificent open-top GT.

Or is it?

Continue reading 2012 Bentley Continental GTC [w/video]

2012 Bentley Continental GTC [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bentley showcases new Continental GTC in motion

Noah Joseph — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Videos, Bentley, Luxury

We've gotten the details. We've seen it at the auto show. We've even driven it in Croatia, and brought you our impressions. But there's only so much we can describe a car like the new Bentley Continental GTC, because the luxury cabriolet is an experience. It's about seeing and being seen. It's about wafting effortlessly down azure coastlines and feeling the wind in your hair.

Fortunately, for those of us who will never have the privilege, Bentley has released video footage of its new Continental GTC showing exactly that. Check it out after the jump.

Continue reading Bentley showcases new Continental GTC in motion

Bentley showcases new Continental GTC in motion originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Bentley Continental GTC [w/video]

Matt Davis — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Bentley, First Drives, Luxury

The Fast and the Fabulous: Menace on the Mediterranean

We want a Bentley to feel both weighted down with that famous wafting substance and yet always ready to spool up fast and hard like an express train when there's an opportunity to overtake the poor. One could see that as a dilemma for the automaker, as the world jumps on the "lightweight and green" bandwagon. But this, in reality, is a form of special dispensation we allow both Bentley and Rolls-Royce year after year. If Bentleys started feeling light or harried, we'd be less impressed.

We could see closing the roof of the new Bentley Continental GTC when we might, say, want to explore high-speed runs, but even then it would feel improper; the GTC looks so damned good and inviting with that big roof down, it'd be a crime to enjoy it otherwise. We've recorded the roof action for you on video here, but only because it's sort of required that we have you bear witness to the triple-layered folding lid. We didn't close the roof once during our two days testing as the GTC is one of the purest forms of life on the sunny side of the street.

Continue reading 2012 Bentley Continental GTC [w/video]

2012 Bentley Continental GTC [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Bentley Continental GTC wafts onto stage [w/video]

Noah Joseph — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:41:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Convertible, Bentley, Luxury

When one of Volkswagen's higher-end marques unveils a new version of one of its core products, you know one thing for certain: the debut is just the beginning. Because after the first new version rolls out, there will be a veritable landslide of variants to follow.

That's the case with the Porsche 911, that's the case with the Lamborghini Gallardo and that's certainly the case with the Bentley Continental. The GT coupe was the first to be updated, the Flying Spur sedan is sure to follow in due course, and we can presume to see Speed and even Supersport versions as well. But before they come along, the Crewe has official lifted the veil on the GTC drophead.

The convertible model follows the lead of the updated Continental GT, only with a folding fabric roof. That gives the 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 and all its 567 horsepower ample opportunity to fill the cabin with its silken rumble and gracefully tousle the hair of its occupants.

We'll be driving the new model within a couple of weeks, but in the meantime, this is our first look, so check it out from the Volkswagen Group pavilion here in Frankfurt in our gallery, or watch some B-roll after the jump.

Continue reading 2012 Bentley Continental GTC wafts onto stage [w/video]

2012 Bentley Continental GTC wafts onto stage [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Bentley Continental GTC goes topless as summer winds down

Jeff Glucker — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Bentley, Luxury

Bentley is currently in the middle of a product update that started with the all-new Mulsanne and has now moved on to the Continental GT. We've gotten up close and personal with the 2012 Continental GT Coupe on more than one occasion, but we knew that more derivatives lurked in the future. The next one is now here, and it arrives in the form of the 2012 Bentley Continental GTC.

Sharing the same lower lines as its sibling hardtop coupe, the GTC opts to let the sun shine in via a power-operated retracting softtop. Under the hood sits the same 6.0-liter W12 engine that produces 567 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque in the coupe. Paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, the Continental GTC will run from 0-60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds. Keep your Church's Warrik leather driving shoe pushed to the floor and 100 mph will pass by in 10.9 seconds as you proceed towards a top speed of 195 mph.

This second-generation Continental GTC boasts the same upgraded interior amenities as the coupe, including the (thankfully!) updated nav system, plethora of color choices and optional Naim audio. Twenty-inch wheels are the standard set, while 21-inch rollers are available as an option.

For those who have the means, Bentley is taking orders now, and lucky customers will take delivery towards the end of 2011. The rest of the world will get to see the car in person at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Ready to take a deeper dive into the world of the 2012 Bentley Continental GTC? Click past the jump for the full press release, then take a gander at the convertible from all angles in our gallery.

Continue reading 2012 Bentley Continental GTC goes topless as summer winds down

2012 Bentley Continental GTC goes topless as summer winds down originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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