The ultimate rendition of the Continental to date previewed ahead of public debut at the Detroit Auto Show, with a 202-mph top speed to make it the world's fastest four-seat convertible.
You may see this purple Bentley and think you're looking at yesterday's news, but what you're actually looking at is the world's fastest four-seat convertible. It's so fast, in fact, that it arrived early. Having leaked out over a week ago, the new Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible has just been officially released. So what's it all about? Well, for starters, there's the 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 that's been upgraded to the same 616 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque as the GT Speed coupe.
Power is transmitted to all four 21-inch, model-specific wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Bentley has also beefed up the suspension, fitted larger exhaust tips and given it a Mulliner Driving Specification cabin with neck warmers integrated into the seats. In order to keep the frame stiff, Bentley had to add nearly 500 lbs of reinforcement, which brings the total weight up to 5,500 lbs. But with all that power on tap, the GT Speed Convertible still hustles to 60 in 4.1 seconds (just one tenth slower than the coupe) and tops out at 202 mph (three miles slower than the coupe's 205 mph top speed).
Massive ventilated brake discs (measuring 405 mm up front and 335 in the rear) keep the power in check, while even larger carbon-silicon carbide brakes are available as options. The new Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible will be officially unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, now less than two weeks away.
