2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Bentley, First Drives, Luxury

Loses its Head, Keeps its Bespoke Cool

This is the 10th anniversary of the Bentley Continental GT, the 5,500-pound shim that pried open the market for bespoke luxury at $150K. We're into the second generation of the supercoupe that is still - and we think unfairly - derided as a grossly exaggerated Volkswagen, which to us is like saying the Hulk is just Bruce Banner in a tizzy. There are credible grounds for both statements, but in neither case do they accurately convey the chasm between the alpha and the omega.

Nevertheless, checking off the list of updated models brings us to the Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible, the moderately augmented version of the non-Speed GTC. Back to the notion of unfairness, it's probably just that to say the GT Speed Convertible is only "moderately" changed. It did, after all, take Bentley three years to engineer the changes that separate your 'basic' Bentley from the Speed variant, and although they might be imperceptible, they are numerous.

We were invited to drive the world's latest and fastest four-seater convertible for two days from Las Vegas to San Francisco. In a twist we never would have expected, it turned into a desperate hunt for thrills.

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2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bentley unveils 202-mph Continental GT Speed Convertible

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Convertible, Performance, Bentley, Luxury

That purple haze all in your eyes is the 2013 Bentley GT Speed Convertible. The cynical view is, "Bah, take a GT Speed and cut the top off. There. Pass the salt, please...". But when you're Bentley, more than 90 years old, and charging these kinds of ducats, there's no reason to take the cynic's shortcut. So of course the GT Speed Convertible gets all of the Speed-family accoutrements: matrix radiator grille hiding a twin-turbocharged, 6.0-liter W12 with 616 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, eight-speed ZF transmission enabling 15 percent better fuel economy, beefier lowered suspension, larger rifled exhaust tips, inlet manifold finished in black crackle and a Mulliner Driving Specification cabin.

Among the many refinements added to the convertible, though, are neck warmers in the seats, the 21-inch wheels unique to this car, class-leading stiffness - admittedly, it's a very small class, but its torsional rigidity of 22,500 Nm/degree is only 500 Nm below that of the Lamborghini Gallardo coupe. The stiffening required to achieve that number will undoubtedly have something to do with the 485-pound weight gain over the GT Speed Coupe.

Still, when the GT Speed Convertible weighs 5,500 pounds, what's a few hundred between friends? More importantly, the weight doesn't scuttle performance: 0-60 comes in 4.1 seconds, a tenth shy of the coupe. The gap stretches as you approach The Ton, the GT Speed Convertible needing just 9.7 seconds to get there, the coupe just nine seconds. Trust us, though, everyone will be too busy blasting along to notice. Everyone will want to pack light, however, because the Speed Convertible loses 3.5 cubic feet of trunk space. It remains the fastest four-seat convertible in the world with a 202-mph top speed.

We'll see it live when it debuts for the world at the Detroit Auto Show. Look up and there's a high-res photo gallery, look down and there's a press release to get you prepared.

Continue reading Bentley unveils 202-mph Continental GT Speed Convertible

Bentley unveils 202-mph Continental GT Speed Convertible originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Jan 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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