Instrumented Test
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A big, expensive, attention-grabbing piece with a twist.
For a company that only sells about 10,000 cars per year, Bentley sure knows how to proliferate a lineup. While new metal like the redesigned Flying Spur sedan and the brand’s upcoming first-ever SUV should help boost sales further, there’s no question the “entry-level” Continental GT line still anchors the winged B’s operations. The latest additions to the plethora of Continental choices are the sporty V8 S models. We previously tested the coupe, and we’ve now gotten our mitts on the convertible.
“S” is for Slick
One thing we should get out of the way: Bentley claims that its topless two-door is the “stiffest convertible in the world.” That might be true, at least empirically speaking, but in practice the V8 S has more quivers and than we’d like in a modern, $246,385 droptop. Things improve somewhat in the softest of the GTC V8 S’s four suspension firmness settings. But crank up the stiffness and drop the shift lever into “S”—these set the convertible up for maximum attack—and the dash, rearview mirror, and steering column do a subdues jig while traveling through even moderately bumpy corners.
Luckily, there’s a zestier jig going on under the V8 S’s hood, which provides sanctuary for the same meaty, twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 that powers the GT V8 S coupe. It pumps out 521 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque, 21 more ponies and 15 more lb-ft of torque than the non-S GTC’s V-8, and routes power to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic. Like the V8 S coupe, the convertible S is intended to be the sportiest eight-cylinder Continental iteration. This is backed up by our instrumented testing: 0 to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 191 mph. That’s two tenths of a second behind the V8 S coupe, yet 3 mph faster on the top end. It’s also one tenth quicker to 60 and 4 mph faster than the non-S GTC V8.
The V8 S convertible rides on the same 20-inch Pirelli P Zero tires as the V8 S coupe, but saddles their sidewalls with an extra 398 pounds. Despite this, the convertible still feels massively more agile than its 12-cylinder siblings. And it circled our skidpad at an impressive 0.87 g, posting 0.02 g more stick than the GTC V8 but 0.04 g less than the V8 S hardtop’s 0.91 g. Braking is unaffected by the convertible’s extra poundage over the GT V8 S coupe, as it erases 70 mph in the same 156 feet as the fixed-roof V8 S.
Speak Softly but Carry a Giant Price Tag and Curb Appeal
As impressive as those statistics are, especially from a big, four-place, all-wheel-drive GT car weighing 5560 pounds, you’re about as likely to find a GT V8 S lapping Laguna Seca as you are to find, say, an old Eldorado doing the same thing. Painted an ambitiously sporty St. James Red hue, with an equally over-the-top black and Hotspur-red leather interior, this droptop is nevertheless all about style.
The sumptuous cabin is prefect for laid-back cruises. Everything operates with a pleasant simplicity, and the lack of drive-setting-button overkill is refreshing. The pilot is unencumbered by transmission choices beyond selecting “Drive” or “S”, and one can pick from four damper settings. This affords more time for sitting back and enjoying the 4.0-liter V-8’s boisterous exhaust note, the excellent Naim audio system ($7300), and the passing breeze. Or staring onlookers. This car, especially in bright red, attracts a lot of attention.
Lowering the roof can be done within one traffic-signal cycle or on the move at speeds up to 20 mph. But take caution—roughly halfway through the roof’s travel, the folding mechanism occupies some of the same space as rear-seat passengers’ noggins. Ducking to avoid a speeding softtop might not seem very luxurious, but the rest of the cabin experience is more than plush enough to mitigate this minor demerit. And when raised, the four-layer insulated roof hushes the cabin to near coupe-like levels of silence.
Our test car came loaded with neck warmers for cold top-down days ($1035), massaging and ventilated front seats ($950), adaptive cruise control ($2730), and a sports exhaust ($2480), among a few other baubles. Similar to the GT V8 S coupe, the droptop wants for little; some chassis stiffening would be appreciated, but that would add even more weight.
More performance can be had in the pricier Continental GT Speed convertible, while similar money also will get you into Ferrari’s updated—and now twin-turbocharged—California T, a McLaren 650S Spider, or one of the last Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT roadsters. But if you have your sights set on a big, comfy, quarter-million-dollar droptop capable of carrying four people quickly and in style, the Bentley’s without peer—at least until the Mercedes-Benz S-class cabriolet arrives.
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