The current Continental GT has been on the market since early 2011 but Bentley continues to expand and update the range. A great excuse for just-auto to try the latest V8 S coupe.
It wasn’t a long drive, and certainly it wasn’t the usual week that press review cars get to spend in my care. But that’s not a moan, just an observation. How could I possibly say no to any opportunity to try any Bentley?
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The covers were lifted off the V8 S at the Frankfurt IAA 13 months ago and both fixed roof and open-top versions debuted at that motor show. They’re each powered by the same biturbo V8, which Bentley engineers are said to have designed. Like the car, it’s made at Crewe.
Compared to the GT, the S has lowered suspension, bespoke 20-inch alloy wheels, a rear wing, side skirts, a front air dam and red brake calipers. As with other V8-engined Continentals, the Bentley wings badges have a red centre and the exhaust finishers are shaped like a figure of eight.
The Continental is probably due for a mid-life exterior and interior refresh in 2015 but it certainly doesn’t look like it needs either. Most of that is to do with how the car’s proportions were right first time, and is backed up by what has been a programme of ongoing tweaks since launch. That’s things such as the addition of the V8 engine as a lower price point compared to the orginal 6.0-litre W12. The 4.0-litre motor had its world premiere in the GT V8 coupe and convertible at the 2012 Detroit motor show and for a time, its standard eight-speed automatic meant the transmission had two more than ratios than twelve cylinder cars. This was remedied in October 2012.
Since this model series first went on sale, several variants have been added, not including the GT V8 S. The GT Speed debuted in the summer of 2012 at the Goodwood Festival of…. With a claimed top speed of 205mph, this became Bentley’s fastest car yet. It was originally powered by a 460kW version of the 6.0-litre biturbo W12 and this also produced 800Nm of torque.
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By GlobalDataThe GT Speed was joined by a convertible in 2013, this model having been revealed at the Detroit motor show at the start of that year. It had the same engine and eight-speed gearbox. More powerful versions of the GT Speed and GT Speed Convertible were launched at the Geneva motor show this last March. Their engines now produce a 467kW and 850Nm. The updated cars can be told from the older ones by body colouring for the front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser, as well as a dark finish for the 21” wheels, headlamps and tail lamps.
There’s more to come for this model range, with a detuned version of Bentley’s GT3 racing car having been announced in June. It will be in dealerships in time for Christmas. Just 300 units of this GT3-R will be built. They have shorter gearing and only two seats, while the biturbo 4.0-litre V8 produces 426kW (580PS) and 700Nm of torque. Losing the back seats and other modifications mean it’s also 100kg lighter than the GT V8 S.
According to the spec sheet which Bentley gave me, the GT V8 S might tip the scales at 2,295kg but Jessie Pavelka wouldn’t be trying to force it into shape as there’s more than enough muscle to allow this car to push its weight around. And what a sound it makes when you ask it to deliver as much acceleration as you dare. My drive was on empty-ish roads around Hampshire. The all-wheel drive and sunny conditions meant perfect traction out of every junction: the torque split is 40/60 front/rear.
Brakes are 405mm cross drilled cast iron at the front and 335mm ones at the back but you can pay extra for CSiC (Carbon Silicon Carbide) ones. Other options include GBP3,295 for what Bentley calls ‘Main Paint’, while Contrast Stitching for the leather upholstery is GBP1,425, a sports exhaust (it’s essential!) is GBP1,860, a space saver spare adds GBP500, while adaptive cruise control means an outlay of GBP2,045. Need a first aid kit and a warning triangle? That’ll be an additional hundred quid.
Due to loads of added gear, the test vehicle was listed as GBP179,720 but the base price for the V8 S Coupe is GBP139,000.
Probably because of that fabulously melodious tailpipe tuning, this car sounds more like a big-bore monster V8 than one whose capacity is a mere 3,993cc. You’ve also a choice of two ways of awakening the beast beneath the bonnet. You can either slide the key into a slot to the right of the steering wheel and turn it, or else just drop it somewhere and press a starter button. How odd is that?
Like all Continentals, this one’s cabin is neatly divided into curvy halves and you can imagine how much leather there is. Everywhere. This is vegetarian hell. The seats are huge, as are those in the back, and none has a separately adjustable head restraint. The test vehicle had a bewinged B stitched into all four.
Compared to the GT V8, the S has had its spring rates, bushes and the rear anti-roll bar stiffened, while the damping has been recalibrated, along with the steering and ESC. In addition to the drop in ride height and other visual clues, this model has S badges on the front wings and side tread plates.
Straight-ahead surge is addictive but unless you’re silly with the right pedal, overall economy is OK. The worst official number is 18.4mpg for the Urban cycle, while Extra Urban is as good as 36.7mpg and Combined is 26.7mpg. That’s quite something given the performance on offer: the V8 S coupe sprints from 0-60 mph in a stated 4.3 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.5s) and has a top speed of 192mph (309km/h). The 90 litre tank is one of the reasons why this car can get you up to 500 miles before the need to visit a fuel station for GBP100+ of 98 RON.
This year might see Bentley setting another global sales record after 10,120 cars were delivered in 2013. As at the end of the third quarter, the tally is 7,786 so the current average should be the record broken again. China is most the reason for this, but deliveries have also been strong in Britain, the rest of Europe, North America and the Gulf states. Close to 50% of the brand’s sales are the Continental GT line.
