It’s possibly the world's poshest convertible, but still, it somehow manages to roll indiscreetly under the cover of obscurity. I mean, did you take one look at it here and say to yourself: "Oh, there's the new Bentley GTC..."
Probably not. To the untrained eye - and I'm thinking there aren't many eyes trained on picking up Bentley nuances - this latest version of the grand touring convertible looks remarkably similar to the GTC that's been out since 2006. That unmistakable mesh grille that's big enough to braai a whole kudu on still dominates frontal angles, and those giant jackrabbit-esque hind quarters we remember from the past five years are dead giveaways to Bentley Continental GT subject matter.
But, when compared to the old GTC, this 2012 version is in fact 80 percent new. The basic floorplan carries over, but bolted to it is an entirely new body, a wider suspension, a new interior with a modern infotainment system, and an updated six-litre biturbo W12 with more power than before.
The test unit pictured here, is at the moment the only new GTC in the country and it's here on a visitor's visa from the UK for a whistle-stop world launch tour. Deep-pocketed potential customers will get to test it at a larney event to be held on Friday (November 25) and we're the first South African publication to bring you a driving impression.
It's a slightly intimidating car to drive, and not only because of its R3.75-million pricetag. The GTC's not by a long shot the biggest car in Bentley's stable, but it seems as though every component - from the monster 21” wheels to the surfboard-sized slabs of veneer in the dashboard - are designed to be as imposing as possible.
Swing open one of the two doors, and the weight behind it almost bullies you into ‘small-man syndrome’ submission.
With endless electronic adjustment I managed to angle the seat to my liking and, once it’s set up, the relationship between steering wheel, pedals and driver are just as they would be in any car.
However, there was an illusion that anything outside of my immediate personal space was worlds away, and I wanted to shout to communicate with my front-seat passenger. One particular passenger, who’s built like a teenage gymnast, commented that she could hardly see over the bulkhead-like dashboard and she reminded me of shrunken Alice in Wonderland sitting in an oversized captain’s chair.
But even with the exaggerated perception that you’re ruddering a humungous land yacht, Bentley’s done well to make the driving controls relatively easy. The steering has a light and airy feel at all speeds, the oversized brake discs slow the ship down in sports-car distances, and most of all, the 423kW/700Nm W12 picks the whole package up and shunts it around with little respect for its kerb weight of 2.5 tonnes.
Press the console-mounted starter button and a decompression switch makes all 12 cylinders whir with the sound of a jet turbine momentarily. Then, when spark meets fuel, the engine fires with a quick shudder down the car’s spine and then settles quickly to an idle smoother than Liberace’s Brylcreem.
With its unconventional W-shaped geometry the exhaust note throbs with an offbeat thump when it’s worked hard, but for most situations it calmly thrums through anything you can throw at it.
There are other cars out there boasting outputs in this region, but where most of them deliver with explosive acceleration, this Bentley surges forward on an effortless tidal wave of power.
It may be the second-most powerful car we’ve ever put against the clock, but because of its cruising GT nature (and 2.5-tonne weight) it’s only the thirtieth fastest car in our quarter-mile charts at 13.9 seconds. Zero to 100km/h is done in 5.5 seconds.
Grand tourers like this are more for gobbling straight-line distance than flinging about in the bends, but the GTC handles both well.
It rides on self levelling air suspension that makes it float over bumps when set to full waft mode but, find a curvy road wide enough and this big Bentley will change directions when asked. I give most of the credit to the gargantuan 275/35 Pirelli P Zeros though.
The GTC’s retractable fabric roof is probably the best I’ve ever come across. When up, it seals-off the outside world just as a hood made of steel would and even at speeds over 200km/h the interior is insulated well from road and wind noise.
It also opens from outside the car by holding down the unlock button on the key, but you must be inside the car using the console switch to close it.
Surprisingly there was no wind deflector of any type, and when driving topless the cabin got very breezy. - Star Motoring