WR TV: 2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible

This week we’ve got the keys to the drop-top version of Bentley’s most performance focused road car. It has the distinction of being the fastest four-seat convertible currently available, with its 626 horsepower W12 capable of dishing out 0-60 mph sprints in four seconds flat on its way to a 203 mph top speed. But there’s a lot more to the GT Speed than just sheer thrust.

 

The Bentley nameplate may be synonymous with luxury for most folks, but the company is certainly no stranger to high performance. Their motorsports history includes multiple wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, numerous track records, and a Continental GT3 taking home the championship at the Blancpain GT Sprint Series earlier this year. Clearly the company has proven to be just as adept at designing world-beating racing machines as they are luxurious cruisers.

 

 

But a sports car this is not – let’s remember that this Continental GT Speed Convertible weighs more than a Range Rover. Outfitted as it is with a that twin turbocharged W12 engine, four-way adaptive suspension, diamond quilted leather seats (replete with massage function), and one of the finest audio systems to ever be installed in a production car, this vehicle truly embodies the concept of “grand touring”.

 

The 2016 model year brings a number of updates to the Continental GT Speed as part of an overhaul of the entire GT lineup, revisions which should hold the big coupe over until a new third-generation model arrives some time in 2018. In typical Bentley fashion, these tweaks are more evolution than revolution.

 

 

A new front fascia has been fitted, featuring more aggressive lower intake that spans the width of the car and larger side intakes that inch up toward the headlights. Complimenting that new face is a pair of fenders that sport a new B-shaped vent, while out back there’s a new lip spoiler on the deck lid to go along with the revised rear diffuser found on V8 S and Speed models. The 21-inch alloys seen here are also new for this year.

 

Let’s take it out for a spin:

 

 

 

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