2009 Bentley Continental GT Speed Review
October 29, 2008 by Anthony Crawford
There’s a traditional key fob that inserted into an ignition barrel, which activates all systems, followed by a quick push of the small start/stop button.
It barks to life with a slightly manic growl through the wider and specially rifled exhaust tips, encore. That’s 750 Newton-metres waiting to be unleashed and I’m the guest pilot, it’s absolutely intoxicating.
My driveway is a little tricky but that won’t be a problem, the Bentley’s self-levelling air suspension has an adjustable ride height capability, which allows me to dial up a high setting, avoiding any possibility of damage to the front splitter.
For the cruise through suburbia to the freeway, I’m happy to engage the normal Drive mode and sit back and enjoy some smooth auto-shifting opulence.
Before merging onto the fast moving F3 towards Newcastle I move the shifter into Sport mode for more immediate throttle response and longer held gear ratios.
Within moments, I’m seriously into the throttle and again, I’m thinking Bugatti Veyron, as my upper torso is pinned hard against the seat back and my retinas are automatically recalibrating. Acceleration borders on the extreme and is utterly relentless, but always linear.
Once through the rather nondescript town of Cessnock, it’s a relatively short drive to Pokolbin, across some nice undulating terrain. Dampers have been set to Sport, which means we can throw the Speed into a few fast corners with supreme confidence.
The harder you push it, the more grip you get. Put that down in most part, to the all-wheel drive system, which used a central Torsen differential in addition to separate front and rear differentials. What that means is, the system can apportion torque to either axle, in measurements of less than one percent.
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.