Bentley has unveiled its fastest road car ever: the new (and aptly named) Continental GT Speed.
The uprated flagship is the perfect anecdote to the sensible Flying Spur V8 model also revealed today. Thought Bentley was going soft? Not with this 624bhp interloper, it’s not…
Just how much speed does the 2014 Bentley Continental GT Speed offer?
There’s a mere 10bhp more than last year’s version, but then, that wasn’t exactly unworthy of the name. Output from the 6.0-litre, twin turbocharged W12 engine stands at 626bhp – 5bhp superior to the previous-gen Conti GT Supersports, in fact.
By a scant 1mph, it’s the fastest Bentley ever, at 206mph flat out. Spec your Speed as a GTC cabrio and the v-max drops to 203mph.
Feeding the eight-speed automatic is a new personal best of 605lb ft of torque, vanquishing the old GT Speed’s maximum twist, which amounted to only 590lb ft.
The lowered, stiffened chassis, shod with gargantuan 21in alloy wheels as standard, is a direct carryover of last year’s GT Speed. As you’d hope from a Bentley, the usual array of stitching combinations and trim finishers are available inside to make your Continental stand out from the goalkeeper’s, the left back’s, and club physiotherapist’s.
Expect a price tag north of £150,000 for the new GT Speed, which joins its V8 Flying Spur stablemate at the Geneva motor show in March 2014.