There are cars I would love to drive, cars I would happily stare at, and cars I intend to own. The Bentley Continental GT belongs firmly in the last group. I am not leaving this planet before buying one, so apparently I have given myself some work to do.
Welcome to the sixth A2W Car Spotlight. This one is personal.
Yes, I know I have already promised myself a Lamborghini Revuelto. That promise remains perfectly valid. Please do not start checking my previous blogs as though you have caught me cheating. There will be space for both.
But the Bentley makes me feel differently.
With the Lamborghini, I want the drama. The doors, the noise, the ridiculous shape and the complete inability to arrive anywhere quietly. With the Continental GT, I want to walk towards it, take the keys out of my pocket and have that little moment of realisation.
That is mine.
I think I would stand there for a while. Whoever was waiting for a lift would need to be patient. You have legs. Please use them while I enjoy this. The thing I love most about the Continental GT is how much car there is to look at. That broad front, the huge grille, the long bonnet and those thick, curved rear shoulders. It looks solid, heavy and properly planted. Nothing about it seems small or delicate.
And yet, somehow, it is sweet.
I know. Sweet is probably not the word Bentley’s design department spent months trying to achieve, but look at it. There is something about those rounded shapes that softens all that aggression. It looks capable of doing something terrible to you, but it has decided you seem nice. LOL.
That is the balance I love. It has presence without needing every surface to look sharp enough to open a parcel. The Continental GT can look handsome, slightly threatening and strangely friendly at the same time. I want to admire it and give it a little pat on the bonnet. I do it on every car by the way 🙂
Then I look at the performance figures, and the whole thing stops making sense again.
Take the current Continental GT Speed. Its V8 hybrid system produces 771 bhp and 1,000 Nm of torque. Bentley quotes 0–60 mph in 3.1 seconds, or 0–100 km/h in 3.2 seconds. That is the Speed version specifically, and yes, I checked the numbers because the shape of this car keeps convincing me they must belong to something else.
How is all of that moving so quickly?
When a Lamborghini does it, I understand. Look at the thing. It practically tells you to hold on before you have opened the door. The Bentley looks as though we are going somewhere lovely for lunch. Then you discover lunch might be arriving considerably earlier than expected.
The GT Speed is nearly 4.9 metres long and has a quoted EU unladen weight of 2,458 kg. Almost two and a half tonnes. There is a lot of Bentley involved in those 3.1 seconds.
I know there is an engineering explanation. Powerful engine, electric assistance, grip and some very clever people making everything work together. My brain understands that.
My eyes are still arguing. That is part of why I find this car so interesting. It does not have the shape I normally connect with that kind of speed. It looks too comfortable, too rounded and far too well dressed to be getting involved in such behaviour.
Which, naturally, makes me love it more. Still, I would not buy a Continental GT simply to tell people how quickly it reaches 60.
I would want the quieter moments too. Choosing a road because it looks interesting. Taking the longer way back because I am enjoying myself. Sitting inside for another minute after arriving, even though there is absolutely no reason to remain in the car.
I want the ordinary days with it, not only the exciting ones.
And I do mean a goal. Calling it a dream makes it sound as though I am happy to admire it forever and leave the rest to luck. I am not. I do not have a purchase date to announce, and I am not pretending the work between here and those keys will happen by itself. But I want to get there.
Leaving this planet has been postponed until further notice. Continental GT pending.
Aki Malik
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