The new Bentley Continental GT Speed is here, and it is a 640hp W12 monster. We have been waiting years for this as it is such a quick car and it is far sportier than the standard model. It features new wheels, a slightly new body kit, and a better interior. It isn’t like an Aston Martin DBS at all, but it isn’t far off. Is the Continental Speed the ultimate Grand Tourer then? Let’s take a look.
The standard Continental was launched back in 2018. It featured a 626hp 664 lb-ft of torque twin-turbo W12 originally before a 542hp 4.0 twin-turbo V8 was also added to the lineup. They were both very fast indeed but fans always knew that they could easily have been made faster. The Speed is what the fans want. It’s still just as comfortable, but it is more powerful and it is faster. The Speed isn’t supercar fast at all. Instead, it has its own way of how it delivers power and speed which is completely unique to the car.
Outside, not much has changed. There are new alloys, a new paint specification, a dechrome, a slightly upgraded body kit, and a new “Speed” badge on the side wings. If you parked the Speed next to the standard car, it would be very hard to tell the difference between the two if you didn’t know what’s what.
The real difference is inside. The Speed features a brand new interior with Alcantara, red stitching, black leather, carbon fiber, and a red 6 o’clock mark. It looks stupidly sexy and it looks like an expensive smoking jacket This is a proper interior and probably the best I have seen for a long time. Obviously, you can specify the interior to your standards, and have it completely different. The only thing that will stay on all models regardless of the interior specification, is the “Speed” logo on the dash veneer.
Is It Worth The Extra Cash Though?
picture via: autoevolution.com
This is my only concern with this car. It is only 0.1 seconds quicker to 60 than the standard Continental W12 GT, yet it costs so much more. US prices have not been released yet but UK prices have. The standard 626hp W12 Continental GT starts at just over £160,000 base. That’s £10,000 more than the 542hp V8. The Speed with 650hp starts at around £200,000 which in dollars is almost $273,000.
The Speed has 650hp and 664 lb-ft of torque. It does a 0-60 in 3.6 seconds and flat out, a top speed of 208 mph. The standard Continental has 626hp and 664 lb-ft of torque and a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds with a top speed of over 200 mph.
That number is most likely to be the actual base MSRP for the new Speed Continental since £160,000 is almost $220,000 which is almost the same number as the base MSRP for the W12 Continental in the USA. That is over $50,000 more than the standard W12 Continental, and is the Speed really worth that?
For $273,000 you can have a top-spec W12 standard Continental GT with the bigger alloys, better paint, Naim audio, etc. In fact, you could probably have a good personalized model with custom paint and a one-off interior for that much too. For most people, the standard W12 car is fast enough in both the straights and the bends. It’s AWD, it has rear-wheel steering and huge brakes.
So mechanically, what does the Continental Speed have which the standard GT doesn’t? It first has a set of huge carbon-ceramic brakes which saves around 33kg of weight. This means that these brakes are seriously better than the previous ones, as they’re better yet lighter. This is all thanks to the materials of which the brakes are made of. Then the Speed also has an electronic limited-slip differential (eLSD). This is the first time Bentley has ever had an eLSD onboard installed by the factory. This means the car will handle so much better and it will be easier to drift. Gearchanges in sport mode are also twice as fast as they were in the standard model.
Bentley has also recalibrated the AWD system so now, more power is sent to the rear. This makes the Speed so much more of a driver’s car despite it still weighing the same as a medium-sized house. It’s not a track car at all, but if you want a Bentley that feels a lot more sporty then the Speed is the answer. In fact, it is probably the most driver-focused Bentley ever.
The $50,000 or so premium then seems justified. The Speed has far more technology and it’s also so much more fun. Maybe it’s the Bentley for young people? To top it all off, Bentley has fitted a new louder exhaust to the speed. Previously, the W12 Continental never sounded too good. It may have had the pops and bubbles but it just didn’t sound as good as it looked or drove. The Speed, however, has a much more brutal exhaust. It’s louder, more aggressive and so much more fun. It pops, burbles, and bangs more, which is everything the car enthusiast wants. Bentley actually says that the exhaust on the Speed has a “greater character” which is brilliant. This then is the sportiest Bentley ever.
Is it a sports car though? It certainly can’t be chucked around corners like a Mazda MX5 or a Porsche 718. It is though more suited for twisty roads thanks to its LSD and other driving dynamics as well as the lower weight. It isn’t a GT3 rival at all, but it certainly will give the GT3 a better run for its money than the standard Continental W12.
Should You Buy It?
picture via: evo.co.uk
This is a hard one. I want to say yes because the Speed is a serious car and it looks awesome inside and out. I also love the fact that Bentley has made the Continental so much more enjoyable to drive by fitting things in like the eLsd, the better brakes, and recalibrating the AWD system. It means we as drivers can enjoy the Continental so much more.
In my opinion, the Speed is a better GT than the standard W12. Some will disagree mainly because the Speed is more “hardcore” but ultimately that’s not true. The Speed is just a car that has been designed to be so much more enjoyable. It still is a Bentley and it still can get you from London to Monte Carlo with ease. It truly is an effortless car and it is still so comfortable.
The interior is my favorite part. Not everyone will choose the interior seen in the Speed launch car. Not everyone likes Alcantara or Carbon Fiber at all. In fact, some will completely hate the interior seen on the Speed launch car. For me, I would change the Alcantara as I prefer leather. But the red and black combination is not one I would never change. It looks sinister and the carbon fiber veneer with the small “Speed” logo, finishes it off nicely. It is an interior that is both very sporty and very classy. The carbon exterior kit on the Speed is very subtle, but it sure makes an impact.
However, the Speed is $50,000 more than the standard Continental W12. This is before options. You could quite easily get one of these to be maybe $75,000 or even $100,000 more than a standard Continental W12. You will also face even worse depreciation since the car costs more new yet its depreciation is still as bad as any Continental. Furthermore, most people buy a Continental for the power and luxury. Not for how well it handles or what brakes it has. If you want a driver’s car, get something else.
A new facelifted Continental is in the coming, and it won’t be as expensive. Maybe that is a better car to buy then? I believe Bentley will still keep the standard GT a W12 model but they may keep that engine exclusively for the Speed. The facelifted car is coming in May.
I would actually look at the V8 Continental before you buy the Speed. It may have 100hp less and a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds, but it is over $73,000 less than the Speed. It sounds better and it is lighter. I feel that although it doesn’t have the eLSD, brakes, etc it is a better car to drive. It is more fun and you can easily have a top model for the price of a new Speed.
Is the Speed worth it then? Second hand yes, but as a new car no. Depreciation is too high and compared to the other Continental models, it isn’t the best value for money. Though, if you can afford one of these then those points are probably somewhat irrelevant.
Featured image credits via: autoexpress.co.uk