2009 Bentley Continental GT Speed Review
October 29, 2008 by Anthony Crawford
Now really, you didn’t just expect me to drive a Bentley around suburbia for those precious four days we owned it, did you?
When the guys at Bentley called to ask, what we could do if they made a GT Speed available to CarAdvice for a few days, I wasn’t going to say “well I might take it up to Palm Beach and shoot it in front of some millionaire’s beach house”, as complimentary to the badge, as that might have been.
Better still, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales is one of the premier wine growing regions in Australia, and is blessed with some superb backcountry roads, and even better gastronomic delights and accommodation. This was where my Bentley, and I were headed for the weekend.
You know, it’s not such a difficult task selecting lodgings, which offer the best synergy with the luxurious qualities of the Bentley brand, and someone has to do it.
There’s the Sebel and Peppers, both fine resorts and far beyond my personal affordability. Nevertheless, both run a distant second to the true five-star experience at Tower Lodge, in Pokolbin.
It didn’t take much to sway me either, when I heard that the combined wealth of the owners of this establishment exceeds $2-billion – done.
You can get to Pokolbin via the Sydney Newcastle Freeway or you can go the back way through the picturesque towns of Wollombi and Broke, by far the better drive route and less than three hours all up.
In the end, I decided to stretch the Speed’s legs on the freeway, and then make the return trip though the rolling hills where I could throw the big Bentley around some.
I love this car but I have to say that if I was getting one, I would get the standard one because I have driven the speed and its hardly convincing as a super car and the standard is already a fantastic GT. I do love those wheels though…
Awesome review! Much better than Rolls any day!
Awesome car, but for $400k+ that gear lever surrounding look so cheap just like your $20k VW.
Now lets not go crazy Zahmad, It’s a fantastic car but have you driven the Rolls Royce coupe? Or Phantom? Or DHC? Im afraid Bentley havn’t quite gotten to Rolls Royce standards yet.
gorgeous interior. Fantastic pictures guys!
Not bad I guess. Would I have one? No cos nearly every premiership footballer has one. Its a bit Chavs-ville here i’m afraid. Sorry Bentley!!
TC ! Are there any 20k VW? I have never seen one
makes me salivate….they seem a lot smaller in the flesh than they look in the pics, but I’ve never driven in one. I suppose that if you can afford one, you could also afford to hire someone to clean the brake dust out of those gorgeous wheels
Hmmm, this or the Aston Martin DBS?
I’m leaning towards the Aston
Very nice pics.
Bentley Continental has more gadgets but still luxurious, but Rolls Royce like to keep it simple and luxurious. So it’s up to you to decide what makes you smile more.
Personally, I would go for the Rolls Drop Head. By the time I can afford one, I’ll be too old for all the buttons and settings to worry about.
4 valves per cylinder and overhead camshafts in 1926. The Chevrolet/Holden V8 can’t manage that 82 years later.
beautiful…
i think that’s all i need to say? haha.
GTC Speed for me please!
i’d still take on of these though, really stunning.
i think this, and the DB9 have to me in my top3.
Beautiful vehicle… beautiful interior…
But for that price I would want close to perfection – unfortunately there are a few cheap touches.
Nice review, took a while to read but worth it in the end. So, who’s the lucky bloke who got to drive it? I’m envious!
How much would a DB9 set you back?
I’d still prefer one of those to this, but its definitely an astonishing car. I just can’t imagine how it can be nimble to drive with that much weight.
Pure decadence. I love the front 3/4 view. I guess if you can afford one of these its purely a question of personal preference. Why not have an Aston and a Bentley?!
Story and photographs really captured the glory of this car. Well done!
As a parent of a toddler, I would be concerned about whether the rear will accommodate a baby capsule and the impact of food and other toddler ’stuff’ on the leather.
I was just wondering if this car available in Brisbane, Queensland? I have been looking in Bentley Brisbane, but there is no information about the car
you could always have a look at http://www.bentleymotors.com for information. The dealer in Brisbane would definately have information and cars to look at.