Bentley Continental 2006
By Benjamin Cyr
A quarter of a million dollars on four wheels.
Most people wouldn’t consider investing that much in a property, let alone in a vehicle. Well, for a week I lived like a multimillionaire behind the wheel of a Bentley Continental GT- a $ 250,000 gem. Is the car worth that much money, you ask? Keep reading and find out.
Bentley’s History
Most of you know the name and the distinctive grill but that’s about all. So, for your edification, here’s a brief history.
Walter Owen Bentley, worked on conceptualizing aircraft engines during the First World War. His company was created in 1919 with the unveiling of the first Bentley prototype. A few years later, Bentley cars were a resounding success when they won the prestigious race at LeMans four years in a row. Later, with the Great Depression in the early thirties, Bentley suffered serious losses and was taken over by Rolls Royce.Then in 2003, the final split of the two trademarks occurred and Bentley became part of the Volkswagen Group.The first car developed since then was the magnificent Continental GT, the ultimate in grand touring cars.
What a rocket!
Even with the separation of the two English companies, Bentley remains a name that evokes luxury, opulence, and prestige. However, The Continental GT also brings to mind performance, power and high tech.
This superb coupe has all the latest: four wheel drive, a W12 two turbo engine, a ZF six speed automatic transmission with steering wheel controls, 20 inch wheels, a totally adjustable air suspension, and all the other electronic gadgets. This may sounds like your normal sports car, however, its exceptional luxury and comfort makes it a true GT.
Royal treatment
The driver of this car expects royal treatment and that’s exactly what this English beauty provides: a variety of hand sewn leathers to choose from, exceptionally comfortable seats fitted with a back massage system, a monster sound system, fine wood panelling in selected areas and much more.
However, the difference with a $ 100,000 car is not striking, to the point where certain characteristics usually found in a common BMW or Jaguar are absent. I am referring to seats that are not air-conditioned and the six CD player which is not mounted on the main console but is hidden away in the glove compartment. Weird! You can say that it’s not major but at this price one expects perfection, right? This is part and parcel of the vehicle’s cachet...
As for performance, this is serious stuff
The motor specifications take us to another level: a dual turbo, 48 valve motor entirely hand assembled, developing a pithy 552 horses and 479 pound feet of torque at only 1600 revs/pm. At 2300 kg, this is impressive performance. Thanks to four wheel drive there’s no hesitation on take off as it reaches 100 km/h in 5.0 seconds, the quarter mile in 13.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 325 km/h. As I was saying, this is serious stuff! And you can imagine that passing is quite quick; it’s easy to hit 250 km/h in a couple of seconds without noticing it because of the great stability and the superb soundproofing helped along by the double windows. One could easily loose one’s license... |
