Is The New Bentley Continental GT Speed The Ultimate Grand Tourer?

Motoring editor Jeremy Taylor and Jessica Talbot-Ponsonby drive a modern-day icon.

Test Drive: Bentley Continental GT Speed

JT-P – My father used to say that ‘Bentley’s are for gents, Rollers are for parollers’.

JT – Probably a bit harsh if you owned a Rolls-Royce but Bentley always had a certain cache! That may be why the late Queen’s State Limousine was a Bentley, gifted to her in 2002.

And this latest Continental GT is nothing like the original Continental models my dad would have coveted back in the 1950s. It’s Bentley’s first-ever hybrid GT coupe.

And the company’s most powerful grand tourer of all time. Naturally, the cabin is a work of art but the Speed version we drove has astonishing performance and is rather more efficient than previous examples.

Well, as Bentley still offered a 12-cylinder petrol model until recently, that goes without saying. At least a 4.0-litre V8 petrol backed up by battery power is a step in the right direction! What does £236,000 buy you?

A ‘standard’ Continental GT costs just over £200,000 and tops out at 168mph, while the Speed will launch you around a racetrack in excess of 200mph. Despite its not insubstantial size – 200 kg heavier thanks to the hybrid set up – the Speed feels fast.

Yes but not in the nimble Porsche 911 style – more a ‘I need to get to Monte Carlo fast in extreme comfort’ sort of way. 

Despite all manner of technical wizardry, including all-wheel steering and all-wheel drive, sharp handling and a boost in pace to 772 bhp, the Continental is a car that still feels most at home on a grand tour, rather than a manic cross-country dash.

Maybe but I can’t think of a better place to sit than inside a Bentley. The GT is officially a 2+2 but there is tons of room for four adults. The cabin materials are plush and sumptuous – everything has that handcrafted feel.

And the choice of wood veneers, leathers and stitching are absolutely mind-boggling. ‘Lavish’ doesn’t even cover it.

And let’s not forget you can actually drive the hybrid Speed up to 50 miles on electric power only – great for a commute to your penthouse office in the City, or boasting about your green credentials. The King likes an electric car: should we expect to see him in one soon?

I don’t think there are any plans to trade in the State Limo just yet…

The Road To Success: How The Continental GT Revived Bentley’s Fortunes

The Continental GT, launched in 2003, was the first new Bentley of the Volkswagen era. VW bought the marque from BMW after several years of negotiations and immediately revived the Continental nameplate, first seen on the elegant R-Type during the early 1950s.

Arguably the first all-new Bentley since the original 3 Litre of 1919, it was also the brand’s first model built on a mass production line. The car marked a revolution for Bentley, propelling the company from a maker of less than 1,000 hand-built cars a year to close to ten times that figure.

The 2003 car featured a huge 6.0-litre, 12-cylinder petrol engine that offered unlimited power. A global success, it opened new markets for Bentley around the world. However, the W12 GT was also thirsty and did little to boost Bentley’s green credentials. 

An improved, second generation model followed in 2011 and, later, V8 engines were available for the first time too. But when Bentley announced the end of the venerable W12 in 2023, it was only a matter of time before the first plug-in hybrids appeared.

The Continental GT remains a milestone for Bentley. It was the start of a raft of new, luxury models for the Crewe-based company, including the four-door Flying Spur saloon and Bentley’s first-ever SUV, the Bentayga.

Find out more about the Bentley Continental GT Speed at bentleymotors.com

Jessica Talbot-Ponsonby is Director of Programmes at London College of Fashion, studying for a PhD in sustainable e-textile design.