Thanks to the kind invitation of Katia Vandevelde of Bentley Belgium we were able to take the Continental for an extensive drive at the latest Millionaire Fair in Courtrai …

There are very few cars at present who combine the unique luxury of a prestiguous marque with the agility and responsiveness of modern high-tech technology as this Bentley Continental. The fact that this car is since 2006 offered in a cabriolet version adds to the purity of this car as a true « classic » thoroughbred.

The car embodies indeed the pinnacle of traditional elegance and workmanship with the immense power of a modern 6 litre V12 engine, built and bred in Crewe, installed in a truly modern high tech chassis with impeccable road manners. Driving this delight is therefore a unique experience, which we want to share with you on this page…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Timeless elegance

Stepping towards the car one is struck by the discreet elegance of the car, suggesting power and build quality, but never being awkwardly imposing. The car never looks massive, despite its impressive dimensions. The car does not look heavy from any angle, but simultanuously suggests the Bentley solidity, and this is indeed no small feat. Exterior Design Director Raul Pires can be justly proud of his work and that of his team, as they succeeded in maintaining this unique cocktail of elegance and sportiness also in the cabriolet version.

Indeed, whether open or closed, the roof never interrups the elegant flow of lines and contours of the Bentley, and it is worth mentioning they went as far as to fully redesign the rear suspension of the Continental, to keep the rear end of the car as compact as possible, or at least sufficiently so, in order to maintain this crucial impression of lightness of the car.

The elegance of the exterior meets in the interior the traditional aura of solid workmanship and sportiness so typical of the Bentley marque. Robin Page, Director of Interior Design, achieves here also a unique harmony. The shape of the dashboard suggests the slope of the spreaded wings of the Bentley logo, and also exudes the typical cockpit atmosphere of the historic Bentley thoroughbreds.

Getting behind the wheel, the touch of its leather rim gets you hart pounding slightly more, and a short push on the starting button awakens the 6 litre V12 engine, coming into life with a subdued growl. Of course, we immediately reach for the button to open the hood, and our ears are met by the promising faint blurb of the double exhausts.

Driving it…

A good seating position is easily found, and the gearlever is swiftly put into position. Driving at slow speeds, the engine is revved sowewhat higher, creating the impression that the Bentley will leap forward at the slightest blip of the trottle. Understandably, as one knows that the 5998 cc V12 delivers 411 kW or some 552 HP at a decidedly sporty 6100 rpm. The car hardly needs these high revs to deliver already some immense power, as it develops over 650 Nm torque over virtually the whole rev range, from as low as 1600 rpm to 6000 rpm. The fact that the engine is kept by the 6-speed automatic gearbox at this 1600 rpm at close to walking speeds creates the impression that a true thoroughbed engine is breathing here under the bonnet. Pushing the throttle a bit further and the Bentley smoothly veers to higher speeds, the engine developing a beautiful noble 12-cilinder tone to accompany your progress.

Progress is an understatement when one accelerates fully. The car litterally catapults itself from 0 to 100 in a mere 5.1 seconds. When putting the car through its paces, we felt that mid trottle was already more than adequate to apprecate the liveliness of this Bentley and the smooth and quick changes of the ZF 6-speed automatic. This gearbox is programmed « just right » to suit the power characteristics of the beautiful engine, which delighted us even more with a quiet but nicely audible « pop » in the twin exhausts when lifting the throttle at higher revs. Karajan would have loved this one too…

The Bentley Continental has impeccable road manners and feels quite at home when driven with verve. Wide and fast corners are taken with utmost ease and uncanny balance, but also in shorter turns the car feels very precise and remains beautifully light footed. One cannot help but to be impressed by these road manners, and one can only guess the immense amount of testing which must have gone into this car, and the superb level of chassis and suspension engineering which has been reached in this automobile.

The damping is electronically controlled, and one can choose between four modes to suit your momentarily adopted driving style. This Bentley really adapts to your moods behind the wheel…

The brakes are of course also very much up to the task, as one knows that the car has immense 40.5 centimeter disks at the front, the largest disks in diameter ever mounted on a series production car.

We would almost forget to mention that any traction problems are completely absent as the Bentley sports permanent four wheel drive through a Torsen differential to distribute all its power. As a cabrio befits, we did not encounter any wet weather during our test, but we are convinced that the Bentley will also score very high marks here.

We would like to add that the cabriolet feels taut, and that it has a torsional rigidity of not less than 30 HZ, short of incredible for a cabriolet. Nothing less than the good Bentley tradition, where the open cars were fit to win the Le Mans endurance race… and indeed, the joy of driving these cars indeed endures a lifetime, if not generations…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

On the steering wheel one admires the beautiful winged emblem of the Marque...

On the bonnet the emblem centre jumps out so you can open it to  admire the engine...

The gearlever is styled in the purest Bentley tradition and is literally a gem to use...

Of course this noble automobile is started and stopped with a button...

The unique grille of the Bentley still breathes the timeless character of the marque...

Note that all the photos have been taken with the Nikon D40, in "Programme" mode using exposure compensation when needed.